Special Projects division developed to tackle unique & challenging plumbing projects
Waukesha-based CornerStone Plumbing LLC is moving forward with plans to build – what it hopes will be – the region’s premier commercial special projects division with the addition of project manager Shawn Hirtz.
Hirtz, 42, joins CornerStone after operating Sam Vitchar Plumbing in Waukesha, which he acquired from his uncle in 2010.
As manager of the Special Projects division for CornerStone, Hirtz oversees the commercial plumbing contractor’s more unique and technically challenging jobs. Those projects can range from simple relocation of fixtures to more complicated installations.
“Every job and every customer is different,” Hirtz said. “But while they’re different, the approach we take with each is the same: we talk with the customer and then carefully assess the project and all of its components to really understand what steps we need to take.”
Hirtz said that key to success in special projects is investing time up front to understand the needs of the customer. “Our goal is always to provide the best-possible solution,” Hirtz said, noting that with challenging projects, 10 different plumbers may approach them 10 different ways. “At CornerStone, we are determined to provide the most cost-effective and functional solutions for our customers,” he said.
The development of the Special Projects division is part of a long-term plan initiated by CornerStone owner Steve Adkins, who said the addition of Hirtz completes a 3-year search for “the right person” for this important position. “That person,” Adkins said, “must share the same passion for the industry that has helped build CornerStone into one of southeastern Wisconsin’s fastest-growing commercial plumbing contractors.”
“CornerStone’s portfolio of services has included everything from concept to construction to completion,” Adkins said. “With Shawn Hirtz and the Special Projects division, we now add ‘continuance of service’ to complete the package.”
Emphasizing Special Projects extends the portfolio of plumbing services, “We are building the best plumbing services division in southeastern Wisconsin,” Adkins said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever be the biggest, but I can guarantee that we will be the best.”
Adkins sees the work done by the firm’s Special Projects division being key to the development of the overall business community in southeastern Wisconsin.
“We do our small part so that area businesses and manufacturers can do their larger part,” said Adkins, who founded CornerStone Plumbing in 2003.
Since then, CornerStone has been recognized as one of the area’s fastest-growing commercial plumbing contractors and now employs more than 40. The firm will soon be expanding its operations – now housed in 3 buildings comprising 7,200 square feet in Waukesha – to a 25,000 square foot facility in Brookfield, WI.
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