Since 1874, Cold Spring Brewing Company has been producing and bottling beer and craft brews for the Midwest. Most recently, this nearly 150-year-old brewery has expanded its product production to include bottling tea, soda, energy drinks, and more – quickly becoming the number one specialty beverage producer in the U.S.
To keep up with the demand for specialty beverages, Cold Spring Brewing started a two phase project to expand storage capacity and increase production with the installation of a fourth production line dedicated solely to specialty beverages.
“Egan’s electrical team has partnered with Cold Spring Brewing in a maintenance capacity for many years,” said Randy Kalthoff, Egan Company Project Manager. “And we were excited to take on this new project – especially since many of us on the team are from the Cold Spring community.”
The first phase of the new storage and production line was completed last November and included a new 211,000 square foot warehouse to store the bottled production before distribution. Egan’s team completed the LED lighting installation and worked with Kinghorn Construction for both phases of construction.
“This job has had its challenges that were immediately taken care of by Egan,” said John Kinghorn, Kinghorn Construction Project Manager. “As soon as we got Egan the right information and instructions, they’ve been able to handle any situation.”
Connecting the shipping and receiving building with the newly completed warehouse, the 30,800 square foot production area has one new production line and the ability to fit an additional production line for future expansion. Scheduled to be completed this summer, the production line has the capacity to bottle 1,600 16oz. cans and 2,000 12oz. cans every minute and produce a completed pallet of specialty beverages every 50 seconds.
Egan was tasked with ensuring all of the production line systems were properly wired and integrated so the equipment can communicate and run efficiently. Egan’s process and controls team specializes in the wiring and integration of elaborate network systems and production lines, and is adept at taking multiple pieces of equipment without a design or blueprint for connection and wiring them to the speed and efficiency needs of the customer.
The new, fully automated production line process wired by Egan takes empty cans from the pallet, high heat water rinses the can to kill any bacteria, fills the can with the specialty beverage, seals the cap on the cans, final high heat water rinses to kill any additional bacteria, and boxes and palletizes for distribution.
“We’ve had a great partnership with Egan over the years,” said Andy Paavola, Cold Spring Brewing Maintenance Manager. “That has definitely helped this project go really well – and, it’s been great working with Randy [Kalthoff] and his team again.”
Core Project Team: Kinghorn Construction Company, Cold Spring Brewing Company, HTG Architects
Service Provided: exterior and interior LED lighting, 3000 amp electrical service, lighting control and distribution system, mechanical equipment wiring, general purpose power wiring, audiovisual conduit system
(Pictured above L to R: Egan Electricians Dan Weber, Kristopher Durand, Dennis Belanger, and Derrick Frank)
What started as a simple electrical upgrade by Egan Company in the early 1970s, has formed into a 50-year partnership with Westminster Presbyterian Church in Downtown Minneapolis. Over the last two decades, Westminster has completed four major projects with Egan that has transformed the building into a more modern-looking church while maintaining its historical culture.
“Our most recent project, the Open Doors Open Futures project, was one of my favorites,” said Setala. “We were involved in the upgrading of electrical fixtures, an extensive exterior lighting addition, and the Grand Staircase light fixture…a beautiful, 55 foot chandelier with glass hand-blown in New York and assembled in Paris.”
Renovating and replacing light poles, fixtures, and luminaries throughout downtown Minneapolis and the blocks surrounding the stadium was just a start. More than 30 light poles and fixtures and 60 luminaries were replaced with more modern LED lighting, which not only looks sharper, but is also more energy efficient.
Down the road from MSP is Holman Field Airport in downtown St. Paul, which is gearing up to be the private-jet hub for the Super Bowl. In preparation, Egan provided the installation of all new light poles, fixtures, taxiway lights, and flag poles to get ready for the VIP flyers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
his year, Egan decided to lend a hand to this cause by making a donation to Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota through their annual Power of Work fundraising event. The Power of Work event supports all initiatives, like the construction training program.
“One of the most common questions when you meet someone is, ‘What do you do [for work]?’ said Michael Wirth-Davis, President and CEO of Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota. “Our goal is to give our participants an answer to that question.”
Initially, the program provided students an overview of the skills needed to tackle complex electrical construction projects. With course topics on electrical installation, CAD, Revit, and cost estimation, the ECDM program provided students a theoretical overview of what it’s like to be on an electrical construction project team. But it was largely hands-off and taught more traditionally.
t’s like to work in this industry.”
With these new innovations, farmers were able to produce and distribute crops at a more rapid pace, creating a need for more automated processes. To fill this need, many of Minnesota’s largest companies began to revolutionize the food industry even further by making production simpler and more automated.
production on a farm/ranch, processing in a manufacturing facility, distribution to stores/restaurants, and consumption at a home/restaurant. But there’s a lot that goes into the processing step that many people don’t realize. Equipment needs to frequently be moved or upgraded, production lines require routine maintenance, facilities are expanded – and that’s when Egan Company is called.