AN EYE FOR DETAIL
© Can Stock Photo / wawritto
By / Robin Brunet Photos courtesy of D&S Sheetmetal Inc. What separates a passable sheet metal worker from a truly skilled professional? One factor is attention to detail, which is crucial to the success of custom fabrication projects such as the upgrade of the University of Iowa’s new Kinnick Stadium North End Zone Project. Cedar Rapids-based D&S Sheetmetal Inc. and Local 263’s skilled workforce were tasked with creating more than 550 unique wall panels, frames, and other components throughout the stadium’s 17,000-square-foot concourse and clubhouse, in a very short space of time. D&S president and co-owner Valerie DeRycke says success was only possible because her crew could work at the top of their game. “And that explains why we have such a close relationship with Local 263,” she says. “We are both committed to ensuring that sheet metal workers are trained to the highest possible standards. Also, taking pride in a great finished product is something Local 263 heavily promotes. Our sharing of these values is important.” The Kinnick Stadium project is a good example of how painstaking custom fabrication can transform what would 12 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
otherwise be routine spaces into something special. D&S and Local 263 started working on the project during the last four months of a 28-month schedule. The work required 130 sheets of carbon steel, 50 sheets of 3/16” stainless steel, and 50 sheets of perforated carbon steel. Armed with detailed shop drawings, six sheet metal workers fabricated 3/16” thick polished stainless steel countertops, soffits, and end panels in the concession areas, 16 gauge carbon steel wall panels in the concourse, clubhouse, and restroom areas, 16 gauge carbon steel wall panels plus trim and accent components in the restrooms, and 16 gauge powder-coated carbon steel custom perforated fin tube heater covers. That’s not all. D&S estimator and project manager Tom Grommon says, “For the skywalk entries, we created stainless steel and carbon steel wall panels and trim. Backlit displays in the concourse and clubhouse were framed by 3/16” polished stainless steel, and the same gauge of steel was used as base trim in this area.” D&S’s 24,000-square-foot shop is well equipped to handle a huge array of industrial projects, but DeRycke points out that the magnitude of the Kinnick Stadium project was unusual,
