Wahlen Works Blog

Those from the Midwest—or who have lived here long enough—know, there are only two seasons in this part of the country: winter and construction. Once all the snow has melted and the warmer weather is here to stay, construction season begins, including road repair.

Meanwhile, over at Wahlen Works, we’ll be busy pressure washing to clean parking structures, remove graffiti, and tidy up your favorite sidewalks and walking paths, so you can start summer off right. We also handle pavement and ground marking services—ready to get the area’s parking lots, roadways, event grounds, and more ready for you to enjoy.

Both old and new builds will be keeping all of us plenty busy in 2021, but here’s some more information on what types of new construction you can expect in and around Milwaukee this year.

COVID-19 relief plan for highway projects

In Wisconsin, there is a backlog of road improvement projects to be done, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), and thanks to a COVID-19 relief plan passed in late 2020, the state is set to receive “nearly $150 million in the next two years,” which “will allow the state to complete 42 highway projects,” largely made up of bridges that need to be repaired or replaced and highways that need to be resurfaced.

“The funding was able to fill in for the lost revenues we had (in 2020) because of gas tax revenues being lower than usual due to decreased traffic,” said DOT Secretary Craig Thompson in the aforementioned WPR article. “It allowed us to not only not have to cut back on projects, but to advance 42 projects earlier than was previously anticipated.”

Construction continues for Komatsu Mining

In their new headquarters in the Harbor District, Komatsu Mining Corp., a company that both manufactures and services industrial mining equipment, expects to have employees in-office this fall, with full occupancy to come in spring 2022.

The three-story office building on Greenfield Avenue is still currently under construction and “connects to a two-story lab and two-story training building and museum, with all three structures totaling 176,000 square feet,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Next door, the 430,000 square foot manufacturing building is starting to take form, as well. The “project will include a 650-stall parking structure, a 250-space parking lot, and a public RiverWalk,” too.

Future construction plans for the city

Come 2022, construction for the approved $420 million expansion on the Wisconsin Center, a convention center in downtown Milwaukee on Wisconsin Avenue, is set to begin—although prep work may start as early as July 2021.

According to the Journal Sentinel, “the project will add 112,000 square feet to the facility’s main exhibition hall for a total of 300,000 square feet,” which will allow the Wisconsin Center “the ability to host two major events at the same time.” The expansion also includes the addition of a second ballroom, outdoor terrace, meeting rooms, indoor parking, and loading docks.

Take advantage of the summer months to have Wahlen Works clean up your space! Get a quote today for commercial pressure washing and striping. 

The big news coming out of Milwaukee this year is that there will be Summerfest. It will take place at the tail end of summer on September 2-4, 9-11, and 16-18, 2021 and feature more than 1,000 performances on 12 stages at its home in the Henry Maier Festival Park.

There’s going to be a lot of fun. There’s also going to be a lot of trash and spills and stains and mess. Oddly enough, we don’t mind that. After a year of lockdowns and restricted activity, a lot of people are ready to get out and have fun and we’re ready to get out and clean up after them. As we all look forward to Milwaukee’s exciting and eventful summer, we’ve got some recommendations for you for festivals and events that are on the calendar as we write this.

Polish Fest. A living educational showcase of the arts, culture and tradition that is uniquely Polish. June 11-13, 2021 at Henry W. Maier Festival Park. This festival is a Milwaukee treasure. If the shows, food, cultural events, and youth Chopin competition aren’t enough to tempt you, go for the vodka tasting. 

Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg. The 36th annual Strawberry Festival returns to Cedarburg this summer, on June 26-27. This free, family-oriented festival draws thousands of people each year to celebrate the humble strawberry, enjoy live music, browse and purchase original artwork from hundreds of artists, and enjoy some of the most decadent homegrown strawberries in the area.

Bastille Days. This festival is held in Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square Park and is one of the largest French-themed celebrations in the United States. The free four-day bash attracts over 250,000 visitors annually who enjoy live music, an international marketplace, chef and wine demos, French and Cajun cuisine, roaming busker entertainment and a signature 43-foot Eiffel Tower replica offering hourly light shows.

Croatian Fest. Wisconsin’s oldest continuous running ethnic festival will be back on July 17, 2021 at Croatian Park in Franklin. The cultural Program starts at 2:00PM featuring Croatian music and dance groups. There will be home made bakery and desserts and a full bar with Croatian beers and cordials. Traditional Croatian rotisserie is available and sells out quickly so pre-order your rotisserie lamb, pork and chicken.

Mexican Fiesta. Milwaukee’s Mexican Fiesta brings the sound, culture, and taste of México to Milwaukee’s lakefront on August 27, 28 & 29 this summer. Join in on the fun with three days of food, Mariachi, and Fiesta for everyone. The Mexican Fiesta is more than just a celebration; it is a vigorous declaration of community spirit at its best. This festival honors culture, tradition, and family. Don’t miss it!

German Fest of West Bend. Milwaukee’s German Fest has canceled its celebration for 2021, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get your beer, brats, and sauerkraut in the greater Milwaukee area. West Bend’s German Fest is scheduled for August 26-29, 2021 in downtown West Bend at 5th Avenue and Walnut. As an added bonus, all proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity.

Milwaukee Air and Water Show. Join the USAF Thunderbirds at Milwaukee’s lakefront July 24-25, 2021. The Milwaukee Air & Water Show is Wisconsin’s premier free, family event of the summer and one of the top air shows in the Midwest. Experience the thrill of aerial and water-based acrobatics in a family-friendly environment. It’s a must-do for everyone who has been cooped up too long.

