Volume 4, Issue 2
Of
A quarterly publication from
Current Importance
Apprenticeship
training program
ensures that the
Power of Knowledge
runs deep.
Many apprenticeship programs are content to pass
along mere skills. At Feyen Zylstra, we demand more
from our process.
Under the guidance of foreman Philip Schaffer, Feyen
Zylstra has developed an apprentice training program
that goes far beyond the canned, “do it online at
your own pace” structure found in so many other
companies.
“We don’t want to (merely) train installers. We want
trained electricians who can make knowledgeable
decisions every day. We teach people the way we
want our company to be run,” Schaffer says.
The program calls for four hours of instruction per
week for 40 weeks each year, and runs for four years.
Each year of the program has a different instructor, to
broaden the apprenticeship experience and deepen
knowledge in different areas. Project managers Todd
Korabik and Jack Osborn lead the program’s first and
second year segments, respectively, and Foreman
Dave Rea teaches its third year.
Performance
on theater
projects earns
rave reviews.
Americans love movies, and
many remember fondly the
small neighborhood theaters in
which they or their parents and
grandparents
enjoyed
those
movies in days gone by. As a
result, cities and towns across the
country have launched efforts to
restore those theaters – many of them now dark
or in disrepair – to their former beauty, charm and
function.
Many such efforts are underway right here in
Michigan, and Feyen Zylstra is playing an important
role (pun intended)! We’ve been thrilled to help out
on two such projects that are many miles from one
another, and many decades from their exciting
early lives as entertainment meccas.
Skills, of course, are a given. But the confident,
competent graduates of Feyen Zylstra’s apprenticeship
training program allow us to be confident that the
Power of Knowledge will be making a difference for
clients for many years to come.
floors, sloped seating, and the installation
of high tech equipment, and great care was
needed along with maximum efficiency to meet
the aggressive timeline, which called for a
month’s worth of work in two weeks.
The general contractor on the project was very
impressed with the professionalism of Feyen
Zylstra, and promised to call on us frequently in
the future. So it appears we passed our “screen
test!”
In Grand Rapids, Feyen Zylstra was selected
to help the historic Wealthy Street Theatre,
restored a number of years ago, remain viable.
The theater faced serious economic challenges,
and secured donations in order to improve and
upgrade its lighting systems in order to reduce
its energy costs.
Schaffer himself guides trainees through the fourth
year and oversees the entire program. His goal is to
give apprentices an avenue for discussion, a place to
ask questions – two way communication that ensures
that the important knowledge transfer really happens.
He also works with the office to make sure that they
get all necessary financial and HR support.
Forty-two apprentices are currently working their way
through the program, from 13 in year one to nine who
are completing their final year. Apprentices in outlying
offices are able to join in through web links, and the
ultimate goal is to expand the program to 100%
participation across the company.
Solar array on roof of Wealthy St. Theatre
LED light strips at Bijou by the Bay
in Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan, is home to the annual
Traverse City Film Festival which draws movie
lovers from around the world who come to watch
films of every genre, from classics to new efforts
created by emerging filmmakers. This growing
cultural celebration gained even more momentum
recently with the complete renovation of an historic
downtown museum building into the Bijou by the
Bay, a state-of-the-art 180-seat movie theater.
The renovation - a cooperative venture between
the film festival and the city - maintains the historic
integrity of the original building, but incorporates
the most advanced sound and projection systems
available today. Feyen Zylstra’s Communications
group in Traverse City was originally tapped to
handle data cabling. But the project’s needs
(and the client’s appreciation for our excellent
work) quickly resulted in a significant expansion
of our responsibilities and led to the involvement
of our Electrical Service group. In addition to
communications cabling, we were entrusted to
handle networking and sound systems, and the
installation of a fully automated lighting control
panel that manages all lighting (including high
efficiency LED) from the lobby to the back rest
rooms.
One project challenge was the need for 50100 people to work simultaneously in a small
workspace. Our cabling and electrical people had
to work safely and efficiently in and around not
only other trades, but also people painting murals
on the theater walls! Add in the polished concrete
Feyen Zylstra was able to add modern energy
efficiency to the vintage building with the
installation of photovoltaic (solar) panels, and
by upgrading the lighting to an LED system
that operates on far less energy. The Power of
Knowledge again made a significant difference,
as we were able to appoint a foreman who is
a certified solar installer. Our experience was
also critical in helping us assess the needs
and select products that would meet those
needs while protecting the historic integrity of
the structure. The client is very pleased – and
so are we, to be able to make a difference in
helping ensure a longer life for a wonderfully
restored facility.
We have been proud to be able to participate
in both of these wonderful theater projects in
Traverse City and Grand Rapids, and the promise they hold for cultural, social and economic
advancement for their communities. As a result,
Feyen Zylstra was pleased to make financial
donations to both renovation efforts.
