With a wide array of specialty trades and services, it’s not uncommon to hear our customers say, “I didn’t know Egan did that!” Throughout 2018, we’re highlighting our skilled tradespeople and the wide scope of offerings our company provides.
At the end of last year, we showcased Egan Millwrights and Iron Workers. Now, the spotlight is on the Glazing trade. Take a minute to watch and learn more about Egan’s skilled Glaziers.
3,070 miles, 58 days, two tires, and one goal – all for multiple sclerosis. John Dobbs, an Electrician who has been with Egan for 17 years recently completed this very untraditional “vacation” by participating in the Southern Tier route of Bike the US for MS.
Bike the US for MS is a nonprofit organization which provides people the opportunity to participate in cross country cycling trips for multiple sclerosis research and awareness. When John first signed up to ride, he did not know anyone with MS. After participating in a few group projects and joining video chats with other co-riders, he quickly learned how devastating the disease can be.
“When I decided to do this [Bike the US for MS], I had people telling me that it would be a life-changing experience,” said Dobbs. “I wasn’t even halfway through the ride when I went from just shrugging my shoulders to becoming a believer.”
Turning Maybe Into Certainty
Inspired by his brother’s coast-to-coast charity ride three years ago, John told himself “maybe someday” he would do the same. This “someday” arrived last September, as he began the biking journey in San Diego, Calif. and arrived nearly two months later in St. Augustine, Fla.
At age 57, John was one of the younger riders out of the 16 member group with ages ranging from 57-70. He proudly admits an admiration for the older riders who pedaled every foot he did.
If I’m half of the man some of these other riders are… when I get a little older, I’ll be doing alright.
– John Dobbs, Egan Electrical Journeyman
John said he has found a whole new respect for the Southern United States and was fascinated by the changes in terrain and vegetation with the different elevations. He recalls the challenging days through the desert wasteland near El Paso, Texas when temperatures were upwards of 116 degrees.
“I have laughed, smiled, and even cried thinking about [myself] inching across the country on a bike. But, bottom line is I could not be happier,” said Dobbs.
Now, after an incredible amount of hard work and a whole lot of sweat, John can finally check “Bike the US for MS” off his bucket list.
In support of John Dobb’s ride, Egan made a donation to Bike the US for MS.
For the last few years, Egan Company has been a resource for minor electrical upgrades and service work at Haven Housing in Minneapolis. However, this summer brought an opportunity for Egan to work with one of the organization’s three programs, St. Anne’s Place, in a unique way.
St. Anne’s, an emergency support shelter to roughly 170 women and more than 300 children each year, was in need of some renovations to its playground area. But, in order for the new equipment to be installed, the electrical power lines above the playground had to be raised. The program also wanted a drinking fountain put in for the kids to utilize in the play area.
That’s when D Cadreau, Haven Housing Operations Coordinator, reached out to Egan for help. After learning the scope of the project, Egan donated trade labor to St. Anne’s Place to assist with the playground installation.
Through a collaboration with Xcel Energy and a local tree trimming company, the surrounding trees were trimmed and power lines were raised over the playground. Additionally, Egan installed a water fountain outside the building to complete the project.
Though a small venture, St. Anne’s Place has now yielded an outcome much bigger than its playground scope. The real results are found on the smiling faces of the kids and their mothers as they have a new, safe place to play.
Haven Housing programs strive to support women as they stabilize, heal from trauma, work to identify and overcome their barriers to independence, find their strength and create a more hopeful future.
“I believe listening is an intangible asset to have. Understanding other people’s opinions to create your own can help you be a better decision-maker.”
Meet Luke Piram, Electrical Field Leader with Egan for over 11 years.
His favorite part about Egan is the opportunity to take part in such a variety of jobs; and seeing multi-phase projects come together over an extended time period is highly rewarding.
When he’s not at work, Luke and his family can be found enjoying the outdoors and camping with friends – their favorite weekend activity. He has kayaked the Colorado River in Utah two times!
Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.
With a wide array of specialty trades and services, it’s not uncommon to hear our customers say, “I didn’t know Egan did that!” Over the next year, we’re highlighting our skilled tradespeople and the wide scope of offerings our company provides.
In November, we showcased Egan Millwrights. Now, the spotlight is on the Iron Worker trade. Take a minute to watch and learn more about Egan’s skilled Iron Workers.
“I’ve learned to embrace and enjoy the daily problem-solving aspect of my job. Though challenging at times, it’s fun to watch a project come together from start to finish.”
Meet Nick Sexton, Sheet Metal Field Leader who has been with Egan for nine years.
