Over the last decade, Friede & Associates has been fortunate to continue to grow exponentially, completing projects that we surely could not have handled 10 years ago. We have truly embodied our slogan “We Do Weird Well,” as we have embarked on some of the most creative, innovative, and, at times, nearly impossible projects and brought them to life for our astonished clients.

For nearly two decades, I was a member of an elite group of construction entrepreneurs from the U.S. and Canada who came together twice each year to present to each other and share war stories. That group—the Jack Miller Network—was a place where I learned how to streamline our business procedures and got help solving problems from other general contractors who had “been there, done that.”

Friede & Associates had the recent opportunity to add to what we—and our client and their guests—believe is the ultimate Midwestern spa. When Sundara Inn & Spa at the Wilderness Resort in Lake Delton opened 15 years ago, it quickly became one of the true gems in the state of Wisconsin. Rated not only one of the top spas in the Midwest and the U.S., it also ranks one of the top spa destinations in the world by the readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine. Our recent work there involved the new construction of woodland retreats and a quiet room designed to build on that legacy.

One of the more violent storms to hit central Wisconsin during the summer of 2017 resulted in one of the more distinctive projects of the year for Friede & Associates. On the evening of July 19, 2017, witnesses reported that a strong thunderstorm had passed through the area, and waterpark guests recalled being startled by a loud noise from the roof. An hour later, a guest at the resort noticed flames coming from the top of the building’s parapet wall.

Oscar Wilde once said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Well, if that’s the case, then the owners of the newly-renovated Nelson Agri-Center True Value in Viroqua, Wisconsin should be flattered by what their customers were asking for. In 2015, Friede & Associates designed and constructed the award-winning Nelson True Value in Prairie du Chien for owners Mark Brueggen and Dan Kanis.

The Friede & Associates team recently completed the site work and has begun the next stage in a multi-phase plan to more than double the footprint of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions Conference Center in The Wisconsin Dells. The existing conference facility will be expanded to more than 200,000 square feet to make room for additional meeting and banquet spaces.

There was no magic involved, but our clients at Therapy Without Walls in Reedsburg, Wisconsin reacted as though there might have been. That’s because the Friede team began with a big, old red barn and magically transformed it into an inviting, new office space.

What happens when installers aren’t available to get architectural panels prepared and installed on time to meet the schedule? For Friede & Associates the answer was simple: Get the firm’s own staff to cut and form the Trespa Architectural panels needed for HuHot Mongolian Grill's new building – and install the panels so everything was ready for opening day.

While Friede & Associates does most of its work for two-legged creatures, some of our most unique design-build projects are built for our four-legged friends. In fact, we recently broke ground on construction on a brand new North American River Otter Exhibit for Ochsner Park Zoo in Baraboo, Wisconsin. This $355,000 project is scheduled for completion in November 2017.

One of the most exciting projects Friede & Associates has helped bring to fruition recently is the Casa de Oakes assisted living and memory care community in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. This 40-unit, 33,000-square-foot senior housing complex with new corporate offices, could not have been completed without a great deal of teamwork. Between the Casa de Oakes team, the City of Reedsburg’s development corporation, and the Friede team, we worked to identify the perfect site as well as available tax incentives and financing for this much-needed senior and memory care facility.

Sometimes the best gifts to a community really do come in small packages.

The new Reedsburg Municipal Airport Terminal is a case in point. At 2,300 square feet, it’s a construction welterweight, but the combination of superior strength and charming architectural features make it a true asset to Central Wisconsin.

Over the course of a two-year period, Friede & Associates was asked to work with two different clients in the Wisconsin Dells who were experiencing the same problem. Both waterpark clients had 45-foot, wooden slide towers that were showing significant signs of deterioration. They both needed immediate solutions that would result in the replacement of the towers. But that’s where the similarities end.

What started out as incredibly bad news for the Reedsburg Country Club several years ago—that hundreds of the trees in and around the golf course had to be removed because they had been poisoned by a pesticide maintenance crews used on the course—ultimately resulted in the construction of a brand new clubhouse and banquet facility. And what a facility it turned out to be!

The project? A 25,000-square-foot office expansion and renovation project for Ramaker & Associates, an architectural and engineering services company in Sauk City, Wisconsin that happens to be one of Friede's design-build partners. The task? Renovate an existing 20,000-square-foot building and add 5,000 square feet to meet Ramaker's growing space needs. The result? Completion of a $1.8 million project on budget and one month early.

Just after dawn on a Saturday in early March of 2014, Mike Kaminski received a call from the head of security at Chula Vista Resort in the Wisconsin Dells informing him that smoke had been seen coming out of the roof at the Cold Water Canyon Clubhouse. The Clubhouse contained Big Moe's restaurant and the resort's golf course pro shop.