Replaced old incandescent lamps with
new high efficiency LED lights
The Leading Edge
Perspectives from the leadership team at Feyen Zylstra
Succession – “The torch is passed”
to a new generation at FZ
Marlin Feyen
I love living in a four season climate. The colors
in nature are vivid and subtle. Even greys and
browns show their strongest variations as the
grasses mature and bend at season’s end. We
are blessed.
In the spring of my youth, I well remember
starting in the construction trade as an
apprentice electrician in June of 1963. My first
days were at the Calvin College Fieldhouse, a
clay site. Yes, I alternated between a shovel
and tending the “brickies”. The College
President, John Spoelhof, came around asking
questions, and making comments. I learned a
lot from him on leadership. John F. Kennedy
was President. The previous October was the
Cuban Missile Crisis. The year before that,
1961, the Berlin Wall went up. I remember
that on the jobsite, heated political debates
took place about the “creeping red tide of
communism”.
We were young, and everything lay in front of
us. All the skills and knowledge about electricity
and construction were yet to be learned. But
we had insatiable thirst for knowledge, for
experience, for more responsibility, more
challenges. Impatience, how could the world
not see our great talent and passion to do
things a different way?
leaning forward to put their ideas to work and
“making the world a better place” with the
application of electrical power and controls.
Within a few years, I sat down to write the
test for a Journeyman’s Card. It was a bit
sobering. One day an apprentice, the next
day a Journeyman and responsible in some
manner for all the information and application
contained in the National Electrical Code.
So, responsibility for a portion of the job
was exhilarating. It began then. The task of
learning, mastering, delegating, of transferring
responsibility from self to the other was
compelling. It is the only way to move on to
something more challenging. And, there is real
satisfaction by empowering someone else to
do the job. But it takes confidence that you,
yourself, have mastered it.
There is excitement in seeing the company
move to a new level, in the range of technical
services, in moving out into the Americas
and beyond. There is a vision emerging for
operating more efficiently and collaboratively
in a new Corporate Headquarters. It helps me
to step back, to “get out of the way” to lead
from a more philosophical place.
With the start of Feyen Zylstra in the year
1980, the need to delegate picked up. Day
one and two: do work. Day three: get work.
Day four and five: seek energy management
expertise with a consultant in Ohio. And so
it goes. Master electrician to marketing, to
sales, to design, to estimating, to contracts
and finance, to project management and the
whirlwind begins to swirl. It is easy to see why
we began to look for the best in the industry in
each category. And so the company grew with
more substantive expertise each day and each
year, with bigger and more complex projects. I
sometimes remember the summertime of our
watch with the ABC Sports moniker, “The thrill
of victory and the agony of defeat.” Each of
our employees has their own version of writing
the history of the company.
Moments of sheer joy don’t come along too
often, but I had one last week. I attended
an Energy Conference in Grand Rapids. In
attendance with me were three millennials
from Feyen Zylstra, each well educated, with
professional bearing and eager to soak up the
opportunities afforded by moving into a “more
resilient world”, as the keynote speaker titled
his address. My joy came from knowing that
a new talented generation of young folks were
I have avoided the word “retirement” as I feel
way too much energy. I share this position
with Bob Zylstra. But, the foundation for
the company is established. It is sound,
technically, financially and with a culture of
principled values that attract talent and good
customers. In establishing a Feyen Zylstra
Board of Directors with several very talented
folks, from a variety of industry perspectives,
we hope to assist the Executive Team in sorting
out ideas and healthy strategies that will carry
the company steadily for many generations.
The winter season in Michigan is not a time
of dormancy. The snappy cold that forms
quickens our step indoors and out. Electrical
services do not stop or slow down in winter.
The work is just as invigorating, likely with
more protective clothing. From the crunch of
footsteps on snow or the breath that forms
into vapor clouds as we walk, winter in our
industry is vital and vigorous.
As founders of the company, Bob and I will
move on to a more reflective focus, having let
go of day-to-day operations. Out of sight but
not out of mind. We will be fully engaged but
with other things. There is the anticipation of
yet undefined new adventures. Part of my joy
will come from picking up grandkids from preschool and having them come running with a
jump into my arms “Poppa, Poppa”! It is a job
that somebody has to do and I am thrilled to
step up, as we begin to “pass the torch” to a
new generation.
News, Notes and More ...
Feyen Zylstra on the job…and on the move. A
quick look at some of the Feyen Zylstra projects
currently underway or recently completed for
clients around the state and across the country.
benefit from a better understanding of the interaction between agriculture and the environment.
