“Their coordination, communication and attention to detail literally made my job easier.”
John Grice (Construction Manager)“They know how to get things done, and get them done right. Some may say these qualities are rare in a contractor, but having worked with Johnco, I think they consider these qualities standard business.”
Director of Construction (University of Illinois Springfield)“Of all the major construction projects I’ve monitored, Johnco Construction followed the construction timeline closer than any other general contractor.”
Mary Miller PH 1, 2, & 3 (DACC Director of Administrative Services)I highly recommend Johnco Construction Incorporated. Over the past several years Johnco has completed a multitude of highly visible construction projects and a diverse set of smaller repair projects to include everything from new roofs to remodels of interior offices to reconfigurations of athletic facilities for the University. Johnco’s ability to meet the strict deadlines often associated with University construction projects is noteworthy.
Some may say these qualities are rare in a contractor, but having worked with Johnco, I think they consider these qualities “standard business”. A large part of this “standard” is the project managers and site superintendents Johnco employs. The Johnco team, led by Paul Bems, has been a major contributor to the success of the University’s projects.
Charles R. Coderko (Associate Chancellor Administrative Affairs, Facilities & Services University of Illinois Springfield)Our firm has been fortunate to have Johnco Construction on 4 separate projects for the Springfield School District over the last 3 years, totaling more than $9 million. The largest and most complex projection was a $5 million renovation of a 60,000 square foot building that included all new HVAC and electrical systems and new finishes completed over a 12-month summer break.
Through our experiences, we have found them to be at all times competent, forward looking, fair, and adapt at coordinating large projects.
Johnco was recently successful in acquiring a $3 million addition to the Lutheran High School in Springfield scheduled for completion in the fall.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with them in the future and highly recommend them. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thomas J. Hyde (AIA)We recently worked with Johnco Construction on a science lab renovation project at Illinois Central College, East Peoria, IL. Our primary contact at Johnco was Paul Berns, Vice President / Project Manager.
Johnco, and specifically Paul Berns, performed the renovation project in a very professional manner. Submittals were timely and accurate. The quality of the work was excellent and they provided good leadership to the subcontractors. There were issues with delivery of the lab casework and Paul work aggressively to resolve the problems. There were minimal Change Orders and the ones that we did have were priced fairly. The work was performed while students and faculty were in the building and Johnco’s superintendent worked well with the Owner and building occupants. The Project was completed on time and on budget.
I strongly recommend Johnco Construction for your project. I would be pleased to personally discuss this reference letter with you if you have any questions or need more information.
Thomas E. Wilson (AIA Vice President )I would like to take this opportunity to highly recommend Johnco Construction for your upcoming project. We have worked with Johnco on two recent projects: $6.3 million of improvements to student apartments for the University of Illinois at Springfield, and $1.8 million of improvements to a “swing” building on the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus.
Both projects had challenging construction demands that Johnco handled nicely. At UIS, the work included renovations to over 80 apartment units in 11 buildings. The project had to be constructed in phases per semester so that only a few units would be “down” at a time. Johnco met all schedule requirements. As in any remodel, unknown conditions were uncovered but Johnco collaborated with our office to keep the project moving forward and were very fair when change orders were required.
The “swing” building at UIUC included remodel of a former fraternity building for temporary use by UI departments campus-wide. This renovation was very complicated and was full of uncovered conditions including termite damage, rot, and water infiltration. Johnco worked very hard to maintain the schedule, and through collaboration with our office, helped solve uncovered problems efficiently and cost effectively.
We find Johnco to be high collaborative and honest. We have a very positive working relationship with them and are always pleased when they are interested in bidding one of our projects. We recommend them without reservation.
Charles R Reifsteck (President REIFSTECK REID & COMPANY ARCHITECTS)My name is Matthew Abbatessa, the Director of Facilities Services for Urbana School District #116 in Urbana, Illinois. I am writing you to extend my sincere recommendation of Johnco Construction, Inc.. Johnco Construction has shown themselves to be a highly professional, highly available and responsive, and a quality contractor at a top-notch level. The school district sees Paul and Johnco bringing a true partnership and allyship to us in all aspects of our construction projects. I in sincerity can state all stakeholders see our valued contractor in Johnco constantly delivering for the school district from conceptualization through all aspects of construction.
Currently Johnco Construction is working as our most valued partner in our Yankee Ridge Elementary School expansion and renovation. The Project encompasses over 40,600 SF of renovation with additional new building space of 26,800 SF. The renovation includes major building components that require a superlative contractor maintaining a sense of professionalism and a level of equanimity to maintain all aspect of a major construction project such as this. Johnco and Paul Berns continue to deliver this in spades for the school district. From mitigating to scheduling, to value engineering, to reaching benchmarks Paul Berns and Johnco Construction simply deliver. The Urbana School district and I are more than satisfied. We are quite frankly looking forward to working with Johnco on several future projects happening in the school district as well as we are enjoying working in true partnership with Johnco Construction on our present construction project.
I value my working relationship with Paul Berns and Johnco Construction.
Matthew P. Abbatessa (Director of Facilities Services Urbana School District # 116)It is my pleasure to write on behalf of Johnco Construction and Paul Berns.
