From the Ground Up: Menards

Owner/developer: Menard Inc.
General contractor: Rich Kramer Construction Inc.
Architect: Ron Pember
Engineers: Anderson Engineering Inc., civil; Menard Inc. (in-house), structural; and MEP Associates LLC (Eau Claire, Wisconsin), mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 246,650 square feet
Estimated cost: $6.5 million, per city permit
Lender: None
Estimated completion: Late summer
Project description: Construction crews are on pace for the planned later summer openings of two Springfield stores, those involved with the projects say. The stores will mirror each other on the west and east sides of town. On some 38 acres on West Sunshine Street near the West Bypass, Menard Inc. is handling the architecture and structural engineering work in-house, said Lowell Thomas, a project manager with Rich Kramer Construction. The store has a split-face concrete block exterior, he said, and an outside lumberyard with a covered, drive-thru warehouse. According to city documents, the store is permitted at 3803 W. University St. Jeff Abbott, spokesman for the Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based home improvement retailer, said both stores would carry electrical and millwork products to appliances and home decor, as well as a pet department and a line of convenience groceries. He’s declined to disclose the estimated construction cost.