When he isn’t working, Nick enjoys spending time with his family at their cabin up north. He loves to be outdoors – mountain biking, fishing, swimming, and clearing their property are a few favorite activities.
Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.
Egan Company prides itself on keeping our promises to customers – including the promise to provide exceptional customer service. Each year, employees that demonstrate outstanding customer service are honored and recognized with the Promises Kept Eagle Award. This year, six employees were recognized by the Advanced Pain Management Clinic in Mankato for their work.
Congratulations to Justin Brandt, Keith Habeck, Matt Marchiafava, Tom Oines, Joe Olander, and Jim Patten for the outstanding work and service provided on this project.
“Thank you again for the seamless installation of the new HVAC system at our site. The planning that went into the project was extensive and I appreciated meeting with you and the D.J. Kranz team ahead of time. From start to finish, any concerns we had were thoroughly addresses. Your team was always efficient, professional, and completed the upgrade on time with no disruptions. It was a pleasure working with Egan Company.”
– M. Nelson, Mankato’s Advanced Pain Management
Fortunate. The word Jim Malecha uses most often to describe his 38-year career – a career that has been dedicated to growth, integrity, and exceptional leadership. Now, after 18 years at Egan Company and an eight year tenure as President & CEO, Malecha will retire at the end of December.
Egan’s growth has come in part due to his dedication to people, collaboration with leaders, passion for the construction industry and, of course, hard work – a trait instilled in him since his childhood.
Being the oldest of six, Malecha was no stranger to helping his parents with odd jobs around their southern Minnesota hometown. Painting houses was a side job both his parents did as a way to earn extra income for the children to attend the local Catholic school.
“Since I was old enough to hold a paint brush or scraper, I remember helping paint,” said Malecha. “My dad would get home from his day job as a postal worker, we’d all get packed up in the car, and go to whatever job was next.”
Though he had a memorable childhood, Malecha always felt a desire for something bigger. He knew he wanted to put himself in a position where he could take risks in building his career – something he saw his parents pass up many times.
After he graduating from Minnesota State University – Mankato with a degree in accounting, he began his career as a staff accountant at McGladrey & Pullen, an audit, tax, and consulting firm. It was here that he discovered his passion for leadership and became determined in his pursuit of reaching a company leadership role.
Shaping a leadership style
It wasn’t long before he got his first managerial-type role and began learning the ins and outs of leading people.
Malecha recalls a pivotal point early in his career at McGladrey where he questioned whether he was built to be a leader after receiving critical feedback from a manager that his leadership style was “too demanding”. It was a conversation that changed his direction on how he worked with people and has stayed with him ever since.
“It wasn’t that I was treating people poorly… I was driven and expected everyone else to be the exact same way,” said Malecha. “After this, I started to understand that we’re all a little different and have different things that motivate us.”
Opportunity in Las Vegas
As he advanced at McGladrey and became partner, an opportunity in Las Vegas relocated him, his wife Corinne, and their infant son, Dan, out west. It was there that the Malecha’s welcomed their second child, Lauren. With two young children, the late nights and early mornings of his job began to wear on the family.
“In Las Vegas, my career really took off. I worked the hardest there that I’ve ever worked in my entire life. But, that meant I was never home,” said Malecha. “This was difficult on my family life and I knew something had to change.”
After waiting for a new opportunity to open within the firm, he received the call of which he had hoped. McGladrey wanted him to lead the Construction and Real Estate group in Minneapolis. The timing was “impeccable.”
Transitioning to Egan Company
In running the Construction and Real Estate team, Malecha worked closely with Egan Company. Egan was a customer of his and he had formed strong relationships within the company. Three years in, he had no intention of leaving his current position; however, Egan’s CEO and CFO were both retiring. He was approached about filling the CFO role as well as becoming an owner and partner of the company – an opportunity he knew he had to take.
Malecha worked for the next ten years as CFO and transitioned into the President & CEO position after Craig Sulentic retired in 2009.
Throughout his time at Egan, he has overseen 12 successful mergers and acquisitions which has brought on new business and expanded Egan’s market to include additional trades and specialty services and more office locations. Malecha has helped to combine five separate Twin Cities offices into two, beautifully renovated buildings, and expanded Egan’s prefabrication shops. Lastly, the company has grown by more than 100% under his helm.
Malecha’s commitment to growth has been a huge marker of his time at Egan. But, even more so is his commitment to things less tangible like being intentional about having work-life balance, prioritizing people over profits, and his vow to live his faith through his actions.
Inspiring a faith-based, work-life balance
Work-life balance is easier said than done for some, but he has remained true to his promise to maintain it. Furthermore, he has been diligent with instilling his family-first approach into his leadership style and the culture of Egan.