This past August, we completed construction of a building addition to house our junior high classes. The addition consisted of six classrooms, a set of restrooms, two additional entryways, and a storage area. One of the classes is a fully equipped science lab with work stations which accommodate mobile lab tables. Previously, these students and classes were housed in a building in downtown Bloomington. Bringing all of our students under one roof was a long time goal. Not having been through such a process before, I relied heavily on Paul Berns and his site supervisors for guidance. Working with Paul and his team was a very positive experience. Their availability, timeliness, and dedication to quality were evident throughout the process. They were able to hold to the original timeline, and work was completed early enough to provide for a smooth move into the new space prior to the start of the school year.
I would be glad to recommend Johnco Construction, and would be happy to speak with anyone wanting additional information.
Mrs. Gwenn Roche (Principal)I am writing to verify the professional work completed at Robeson Elementary School by Johnco Construction. Paul Berns managed the renovation work completed in two phases over the summers of 2013 and 2014.
Starting in 2010, the District undertook major construction and renovation projects at seven of its elementary facilities, totaling more than $66 million in construction costs. While Robeson was the only one of these facilities that did not get an addition, it was also the only facility that was phased summer work where the users were not moved out of the building for the school year.
Johnco had a very short window both summers to perform the work and ensure occupancy by the start of school in August. During this whole process, we were very pleased with the open line of communication between the school district and Johnco. The attention to detail, concern for quality of installation and product as well as the adherence to schedule in the face of unexpected challenges were always kept in the forefront.
Under Johnco’s leadership both project phases were completed on time for occupancy, in spite of numerous obstacles that easily could have untracked very tight school construction schedules. Paul Berns was not only indispensable as the lead resource on the project team but also essential and instrumental in the successful readiness of these buildings for student occupancy. I have observed his fairness and collaboration while working, his positive relationships with vendors, his ability to relate to a wide range of personality types as well as his polished communication skills in both small and large audience settings. Johnco delivered excellent services on this messy, time sensitive renovation project.
Arlene Vespa (Capital Projects Supervisor Champaign Unit School District #4)It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Johnco Construction, Inc.
Graham & Hyde Architects has had the opportunity to work with Johnco Construction on numerous occasions over the past several years. Our experience on each and every project has been extremely positive. Their extensive construction knowledge and management skills are valuable assets that are greatly appreciated. We have found their project superintendents to be responsive and professional. Overall the company is always very cooperative and truly approach each project with a team attitude that helps us deliver the best results for the client.
My most recent work with Johnco was a significant renovation and addition to Springfield Lutheran High School. Throughout the duration of the project, the entire Johnco team remained focused on the work flow and project schedule. As various issues arose during construction they were always able to provide timely informationand assistance that enabled our team to make informed decisions and resolve issues quickly.Their continued attention to the schedule is commendable.
We have no hesitation in recommending Johnco Construction to others and look forward to future work with them.
Please feel free to contact me should you require any additional information.
Kevin L. Handy (AIA Principal)IGW has had the opportunity to work with Johnco Construction for over 10 years. They have been the general contractor on several of our projects, but more recently on Yankee Ridge Elementary School and Cunningham Children’s Home with both located in Urbana, IL. Yankee Ridge is a $10 million, 67,000 SF expansion and renovation of a 1968 elementary school and Cunningham Children’s Home is a new $10 million, 50,000 SF education and recreation facility.
Johnco is an honest and hardworking general contractor who puts the needs of the client first. Their team approach and attitude of problem solving is instrumental in successfully completing large projects and is highly valued by our firm. They respond quickly and respectfully to all questions, comments or concerns that are brought forward by the client or architect. Coordination is always a challenge for any project, but they do an excellent job of keeping everyone on point and focused. If we were not satisfied with the end result of an installation, they would have it corrected, no questions asked.
I would highly recommend Johnco Construction to lead any construction project and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.
Richard A. Krall (AIA Project Architect)As you consider Construction Firms for your upcoming project, I would like to recommend Johnco Construction, Inc. based on our school district’s positive experience with them over the years.
Johnco Construction has been the successful low bidder and have completed several significant projects recently for Springfield School District 186: The projects included major HVAC upgrades to Addams Elementary, McClernand Elementary, Iles Elementary and Lincoln Middle School.
These projects were particularly challenging because of the time limitations in completing several months of work in the short timeframe school districts have for construction projects during the summer. Johnco Construction took control of the site, and did an outstanding job of managing the construction activity.
They also successfully completed ADA modifications at Lanphier High School, which was done while school was in session and with no interruption in the school schedule.
Whenever challenges arose during the construction process, Johnco Construction could be counted on to provide the leadership needed to focus on solutions. We felt that Johnco Construction always put the school district’s expectations for quality-before -any other interests.
Darrell Schaver (Director of Operations and Maintenance Springfield Public School District 186)It is with no hesitation I offer this letter of reference for Johnco Construction Inc. Cunningham Children’s Home has signed a $10.6M contract with Johnco for the construction of our 50,000 square foot Education Recreation Center to be completed in late 2018. This is no ordinary school we are constructing. The facilities will provide an education setting for some of the most acute population of clients in the state with respect to learning disabilities, mental health diagnosis and behavior. The building has many special features which will serve our clients therapeutic needs such as sensory rooms, light sensitive classrooms, windows with increased durability and many detention grade hardened surfaces that are aesthetically pleasing.
We could not be more pleased with the professionalism, expertise and the product thus far. Their back office work has been flawless which matches the field work. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Good luck with your project.
Dan Holmer (VP of Finance and Operations Cunningham Children's Home )