Feyen Zylstra wired and installed the power and
lighting systems in this unique facility; the job
required a great deal of preplanning and cusIn September, Agro Culture Liquid Fertilizers in
tom fabrication to conceal thousands
St. John’s, Michigan,
Atrium of Agro Culture
of feet of conduit within finished suropened a remarkable
Liquid Fertilizers
faces to preserve a clean, modern apnew
headquarters
pearance.
that not only houses
the company’s officIn Aiken, SC, our Southeast Regional
es and research and
Office is nearing completion of its
development funcwork on the Bridgestone ORR (Off
tions, but includes an
Road Radial) tire plant- the largest
educational “IQ Hub”
project ever bid and completed in
and conference facilFeyen Zylstra’s history. The project
ity that will be avail– the first major venture through this
able for public use.
new office – involved the installation
This extremely enof electrical power distribution and
ergy-efficient LEED
lighting systems for a 1.2 million
Gold facility will bring
square foot facility. Another significant
together
farmers,
number: over 125,000 man-hours
educators, students
worked without a recordable safety
and others who will
incident! Our performance on the
Bridgestone Plant, Aiken, SC
project led to our being awarded the work on a
Phase II expansion through a different general
contractor, and on a subsidiary’s steel cord plant
being constructed in Clarksville, TN.
In downtown Grand Rapids, MI, we are providing
electrical construction services for 40 Pearl,
which is undergoing a renovation of existing
lobby, common areas and a site build-out for
office spaces on the 10th floor. The project
calls for new wiring and new LEED lighting for
enhanced energy efficiency (and a brighter
work environment) for the building’s owner
Community Spotlight
For Feyen Zylstra folks, working for Habitat
is a natural!
were varied – which is certainly part of the
fun! They included painting walls, pouring
concrete, and installing a hardwood floor –
which involved cutting all the wood to size!
From the company’s founders to many current
associates, Feyen Zylstra has long been a big
supporter of Habitat for Humanity, and a big
believer in the physical, psychological, and
emotional advantages a new home can bring
for families who have struggled.
The latest example? On Wednesday,
September 25, a group of Feyen Zylstra folks
spent the day helping out at a Habitat house
under renovation at on Walwood St., NE in
Grand Rapids. The home was being prepared
for the family of a veteran, with one child and
another on the way.
The tasks we were given throughout the day
In a somewhat unusual turn of events, while
we were there it was revealed that there were
some serious electrical problems that needed
attention in the garage. Well, fortunately, there
just happened to be a few volunteers on hand
that knew a little bit about electrical matters,
and they were able to address the problem in
short order.
Naturally, the Habitat people on the site
were very appreciate, but we were even
more appreciative of the opportunity to
help. Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful
organization that makes a real difference for
a great many people. But the opportunity to
help a veteran who has already contributed so
much for us, made it even sweeter!
and tenants. Challenges include adapting an
older building to accommodate contemporary
equipment and systems, requiring substantial
custom work and circuitry layouts.
Cellular telephone service provider Ericsson
engaged Feyen Zylstra to help prepare
underground equipment shelters in central
Wisconsin. The work, which must be
accomplished in a short time span with winter
weather approaching, will upgrade 4-G service
for customers in that region. Thus far the client
is very pleased; we have completed six sites in
three months with no defects or callbacks.
Working on extremely challenging summer
schedules, Feyen Zylstra has completed work
on a renovation and expansion project at
Grand Rapids Christian High School. Our
Construction and Communications groups were
able to coordinate a large amount of work without
disrupting school business, updating its facilities
during brief summer and vacation windows.
Feyen Zylstra is putting its expertise in
handling medical facilities to work on several
FOR NEWS, PHOTOS AND UPDATES
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thank us for helping to make this building happen
– but we are the ones who owe them our deepest
gratitude.
VA Hospital, Wyoming, MI
projects. One major effort is the new Veterans
Administration Outpatient Clinic in Wyoming,
MI. The long anticipated facility will eliminate the
need for area veterans to travel to Battle Creek
to obtain services including dental, diagnostics,
prosthetics, and general and mental health
treatment. Government projects are never
simple, but all of the Feyen Zylstra personnel
on the project are delighted to be able to help
veterans who have done so much for all of us.
Many of those veterans have stopped by to
The Maples, a medical care facility in Benzie
County, is adding to its existing facility. Work is
extensive, including 72 new patient rooms and
new common space including a kitchen, a small
spa, and a dining area. Site lighting is also being
upgraded, including an increase in LED lighting
for energy efficiency. Tight on-site spaces will
require considerable coordination of logistics
and prefab capabilities. Doubling the size of the
existing facility will greatly increase the capacity
for patient care, but the required shut-down of
power to the entire facility and re-feeding the
existing building will be a challenge. But Feyen
Zylstra is up to it!
Food processing operations are also an area of
Feyen Zylstra expertise, and we are currently using that expertise on several projects. Our Electrical Construction group is at work on a project
for Nestle Columbia in Fremont, MI Work involves electrical renovation to the existing facility
(continued on next page)
For adding safety and
efficiency, we’ve got
a “Snappy” answer!
