AN EYE FOR DETAIL

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 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,

and the project’s architects wanted to use materials in different ways: 3/16” stainless plate for concession area countertops that required a thick steel edge, and carbon steel wall panels and frame for graphic displays.

In addition to the sheer volume of fabrication work, the D&S team had to assess the quality of material they were given. “On several occasions, we rejected carbon steel for aesthetic reasons,” Grommon says, adding that planes, corners, and finishes had to match up precisely, since there would be no coverings to hide imperfections or blemishes.

Capping all of this was the tight schedule. “We couldn’t start until all the other upgrade work had been finished,” Grommon says. “Since we were creating mainly decorative items, we weren’t able to take exact measurements or perform field verification until the substrates were in place.”

While the Kinnick Stadium project shows what highly trained and experienced professionals can accomplish in a short space of time, both D&S and Local 263 are pushing aggressively to ensure that the new generation of sheet metal workers in Cedar Rapids will become equally capable of tackling complex projects.

“We’re motivated partly because our market share isn’t growing as fast as the Cedar Rapids growth rate,” says Local 263 Business Agent Russ Jaeger. “We’ve gone from 323 members to 340 in the last five years, and it would be great if our growth rate was higher than that. Contractors come in from other jurisdictions and rely on non-union labor to get the job done, without paying the benefits or employers’ insurance that we pay.”

DeRycke agrees. “Over the years, non-union has made inroads in the commercial and residential sectors, and although industrial work is still mainly union, we’re concerned this will change, too. That’s why we’re working with the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee to implement a comprehensive curriculum and training for apprentices.”

DeRycke is referring to Local 263’s recent hiring of a fulltime instructor who will preside over the gradual transformation of the existing night school, which accommodates about 55 apprentices yearly.

“Loss of wages incurred by attendees is a hurdle, so we’re studying how full-time day schools work in other jurisdictions,” Jaeger says. “If we pull it off, apprentices will be able to learn and retain far more information than attending night school taught by part-time instructors, whose turnover rate is fairly high.”

According to Grommon, D&S augments Local 263’s initiatives by trying to assign new people to a wide range of projects. “That’s the other part of the equation necessary to develop true professionals,” Grommon says.

The close relationship between union and contractors in Cedar Rapids is inspired by more than having a common cause. Jaeger says, “We’ve always been of the opinion that we need contractors just as much as they need us, and one way we maintain relations is to stage board meetings four times a year. During these sessions, we talk freely, go over issues, and nip any grievances in the bud.”

It helps that Jaeger, like his predecessor Randy Sconyers, was a foreman at D&S prior to becoming a business agent. “Like Randy, Russ is able to see both sides of the picture,” DeRycke says.

As D&S focuses on new projects and Local 263 prepares for a September start for its new full-time instructor, the Kinnick Stadium project stands as another shining example of creative custom sheet metal work in the Cedar Rapids area. DeRycke concludes, “We’re proud of what we accomplished, and it’s great to think about the thousands of Iowans who will be enjoying these unique spaces for years to come.” ▪ Robin Brunet’s journalism has been published in over 150 magazines, newspapers, websites, and other media across Canada and the United States since 1982. He is also the best-selling author of two books: Red Robinson: The Last Deejay and Let’s Get Frank, as well as the upcoming The Last Broadcast.