If you went to Summerfest or another festival or concert at Henry Maier Festival Park this year, you might have noticed a big construction project going on across the street from the grounds’ South Gate. Since March of 2023, construction crews have been working to build a 261-unit apartment complex called Evoni. Development companies from Minnesota and Illinois hired Pewaukee-based VJS Construction Services to lead the $80 million building project. Workers from VJS and many other subcontractors have been working to build Evoni. There are a lot of different jobs to be done on a big project like this. Meet some of the workers on the Evoni project and learn about their job and what they like about working in construction.
Cameron Cavette is a four-year union apprentice carpenter. In this image, he is measuring and cutting the trim for the apartment complex baseboards. Construction workers get to work at multiple projects each year, experiencing different work environments. “It’s different every day,” Cavette said. “You get to see a lot and travel to different job sites.”
Neil Flynn is a flooring contractor, who are hired by construction companies to work on a specific job site for a duration of time and have the flexibility of working with several construction companies and teams.
Kaiden Rhiner is a non-union carpenter and is in his first year working in the industry. Carpenters are responsible for measuring, cutting and constructing materials on a worksite. “I like my job a lot because I get to be active all the time,” said Rhiner.
Travis Christiansen became a carpenter right after he graduated from high school. He has now been working in the industry for 15 years. When working in carpentry, there are always new problems to tackle and puzzles to solve, Christiansen said: “I like the challenge of it.”
Rick Smith has been a plumber for 34 years. At the Evoni project site, he was responsible for reading blueprints and putting together the building’s piping systems. Smith said his job has allowed him to meet numerous people in different fields inside and outside of the trades. “You get to work with all types of different people. The contractors, the union, the superintendent,” he said.
Von VanDreel is the superintendent of the Evoni job site for VJS. He oversees all operations and manages the individuals on the project. VanDreel started working in the construction industry 34 years ago as a carpenter apprentice. Now, in his current position, all of the subcontractors and VJS employees on the Evoni project report to him. VanDreel said his favorite parts of the job are “solving problems and getting through the daily struggles.”
