Straub Construction celebrates 100 years building KC communities

Straub Construction is celebrating 100 years as a Kansas City community cornerstone this week while simultaneously unveiling a new company brand in honor of its centennial anniversary.

The rebranded identity and tagline - Believe in What You Build - is an appropriate reflection of Straub’s devoted partnerships and decades over decades of building a long-standing, successful construction firm.

“Our new brand reflects our focus on building communities. As a building leader who advocates for a healthier, more fulfilled community, we focus on creating partnerships with purpose-driven clients who share our vision to serve others,” said Ernie Straub III, chairman & CEO.

Ernest J. Straub, Sr. began the journey in 1920 building churches, schools and homes in the Mission Hills, Kan. area. One hundred years later, Straub Construction continues to carry on his legacy of building Kansas City communities through structures that serve others.

Impactful community projects, such as the revitalization of the Crossroads Art District neighborhood’s Corrigan Station and The Creamery Building; new Science City exhibits in Union Station; the Edgar Berkley residence, the residence of Henry Sophian and the remodel of the Stover Mansion, a beloved Mission Hills landmark, are just a few included in the firm's impressive portfolio.

“We measure our success by the lives we impact, not revenue. By 2028, we’ll impact at least 120,000 families weekly with the structures we’ve built, and we’re hoping to grow that number," said Dan VanDonge, vice president of operations for Straub.

Straub’s legacy continues to date; with current and recently completed construction projects such as the Avila Goppert Performing Arts Center, Park University Plaster Center, Ft. Leavenworth Transient Barracks and the St. Elizabeth Catholic School & Parish.

“We advocate for our clients at every step in the construction process; not because it earns more dollars, but because it drives this larger purpose forward,” said Parker Young, Straub president.

Headquartered in Shawnee, Kan., Straub Construction also has an office in the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City, Mo.

Sociologist makes case why the office must not go away

Dr. Tracy Brower, a Ph.D. sociologist and a principal with Steelcase, joined CoreNet Global KC and moderator, David Brite, strategic account manager at Steelcase, on a live webcast event yesterday.

Dr. Brower, who studies the sociology of work and the changing nature of work, workers and the workplace for Steelcase's Applied Research + Consulting group, discussed her expertise and perspective on working from an office versus working from home.

“One of the things we know is that it’s not an either/or (situation). Some amount of work from home will continue; but, we know the office is utterly critical and we know that it is so important to our success moving forward,” said Dr. Brower.

Dr. Brower contends that the office cannot and must not go away for several reasons.

The first reason has to do with innovation.  

“When we’re in the office together, we can move so much more quickly and we have this unimpeded fast flow of ideas. We just can’t go fast enough using technology. When you’re in person, you’re in a room together, building on each other’s ideas and you’re interrupting each other in a constructive way. That fast flow is critical for innovation,” said Dr. Brower.

Another reason the office must stay relates to talent and engagement. 

“We want to keep people engaged, we want to retain talent, and that’s harder to do when people are home,” said Dr. Brower.  

In addition, Dr. Brower contends that the office is critical for reasons of humanity and empathy. 

“There is an absolute scientific connection between our ability to be present with other people and our health and well-being. When people are connected with others—person to person and not just connected through technology—they have less morbidity and less mortality. It is our instinct to come together in groups,” Dr. bower said.

Purpose is another critical reason to preserve the workplace. 

“When we are together in a place, it makes a really big difference in terms of our common sense of purpose,” said Dr. Brower.

Related to purpose is energy.

 “There’s something about being together that tends to energize us and motivate us,” she said.

 Dr. Brower contends that communications effectiveness is another reason we need the office. 

“When we have information density, it means that more people know more things immediately. It helps us stay aligned, and it helps us get things done. .We need to feel like we are tuned in.  We need to feel like we’re in the loop in terms of information,” she said.

Another reason the office is critical relates to variety and movement. When we are at home, our brains become really bored.  We need the variety and routine of getting out, Dr. Brower said.  In addition, working solely from home causes us to experience temporal disintegration. 

“That is the scientific reason that you don’t know what day it is. It’s a lot easier to remember when we can link the memory to physical locations that are different,” she acknowledged.

According to Dr. Brower, we also need to maintain boundaries. A little separation between home and office life is healthy.

Finally, the reason the office must not go away relates to culture.

“Culture is what people do when no one is looking. When we sent everybody home, we just didn’t have the same opportunities anymore to experience our culture. We can’t just look up and run into our leader who’s walking through the space and check in. We can’t look up and see our teammates around us,” she said.

“Familiarity breeds acceptance. The more we see people, the closer our relationship will be. The more we see certain information, the more we’re used to things, the more we tend to accept them and like them.”  

Being together in the workplace breeds our ability to bring diverse ideas together. “It helps us to feel like we can bring our best and like we are accepted to a greater extent within our broader culture as well,” noted Dr. Brower.

“We know we can work from home effectively. We’ve been doing it. We’ve also been hearing that people are starting to hit a wall. And we’re hearing that we know the workplace is more important than ever. So if there is a silver lining here, we are really, really understanding how important the office is because we just don’t have access to it in the same way anymore,” Dr. Bower concluded.

Site work resumes on Veterans Park senior village in Shawnee

Site work has resumed at Bonavia at Veterans Park, a Class-A apartment complex, and Veterans Park Senior Village, a villa community, on the northwest corner of 62nd Street and Pflumm Road in Shawnee, Kan.

Shawnee-based developer, JC Mulligan Development Group, restarted site work on August 7, 2020 after a nearly six-month delay, resulting from the economic effects of COVID-19.

The four and five-story Bonavia at Veterans Park apartments - intended for active adults 55 years and older - include 228 units with elevator-access. Veterans Park Senior Village will consist of 60 attached villas, starting at $345,000 per unit.

Approximate rental rates for the Bonavia will be $1,425 per month for a one-bedroom, 900-SF unit and $1,750-$1,875 per month for the two-bedroom, 1,100 -1,200-SF units.

Wichita-based Omega Senior Living will manage the development and offer social events, continuing education classes, fitness classes and video entertainment.

The community-center style clubhouse will feature exercise facilities, card room, media room, reception room and a kitchenette. Other amenities include a saltwater pool with zero-depth entry, hot tub and cabana, walking paths, a putting green and a bocce ball court.

JC Mulligan Development Group bought the property in September 2018 from Qrivit and has no plans to pursue public financing.

Site improvements are expected to be complete within the next few months, followed by construction of the apartments and villas. The project is expected to be complete by winter 2022-23.