Author: jcpconstrucstg

We are highlighting five of our employees over the next few weeks by asking them five different questions. Takeyla Tyson is our third employee to participate! See what she has to say.

How long have you been with JCP Construction ? I have been with JCP for six years. I started as a part-time Office Manager, but I now work as the Job Cost Accountant.

What does an average day for you as a Job Cost Accountant look like? An average day for me comprises of financial meetings, assisting project managers to control job costs, managing the AP/AR and data analysis. I also spend time throughout the week assisting the CFO with other “big picture” financial components. There is a lot of coffee consumed!

What is the most enjoyable project you’ve worked on? My favorite project was the Fiserv Forum. I liked that project because I was able to drive or walk past and look at the work we were doing. It was also the first project where I was more closely involved in the project. I was able to learn more about how JVs work and what it takes to pull off a project of that size.

What is your favorite part of working for JCP Construction? My favorite part is seeing a project being completed as planned (or as close as possible). A lot of hard work goes into the management of the project and when I can be a part of that success, it makes all the long hours worth it.

Tell us something about you that not too many people know? I love Hello Kitty and video games (I have six different game consoles/devices). Hello Kitty speaks to the kid in me and I find that video games help with stress.

We are highlighting five of our employees over the next few weeks by asking them five different questions. James Shircel is our second employee to participate! See what he has to say.

How long have you been with JCP? I was fortunate to be hired by JCP Construction in May of 2019. JCP had impressed me with the company’s ownership, employees and future goals/growth plan.

How long have you been a project manager and what is the best part of it? I have been in project management since 2006. Before that, my title was Senior Engineer with Abbott Laboratories – Diagnostic Division. The best part of project management is the chance to work with ownership, contractors, architects and engineers on a common goal. It is extremely gratifying to start with a conceptual project or design on paper and see it through to realization. Some projects are extremely stressful, but the satisfaction of completion is fulfilling.

What is the most enjoyable project you’ve worked on? Back in the 90’s, when I was much younger, I was fortunate enough to be on the Medisense Project Team. Medisense was a company located in Abington, England. Our team was tasked with building a new $30 million plus manufacturing facility in the nearby town of Witney. It was my first experience working outside of the U.S. and I was exposed to different construction processes, unfamiliar cultures and new building codes. Throughout the two year project I had the chance to occasionally travel through areas of England. I even had one relative still living in Southern England and so I had the chance to visit him.

What do you think future project managers need to know to be the best they can be? Continue to educate yourself! Continued education (additional schooling, seminars or specialty classes) is the key to success. With the constant changes in new technology and materials it is essential to stay on top of the game.

Tell us something about you that not many people know? Other than my high school classmates, not many people know that I was pretty small my freshman year and I was on the gymnastics team. I actually started gymnastic classes at the age of 6. Now at 6’4” most people I meet ask if I was in basketball or football back in the day. It is hard to explain that I was only 5’4” as a freshman.

Starting a small business can be difficult for anyone, but minority communities have an even larger struggle.

“The reality really presents itself relative to banking and securing loans with regards to such things on the mortgage side as redlining,” Ossie Kendrix, President & CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin said. “Those are some similar mechanisms that have been utilized when African Americans go to traditional banks to secure a business loan.”

“Am I proud to be part of the 13 percent? Yeah,” Clifton Phelps with JCP Construction said. “But at the same time, I’m ashamed it’s not 30 percent.”
Phelps and his brothers started their construction company from their parents’ home 12 years ago. They said they faced many issues of systemic racism in trying to get started.

“Access to capital is a real issue,” Phelps said. “Outside of taking care of your personal credit, you have to have assets. You have to have people put faith in you to give you money. Then, you’re taking a high interest loan to get started and in addition to those high interest loans, that back office is so important.”

For others, getting started meant relying on the money in their pocket.

Read the full article and watch the video here.

Milwaukee business leaders discuss how region can address racial disparities

Leaders say more opportunity needed for black professionals, businesses

In the midst of nationwide protests and civil unrest over long-standing racial injustices, some business leaders in Milwaukee Tuesday discussed how the community can work to overcome these issues.

The discussion was part of a webinar put on Tuesday by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. It was held as groups in Milwaukee and elsewhere protest the recent death of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer.

Nicole Robbins, executive director of Dr. Martin Luther King Economic Development Corp., said Floyd’s death was one instance of racism that reaches back centuries.

“It’s been heartbreaking and disheartening that we are in 2020 and still having the same issues that really have gone back to over 400 years,” Robbins said. ” … It’s just a very difficult time for me personally and also as an organization, but we’re working together to try to impact as much change as possible right now.”

Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, was killed last week when a police officer kneeled on the back of his neck for several minutes. Protesters have spoken out on not only against his death but racism in all forms.

Racial disparities exist in the business world, including in Milwaukee. An MMAC study found metro Milwaukee ranks last among 20 of its peer cities when it comes to the prosperity gap between both African American and white residents and Hispanic and white residents

Kevin Newell, president and chief executive officer of Royal Capital Group LLC, said perhaps the biggest barrier black-owned businesses face is access to capital. It is hard for businesses to forecast three to 12 months out without a reserve line of credit, he said.

“Everything else I think is secondary to that,” Newell said. “I would think that access to capital at an affordable rate is the biggest challenge, particularly this community, faces.”

Clifton Phelps, co-owner and vice president of business development for JCP Construction, said another challenge business owners need to overcome is breaking into what he called the “Good Ole Boy” network, or getting in front of the right people to increase their customer base.

“There’s a lot of deals being done in Milwaukee where we’re not at the table,” he said.

