The editorial department at The Daily Reporter works for you every day — we report the news to keep you informed. Ultimately the result at the end of every day is to provide information and insights with one goal in mind: To keep your business successful, help you stay ahead of the curve and help you make money.
It’s natural that during the course of our reporting we talk to a wide range of construction professionals. And it’s only natural that during the course of our reporting we find sources and industry leaders and companies that are standouts in their fields.
That’s the impetus behind our first-ever Daily Reporter Power 20 List. The Power List is a showcase of the most influential companies, organizations and people leading their respective industries right now. It includes the firms, executives, practitioners, advocates and organizations that are producing innovative work, advancing the industries and making our communities a better place to live, work and plan well into the future.
Each quarter, The Daily Reporter editorial team nominates, debates and selects a list of 20 industry-specific power players and companies based on The Daily Reporter’s extensive knowledge and reporting on the state’s built-environment — starting with today’s Power 20 of Architecture List.
Each selection is profiled in today’s issue of the newspaper and online at dailyreporter.com. Industries to be covered include architecture, engineering, project owners (developers and public agencies) and builders. In November, The Daily Reporter will compile each industry list into a Power 80 list and include it in our annual Construction Almanac magazine that is distributed to 10,000 industry professionals throughout the region.
We hope that you find today’s architecture list informative as we introduce you to the people who are at the forefront and literally charting a course of success.
2020 was a tough year for many Wisconsin architecture firms. Some had to lay off personnel. Some promising – and lucrative – projects were put on hold. But the industry is bouncing back.
Clients are seeking new designs and reviving stalled projects. Firms are hiring. Economists are forecasting a major re-bound.
The Daily Reporter editorial team interviewed representatives of the following 20 architecture firms about their methodology, business approach and projects. Our rankings reflect each firm’s size, innovation and social mission. These necessarily subjective rankings were determined via a spirit of celebration and collaboration. While this is a select list, it may change each year.
Daily Reporter Power List Rankings: Architecture
In her 18 years at Eppstein Uhen Architects, Kristin Dufek has established herself as an expert in health care projects.
Now a vice president of the prominent Milwaukee firm, Dufek is helping out with architectural design work in all of Eppstein Uhen's markets, overseeing company operations, providing staff support and contributing to long-term planning. Some of the biggest clients she has worked with have included the ProHealth Medical Group Clinic in Mukwonago and the Ascension and Froedtert hospital systems.
"I've been involved within most of the hospitals in the metro Milwaukee area," she said, "whether it's been renovations or new additions or new construction for them."
Dufek said that when she looks back on her career, the thing she most appreciates is how little could have been accomplished without teamwork.
"It really is that you get the best results from a fully engaged team," she said. "No one individual can solve problems alone. You have to work with the talented people you sit next to, work with your clients and work with your engineering partners. When you have a team that willingly shares and collaborates, you end up inspiring each other."
Click here to see the other Architecture List Recipients.
Joe Yovino, Group editor
The Daily Reporter