Wisconsin State Fair. The grand-daddy of them all — The Wisconsin State Fair — is back August 5-15, 2021 and we can already taste the cream puffs and fried butter. The first State Fair was held in Janesville along the banks of the Rock River in 1851. In 2021, The Fair will celebrate 170 years of tradition and once again welcome over one million Fairgoers over the course of its 11-day run. We’ll see you there.

It’s no surprise that when Milwaukee’s streets and sidewalks get busy with cars and people, they leave plenty of evidence that they were there. Get ready to welcome your friends and neighbors as they enjoy everything Milwaukee has to offer this summer. Start with a sweeping and pressure washing this spring and by August you’ll certainly need a second one, along with possibly a striping and signage refresh. We recommend scheduling your appointments now so that you can get outside and enjoy the fun.

Jim Wahlen is well-known in the Milwaukee area as an expert in the care and maintenance of concrete structures and exteriors. He is leading the company his grandfather founded in 1971, building a hard-working team, and staying at the forefront of technology. 

While he was born into the business, he doesn’t take it for granted. After working on the front lines of Wahlen Works in high school and college, he spent eight years in the corporate world. It was enough time for him to gain valuable business experience, and also to realize he wanted to take on the challenges, and experience the satisfactions, of running the family business. 

We spent a few minutes talking with Jim about facility maintenance, excellence on the job, and growing the family business.

Tell us a little bit about your background in the corporate world. Where did you work and what did you do?

I studied commercial recreation and tourism in college. After graduation, I worked at the Great Wolf Lodge in the Wisconsin Dells for several years, then went to work for Wyndham Worldwide as a financial auditor. It was during this time that I came to realize the importance of personal relationships and the critical role of small, family-owned businesses to our communities.

You’ve been a part of the family business for more than 12 years now. What are your day-to-day responsibilities and how has that changed over the years? 

At first I was very much in the business, on the front lines, doing the work. Over time, I took on more of the management and leadership responsibilities, where I have focused on recruiting talent and building our team. More recently, I’ve been looking for ways to grow and expand the business, developing a streamlined management system, and looking to the future. 

What are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of the culture we’ve created here. We have a tight knit group of people that work well together. They are focused on the task at hand and ensure that we produce a very high quality of work on a consistent basis. 

You are experts in maintaining concrete. What are two or three things you wish people knew about concrete that they don’t?

First, that concrete is very long lasting if you take care of it. Most people think that concrete requires little or no maintenance, but that’s not the case in our climate. People don’t realize that concrete is porous. It’s like a sponge with voids that liquids, such as water and chemicals, can penetrate. Once water has penetrated the concrete, Wisconsin’s freeze-thaw cycle begins to work on it, degrading it rather quickly. Preventative maintenance slows this process and in some cases, can eliminate it almost entirely.

Second, all concrete isn’t the same. Some of it is poured above grade, some is poured below grade, and some is installed in panels. Each of these require different methods of cleaning and maintenance. For example, many newer parking structures have been built with concrete panels and they can move around a little bit by design. The caulking between the panels needs to be maintained differently than the concrete. Also, traffic patterns need to be taken into account when you’re working on the upper levels so that people on the lower levels are protected while you’re doing your job.

What are some of your favorite success stories? 

We often encounter epoxy in structures. It discolors pretty quickly with traffic. Heat and friction from the car tires makes it worse where cars turn in the structure because they all turn in exactly the same place. With our knowledge of chemicals and cleaning solutions, we know what it takes to clean it without damaging the surface. We’re able to get it a lot cleaner than our competitors, which makes our customers very happy. 

Do you have any cautionary tales to tell?

Sometimes when historic buildings are renovated and turned into residences, there are unwelcome surprises. In one case that we know of, drainage issues weren’t taken into account when storage units were installed in the garage area. They were flooded and ruined the resident’s property. That could have been avoided if we had been called in for a pre-renovation consultation.

In another, there was a parking structure where the maintenance company didn’t know how to remove stains properly and didn’t do wastewater recovery. By the time we were called and fixed the problems, it ended up costing the company more than if it had been done correctly in the first place.

What are some things you do differently from your competitors that may fly a little bit under the radar but have a big impact on the results customers see?

It starts with our quoting process. We want to see the facility in person, analyze the project, and develop a scope of work. We know to ask the questions most people wouldn’t think to ask; for example, how do you plan to vacate an entire garage at once in a downtown area with limited street parking. We work with our customers to prepare for that ahead of time. Because we work with so many people, we often know someone who can accommodate them for the day while we get the job done.

We also invest in state-of-the-art equipment, with replacements ready to go as back-up if necessary. This way there are no delays due to equipment failure which greatly reduces the risk of having to cancel and reschedule service.

What are your predictions for the future of your industry?

Pressure washing and related cleaning is going to become more and more environmentally conscious. Wastewater recovery requirements will increase. Knowing which chemicals to use in order to maintain a green clean standard will become critical.

When it comes to pavement marking, keeping abreast of the changes in symbols is very important. For example, the handicapped parking symbol is being redesigned to increase visibility and be more sensitive to the feelings of people in wheelchairs.

Regarding materials, longer lasting paints are being developed all the time. It’s important to stay on top of those changes and the latest technologies. 

How do you envision the growth of Wahlen Works growing over the next several years?

We will definitely be staying on top of the technology and upgrading our materials and processes in line with that. 

Our culture allows us to do things more efficiently to keep costs under control, which gives our customers better service at a better price. We spend, and will continue to spend, a lot of resources on training programs so best practices are being used. We offer employees continuing education so they are all trained on the latest methods. 

We are a place that people want to work and we want to continue to be that. We want their experience with us to enhance their life, not just be a place to go for a paycheck.

We also want our work to enhance the lives of our customers and will continue to strive for that.