At Feyen Zylstra, efficiency is really getting around these
days! Thanks to several new and innovative tools, we
are able to do more, more efficiently and with an added
measure of safety in the process.
The prime “vehicle” for our enthusiasm is the Power
Snappy, a motorized scaffold that provided a solid,
sturdy work platform with side rails that can be “driven”
easily to wherever the work takes you. It eliminates the
need to constantly go up and down (and reposition)
ladders, and allows the worker to have all tools and
equipment at his or her side.
vans and elevators (and can even move floor to floor
in multi-story buildings when elevators aren’t available).
Safety is enhanced, as well. In addition to taking ladder
mishaps out of the equation, the vehicle creates a
natural safety barrier, and is easily noticed. And it helps
protect the environment along with the workers – its
electric power source means no noise or emissions, so
it can be used in virtually any indoor or outdoor situation.
Other tools are also contributing to our working
efficiency. Several of our work groups are using Battery
Powered Hydraulic Knockouts. These lightweight
devices knock out the holes in electrical boxes to allow
the feeding of pipe and fittings into the box. They create
far less fatigue and require less maintenance than the
older manual versions, and accomplish the work in a
quarter of the time.
It is currently in use at our Amway project, and can help
with a wide variety of tasks, including installing and
terminating cables in ceiling mount zone boxes – work
that otherwise can take long and physically taxing hours
standing on a ladder.
Finally our Communications and other work groups
are employing a new kind of Cable Tray Cutter that
makes running basket tray systems much easier. The
edges are now cut with hydraulic power rather than arm
strength. The resulting cuts are flush to fit the space
perfectly without a need to file or grind the edges.
The Power Snappy moves around easily, and fits
through a standard doorway. It is small enough to be
transported by two people, and fits easily into work
Feyen Zylstra has always been proud to offer our clients
the highest possible work quality. These new tools are
helping us do that more efficiently than ever.
210 Front Ave. SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
In This Issue
Apprenticeship training program
ensures that the Power of
Knowledge runs deep
1
Performance on theater projects
earns rave reviews
1
Succession – “The torch is passed”
to a new generation at FZ
2
News, Notes and More
2
For Feyen Zylstra folks, working
for Habitat is a natural!
3
For adding safety and efficiency,
we’ve got a “Snappy” answer! 4
210 Front Ave. SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
616-224-7707
Fax 616-224-7799
2154 Utopia Ave.
Nashville, TN 37211
615-208-3028
Fax 615-208-3029
2969 Keystone Rd.
Traverse City, MI 49686
231-486-8800
Fax 231-486-8882
1-800-748-0180 • www.feyenzylstra.com
…News, Notes and More continued
required by the expansion of a processing line
to accommodate a new product. A food-grade
installation for a high-profile client dictates very
strict safety requirements. Working in dual shifts
is challenging, as is the combining of multiple
tray systems in individual rooms. But this important project is expected to generate more jobs in
the area, so the effort is well worth it!
JBS in Plainwell, MI, tapped Feyen Zylstra’s
Service group to help with an upgrade of its
facility, with enhanced lighting systems and
relocated electrical conduits that improve
safety and production efficiency. The
facility’s carbon footprint was also reduce
through new fluorescent and induction
lighting fixtures. Our Electrical Service
group also added HMI’s to automate more
of the company’s production equipment,
increasing cattle processing output.
Our past efforts for Dawn Foods helped us
win the contract for a new processing plant
in Merrillville, IN. Our Communications
group handled the installation of structured
cabling and paging systems in the new
facility. The company’s familiarity with
our work was the key factor in them entrusting
the project to us without an elaborate bidding
process.
Over in Ada, MI, Feyen Zylstra’s Construction
group is providing the entire electrical system
for a 475,000-square-foot tablet/packaging/
soft gel manufacturing facility. The scope of
the design/build project includes new lighting
and primary service, including general building
JBS, Plainwell, MI
power and specific power connections to
process equipment. State of the art materials
and processes are required to meet standards of
the GMP clean build. The schedule is extremely
tight, and requires the design and coordination
of rough-ins, installation, and connections with
multiple trades and diverse equipment.
Feyen Zylstra is also providing the assist to
Greenleaf Hospitality for the cabling upgrade
to its Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo,
MI. The older, all-concrete facility is a
challenge for communications cabling,
By installing cable trays in the concourse
with conduits to the arena’s attic space
and lower levels, we have managed to
minimize overhanging cables and update
the facility’s appearance to thousands
of hockey fans. Our diverse experience
allowed our three-man crew to transition
smoothly between systems, utilizing cable
trays, conduit, and structured cabling with
copper and fiber as necessary to complete
the project with maximum efficiency. New
IT cabinets were also installed in the press
box and off-ice official’s box.