“My philosophy is that you need both your family life and your work life to go well at the same time to have a good life,” said Malecha. “I hope we’re a company that can work with people to balance both of those areas and that all of our leaders model this as well.”
Providing an environment where people feel happy and 
safe while at work is something that has always been important to him. Helping to take care of over 1,000 Egan employees by providing them with good jobs remains his motivation after nearly 20 years.
Another priority is his dedication to his faith which has helped him through many hard times, both in business and his personal life. Even before the busiest of days start, he takes time to do a devotional, read a chapter in the Bible, and pray for wisdom along with the safety of everyone at Egan.
Malecha’s faith has regularly given him insight into understanding the bigger meaning behind some of life’s “why” moments and unquestionably shaped his values and ethics. He also credits his marriage and his family for making his faith walk stronger over the years.
“My hope is that I’ve lived my faith through my actions so much that people might ask, ‘what’s behind that?’ And, what’s behind that is my faith,” said Malecha.
The vision for Egan and future Egan leadership
Though he has overseen a tremendous amount of change while leading Egan, Malecha believes the company’s best days are still ahead.
“Egan will continue to be an integrated organization where we are serving customers with the diverse offerings we have,” said Malecha. “No one else can offer what we can and our goal is to simply make our customers’ lives easier.”
Leading this direction beginning January 1, 2018 as President & CEO is Duane Hendricks, Egan’s Chief Operating Officer. Hendricks has over 30 years of experience in the construction and contracting industry and is a hands-on leader in planning and execution.
Since joining Egan in 2002, Hendricks and Malecha have worked together steering Egan through its growth and change while maintaining the highest level of integrity and service to Egan’s customers and employees.
He is confident Hendricks will forward Egan’s vision and continue to provide opportunities – just like the opportunities Malecha feels fortunate to have received throughout his life and in his successful career.
In today’s social media driven world, everyone has a platform to share their in-the-moment experience. And, with the millions of visitors set to visit the Twin Cities over the next few years for Superbowl LII in February, the NCAA Men’s Final Four Championship in 2019, and a growing amount of concerts and special guests, the need for reliable cell phone service from carriers is vital.
Minneapolis and the rest of the Twin Cities have been preparing for the influx of cell phone service needed during these large events by installing a Distributed Antenna System (DAS). DAS technology is utilized to cover isolated areas within a large building that have poor cell phone coverage.
“A few of the Downtown buildings where we’ve installed DAS include the Fifth Street Towers, the U.S. Bank Plaza, the U.S. Bank Tower, the Minneapolis Armory, the Mall of America parking ramps, and one of the DoubleTree hotels,” said Rob Stanley, Egan Company Account Manager. “With these buildings investing in DAS, cell phone users have a better chance of having full service during these monumental events and experiences.”
The distribution of cell phone service throughout a building is completed by two methods. One, a carrier orders a circuit to enter the building via fiber optic in a specified location. Or, two, a carrier will authorize the signal to be captured via a donor antenna. This assembly is typically placed on the rooftop and aimed at the nearest outdoor cell tower. The signal is then brought into the building and distributed to antennas.
All of the major cell phone carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, can utilize the same DAS system. Each carrier shares the device and has its own antenna and receiver which transmits the service to their expectant customers.
Beyond Minneapolis and St. Paul, Egan’s team has installed numerous DAS systems at the Mall of America as they prepare for increased visitors during the holiday seasons and the large sporting events. The Mall of America alone has 54 DAS circuits installed in the parking ramps which include six antennas each that allow for an uninterrupted experience as they visit the venue.
“Visitors of the upcoming major events will now be able to share their amazing experiences with all of their social media followers,” said Stanley. “And have full, reliable service where DAS is installed!”
Egan Company technicians have completed the required training and certifications to install, terminate, and commission DAS Systems. They are fully certified in PIM and Sweep Testing used to commission DAS Systems.
Meet Paul Hartman, an Electrical Field Leader who has been with Egan for over 10 years.
Paul’s favorite way to spend the weekend is being in the great outdoors. He enjoys kayaking, hiking, fishing, camping, and many other activities. “My happy place is the outdoors where I find serenity. It also helps me return to work recharged on Monday morning!”
Another fact about Paul is that he has been a volunteer for over 25 years for clubs such as Capable Partners, an organization that provides hunting, fishing, and related opportunities for the physically challenged, and Muskies Incorporated, an organization focused on improving the sport of musky fishing.
Our company is shaped by who we are, not just what we do. Together, we are Egan.
