A Well-Oiled Machine

Benefits are abundant for Reinhardt/Wilson joint venture customers

By Margie Church

The economic endeavors of the Reinhardt/Wilson joint venture have been so rewarding that the team now has a commanding presence in mid-Missouri. Its emphasis on meticulous estimating and project management, combined with top-notch local craftsmanship, has repeatedly helped it be awarded projects. And Reinhardt/ Wilson customers keep coming back for more.

Reinhardt Construction Company builds commercial and industrial buildings, schools, churches, banks, and private homes larger than 10,000 square feet. The Centralia, Missouri-based company is 50 years old and is well known for its high-quality work and fair business practices. But it’s the company’s deep connection to local subcontractors that has proved to be such an undeniable asset to the
joint venture.
 
In 1992, Reinhardt was asked to bid on a new Schnuck’s grocery store in Columbia, Missouri, only 25 miles away. Several St. Louis contractors also were bidding the project, but the developer wanted a local contractor to do the work. Knowing the project would overextend its individual resources, Jerry Daugherty, president and owner of Reinhardt, contacted S. M. Wilson & Co. President Scott Wilson to bid the project as a joint venture. The rest is history.

The successful completion of that project opened the doors for Reinhardt/Wilson to create valuable and longstanding relationships with Westminster College, Columbia College, University of Missouri – Columbia, Boone Hospital Center, Missouri Military Academy, and others.

 “Both of our companies share the financial risks,” said Don Buchmueller, S. M. Wilson project executive, of the joint venture. “We bring the horsepower to handle the pre-construction, estimating, and construction administration. Once construction begins, the project superintendent is on-site from Reinhardt, handling the bricks and mortar. We’re in the office; Reinhardt handles the field.”

More Opportunities

According to Daugherty, projects valued at more than $5 million are always proposed as a joint venture. The relationship has created tremendous opportunities for both companies. “It’s a well-oiled machine,” Daugherty said, “which is fundamentally sound and serving our customers extremely well. The systems are in place to consistently deliver excellent results.”

About 10 years ago, Reinhardt/Wilson performed its first contract for Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. “Reinhardt/Wilson had 90 days to gut four residence halls and rebuild them for fall occupancy,” said Dan Haslag, Westminster College executive director of plant operations and auxiliary services, and point man for Westminster construction projects. “It was quite a feat, but they did it. The Quadrangle project came in on schedule and on budget.”

Since then, Westminster has been able to keep Reinhardt/Wilson as its contractor of choice. Other Reinhardt/Wilson renovation projects at Westminster College include an additional dormitory and an auditorium. The Reinhardt/Wilson team also renovated 40,000 square feet of the Westminster Coulter Science Center and added 40,000 square feet to it, all while classes continued in the building. They also built the new Mueller Leadership Hall and are currently working on a new fraternity house and a residence hall.

“We have been able to give Reinhardt/Wilson a project, a budget proposal, and have them do the work,” Haslag said. “We’ve had different project managers from S. M. Wilson, but there is always a high level of consistency in how the projects are executed. That’s a strong point for them. Reinhardt/Wilson definitely has its system down, and it works. They have such a vested interest in the success of its projects here.”

Another success for the joint venture came recently, with Reinhardt/Wilson being selected to provide construction management agency services at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Missouri. The $95 million contract is for a new patient tower and parking garage, and is the largest project to date for the joint venture. “It’ll be something I’ll be proud of for the rest of my life,” Daugherty said.

Reinhardt Construction has completed numerous projects at Boone Hospital Center during the past 20 years, and Reinhardt/Wilson completed a $20 million project for the hospital. “They successfully finished our Center for Advanced Medicine, and we were very happy with their work,” said Dan Boeckman, Boone Hospital Center manager of planning, design, and construction. “When we decided to complete five projects totaling $95 million in construction costs, we asked them to propose.”

The seven-story, 223,000-square-foot patient tower will be the signature of Boone Hospital Center. The lobby level will be the center’s main entrance and will include a gift shop and volunteer space. Eighty-eight medical/surgical beds are proposed for floors two through four. A fifth and sixth level also are planned as shelled floors to provide for the hospital’s future needs.

Also included in the package is a four-story, 933-space parking garage adjacent to the new patient tower, with an environmentally controlled enclosed walkway connecting them. A new oxygen tank farm will be built on the western side of the hospital campus. Improvements to William Street and Bass Street will be made to accommodate traffic flow for the parking garage as well as changing traffic patterns.

“No contractor alone could have approached a project of this magnitude,” Daugherty said. “But with S. M.Wilson as our partner, it became doable.”

Experience and Loyalty Boeckman said the decision to hire Reinhardt/Wilson was greatly impacted by its combined experience in healthcare facilities (especially infection control), its success with large projects, its excellent safety record, and its history with BJC HealthCare, which manages Boone Hospital Center. “Budget is always a concern, but in this case it was not the ultimate determining factor,” he said.

Since Boone Hospital Center is a county hospital, Boeckman said it was also important to hire local construction labor. Reinhardt’s local roots made it easy to select the right area subcontractors.

Daugherty and Buchmueller agree that the Reinhardt/Wilson joint venture is a long-term relationship. Both companies are fiercely loyal to each other. “It has been a great ‘marriage’ for both companies,” Daugherty said. “Reinhardt Construction doesn’t enter into joint ventures with any other companies.”

Buchmueller seconds that sentiment. “The relationship sets us apart from other St. Louis or Kansas City contractors who come to central Missouri for a job or two and leave town,” he said. “Our customers recognize we’re in it for the long haul. Having Reinhardt representing us at the local level is a critical benefit, and we are providing a comfort level we know our customers appreciate.”