Trending Now
The Friede team first met Kari and Keith Beam in March of 2019 when Keith reached out to Friede Executive Vice President Scott Truehl at the recommendation of Brent Greiber, owner of RG Heating. Scott and Brent had been working together to develop the new RG Heating office and warehouse when Keith discussed his need to develop a new facility and was encouraged to contact Scott.
Keith shared that his and his wife’s company, Trending Now Promotions, had been renting space in a multi-tenant building for years and needed more space. He said he wanted to start paying themselves rent and accumulating equity in a building instead of seeing those dollars go into someone else’s pocket. The Beams felt the time was right as they had become aware of a piece of property in the Waunakee Business Park that was for sale. Over the summer, preliminary plans and budgets were started, but in October, the Beams decided to shelve the project.
While the construction project went away, a new business relationship was forged between the two companies as Friede began taking advantage of the screen printing and embroidery services that Trending Now Promotions offered. Their customer service, competitive pricing, and a wide variety of product offerings quickly made Trending Now a valued supplier for Friede and for a growing customer base.
That growth confirmed the Beam’s desire for a larger facility, and in the early spring of 2020, they began discussions with a local developer to move into a new building he was planning to build on a piece of property located across the street from the new RG Heating building in the Waunakee Business Park. As they worked to help him design a building to meet their needs, the desire to own was once again renewed and, in the middle of May, they asked the developer if they could purchase the land and develop their own facility. With an agreement in place, they once again reached out to Friede for help in getting a building built. A new challenge quickly emerged as they had already given their notice of the non-renewal of their lease. As a result, they absolutely needed to be into a new space by the end of January…then just eight months away.
The project team quickly reviewed the previous plans and decided to continue to work with Trending Now’s architect. The project team suggested significant modifications to the plans to allow for future expansion and to develop a site plan that could allow for the development of a second building in the future. The team was also looking to reduce the overall project cost by more than $100,000 to meet the funding commitment they had received.
Another challenge emerged: To meet the schedule, the team needed to limit the number of changes in the building elevations and site to avoid a complete resubmittal to the local planning commission, which would have likely required a two-month break in development to allow for submittal and planning commission action. Undaunted, the team creatively identified alternative materials that were readily available and finalized an exterior look that the architect could quickly incorporate into their final drawings for state review and approval.
With a new plan in place and a group of trade partners ready to start, a construction contract was finalized in July to allow the Beams to complete their bank loan and close on the property in mid-August. A ground-breaking was scheduled for August 18.
The excitement of the Beam family and all of the Trending Now staff was on display on that beautiful afternoon as we gathered to celebrate the start of the next phase of growth for the company. During the event, Friede provided personalized hard hats for the entire Beam family, and everyone laughed when Keith said he wasn’t ever going to take it off. This was especially funny since Keith had written and published a book a few years earlier called “That’s Going to Leave a Mark,” which chronicled more than a dozen adventures and misadventures he had as a professional bowhunting guide. Ironically, truer words have seldom been spoken as he added another chapter just 10 days later when he was working at his hunting club (see related story below).
Suddenly, a project that already needed to be completed in less than five months and all the planning necessary for Trending Now to move in took a back seat for the Beam family. But the Friede team stayed on point, and, despite massive rains, Covid 19, and losing the manufactured wall system provider because their production schedule had filled up, we were able to reallocate carpentry crews to allow the building to be stick framed on-site and set the roof trusses in October. The 8,075-square-foot facility was completely water-tight by Halloween, allowing the exterior masonry to be completed and the asphalt installed the first week of November.
Interior finishes and mechanical system installation then continued through the end of the year, and substantial completion was achieved on January 15, enabling Trending Now Promotions to move into their new facility with little or no interruption in their production of promotional products. Final landscaping and the top coat of asphalt for the parking lot were completed in May.
The project proved again the advantage of engaging the contractor early in the process, having their own crews self-perform certain tasks, and providing the value-added services that Friede & Associates provides their clients. From assistance with project redesign and budgeting to providing skilled craftsmen and project management to be able to take over every aspect of the project while the client focused on major medical issues, the Friede team rose to the occasion to complete the new Trending Now Promotions facility on time and on budget. Click here to see more photos of the Trending Now Promotions project.
That’s Going to Leave a Mark
Here’s Keith’s Facebook post from August 29th…“Thank you to all the first responders, medical doctors and friends that helped me get to the hospital. Thank you to my wonderful wife for keeping it together. Thank you to Friede for giving me a hard hat last week that I just happened to wear.
So, here’s how it goes: Working on our hunting club I got introduced to gravity. A pre-cut oak decided it was time to complete the fall and guess what. I was under the behemoth. I was literally smashed into the terrafirma. Ryan Zimmerman was right there with me and as soon as it happened, he took his chain saw and started cutting me free. Our buddy Thor was aiding in the “keep Beamer alive “project. Long story short. I added another chapter to my “That’s Going to Leave a Mark” book I wrote ten years ago. Yep, I can wiggle my toes, but my back is broke in 3 places and my left foot has at least two broken bones. CT results are not in. Funny thing. I wore a hard hat. My daughter tells me all the time to wear one. I promise it saved my bald head from being scalped. So here I lay with my ass handed to me by a 2-ton heavy thing. So, before they measure me for casts and back braces, I say thank you again to everyone that came to my rescue. This fall is shaping up to be something special. Thank you, God, for letting me survive this. It’s really neat to hear people talk. Really is.”
Keith Beam gives the thumbs-up after being pinned to the ground by a behemoth oak tree. Fortunately, he was wearing a Friede hard hat that was given to him the previous week at his company’s ground-breaking ceremony.