Businesses can help lift up black workers and businesses in a number of ways, the MMAC webinar panelists said.

Read the rest of the article here.

You can also view the recording of the webinar below:

Over the next several weeks, we will be featuring five different employees by asking them five questions. The first employee to be featured is our Foreman, David Finner.

Here is what he had to say:

How long have you been with JCP? 5 years

How long have you been a carpenter? 14 years

What is the most enjoyable project you’ve worked on? Fiserv Forum

What would you tell future carpenters? Work hard and bring the willingness to learn!

What has your experience at JCP Construction been like? JCP is family. Working with people you trust makes everyone better and it is even better when you are all having fun!

As the COVID-19 outbreak began to spread in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee County House of Correction in Franklin was dealing with its own health crisis.

Out of their total population of 600 inmates, 109 had confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The immediate next step involved the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) asking that the Lotter Building on the campus be renovated as an Alternative Care Facility (ACF) to provide a temporary housing solution.

JCP Construction was tapped for this project along with Gilbane, a national construction and facility management company, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As the teams gathered to kick off the project design at the beginning of May, all were outfitted with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to remain safe during site work. JCP was put in charge of clean up and demolition involving the dorms and common areas. The goal was to update, sanitize and establish the ACF as a safe and viable location to house inmates.

This was an incredible effort and we were proud to collaborate with everyone involved. We are pleased to say that our mission was accomplished ahead of schedule.

The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a significant global health concern. At JCP Construction, our highest priority is the health and safety of our team members, customers, project partners and the communities where we live and work. We continue to follow the guidance of health experts in this unprecedented and rapidly changing situation by following guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with local, state, and federal health authorities.

These are not business-as-usual times for anyone. As developments surrounding COVID-19 progress, we are actively monitoring the situation and managing our company’s response, including the implementation of CDC-recommended measures to protect team members on our projects and throughout our company.

The steps we are taking include physical distancing, reducing worker concentrations and expanding on-site health and safety services on our projects, and working with trade partners to adjust workflows as necessary. We have also suspended, canceled or rescheduled larger meetings, and implemented remote working protocols.

Operationally, any supply chain impacts that we may experience will be addressed at the individual project level with appropriate adjustments. It is too early to predict any long-term implications from disruptions that may occur, but we are monitoring this situation closely as changes evolve.

We will implement further changes or adjustments to our business as needed to help protect the health and safety of those around us.

JCP Construction had a great time with some Milwaukee School of Sign Language students who visited our office as part the “Be The Spark Education Tours” program. We were able to provide them an inside look into the world of construction and also provide some tips on how to land a career.

Thank you to TMJ4 for covering this story.

MPS students get a crash course on the real-world through partnership with local businesses

This Black History Month, a family-owned construction company is giving back to our next generation.

Dozens of Milwaukee middle school students got a rare opportunity inside the world of construction. The company that helped build Fiserv Forum is helping students dream big.

From handshakes to tough interview questions, students from Milwaukee School of Sign Language were given a rare look inside JCP Construction at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and W. Vine.

The crash course started with a game of Jeopardy. Then, they were grilled with the exact questions the company answered to land a huge role working for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

“It’s very helpful that he helped me how to do an interview, so when I grow up I can do an interview like I did there,” said Camron Allen, middle school student.

Read the Full Story.

We are excited to announce that JCP Construction has been named construction general contractor for the 2020 Democratic National Convention. We are so grateful for this opportunity to accept the challenge of ripping the Fiserv Forum apart in two weeks and preparing it for the DNC and then to put it back together in two weeks after it is over.

Since the announcement of the DNC coming to Milwaukee, we knew we were a serious contender for General Contractor. We have been involved with complex projects, are committed to a diverse workforce and are confident in our ability to deliver projects on time and on budget.

We are also thankful to our partners and other supporters.

Below is a segment of an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The full article can be found here.

Milwaukee-based JCP Construction named construction general contractor for 2020 DNC

James Phelps can’t wait for the NBA playoffs and the Democratic National Convention.

Phelps is a Milwaukee Bucks fan. He’s also the president of locally owned JCP Construction, which will be tasked with helping overhaul Fiserv Forum for the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

A Bucks push to a title would run well into June. The convention will be held July 13-16.

“The Bucks will make the finals,” Phelps said as he expressed confidence that his firm will get the convention job done on time.

On Monday, the firm founded by Phelps and his brothers Jalin and Clifton will be named construction general contractor for the project.

The Democratic National Convention Committee will roll out the production and event management teams that are responsible for preparing Fiserv Forum and the surrounding areas for what is likely to be the biggest event staged in Milwaukee.

Maryland-based Hargrove is the convention’s event management firm.

Hargrove will oversee JCP Construction and Populous, the Kansas City-based firm that designed Fiserv Forum. Populous will also partner with Milwaukee’s American Design Inc.

The lead architect on the project for Populous is a Wisconsin native, Lisa Opper, who said in a statement that the firm is honored to work on “a historic event in one of our historic facilities.”

Democratic National Convention Committee chief executive Joe Solmonese said the “top-notch event management team … perfectly blends the experience, creative vision and ties to the community necessary to craft an experience that breaks the mold and brings everyone in.”

Convention organizers have been committed to diversity and inclusion in all phases of the event, including with contracts.

JCP is a minority-owned firm that has been part of several large Milwaukee construction projects, including Fiserv Forum and Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons.

“This means a lot to us,” Phelps said. “It’s exciting to have been selected to be the general contractor. We look forward to the whole process. We look forward to working with the team on this exciting project.”

The firm already knows the territory….

Full article.