Poettker management and honored guests Kevin Poettker, director of business development; Deacon Linus Klostermann; Breese Mayor Charlie Hilmes; Father Edwin Schaeffer; Ryan Poettker, vice president of project management; Tom Albers, vice president of field operations; CEO Chuck Poettker, Congressman Mike Bost, Kimberly Luitjohan, vice president of finance; Erika Kennett, southwest regional manager of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; State Rep. Charlie Meier; Matt Rice, representing Congressman John Shimkus; and Keith Poettker, president. Celebrating continued growth, a dedicated and talented group of employees and a renewed commitment to the community where it was founded, Poettker Construction Company held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday evening for its new corporate headquarters.
The project, which is slated for a summer 2019 completion, includes a 39,400-square-foot office building and a 12,000-square-foot warehouse to be built just south of Poettker’s existing office building on Germantown Road in Breese.
CEO Chuck Poettker, who founded the business in 1980, welcomed the large group of more than 120, which included employees and guests, local dignitaries and the area business community.
“We’ve done so many groundbreaking ceremonies throughout several states, but this is actually the first ceremony that we’ve done for ourselves,” Poettker said, explaining that 32 years ago, when the existing office building was built at 380 South Germantown Road, there was no time for a groundbreaking ceremony.
“If you remember 1986, there was the Tax Reform Act, and, in business, you have to take advantage of every financial maneuver you can,” Poettker said. “So we actually had to be moved into that building before 1986 to take advantage of accelerated depreciation. We moved in before the architect was finished designing it. We didn’t take the time for a groundbreaking but we’re going to do that today.”
He credited the Poettker employees and many civic and business partners for making the day possible.
“We owe this all to all of you — everybody here who worked so hard to try to make this happen,” Poettker said.
Keith Poettker, president of Poettker Construction, echoed his father’s remarks.
“We’re here because our employees operate at such an excellent and professional level that we’ve got to provide better accommodations,” Keith said. “Without your excellence, this would not be possible.”
He mentioned some of the more complex projects and the special attention put forth by employees through the years: keeping kids safe during a major school project; working inside a hospital with infection control issues; federal jobs and campus environmental work that require special guidelines. He spoke about retail construction projects that should have taken 10 or 12 months to complete, yet Poettker employees figured out ways to cut the timeline to five months.
“This can be very high stress work,” Keith said. “We hope that this building compliments your efforts in that regard.”
He said the new building is essential for job growth and recruitment. “We’re in a talent war and what I mean by that is that we’re going to do everything that we can to retain our top talent so we can continue to grow as well as recruit.”
Enhanced communication and business marketing is also key.
“You wouldn’t know it, but there are actually five different buildings here that people are working in. So this is going to help us to communicate more effectively,” Keith said. “It’s going to help with the technological advances that we’ve had over the last decade and we’re also going to use (the new building) as a marketing tool for potential clients, offering a firsthand look at our efforts and capabilities.”
Keith expressed appreciation to the many business partners and local leaders who helped to facilitate the project. He also recognized the design and engineering team.
Aviston-based Netemeyer Engineering served as civil engineer for the new headquarters design. IMEG provided structural engineering services and BRiC Partnership served as the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection coordinator. Outdoor Creations, based in Breese, will provide landscape services.
“Thanks to all of them for coming up with this concept that ties into the surrounding German heritage that we’re in,” he said.
Architectural and structural detailing unique to historic German “bank barns”— barns built into a bank or hillside – serve as the inspiration for the new headquarters design, which will be situated in front of an existing lake.
Like most traditional bank barns, the headquarters will feature a central building with high ceilings and exposed connections with interrelated structures adjacent and connected to the central structure.
To achieve the earthen bank aesthetic of traditional barns, Oculus Inc. worked closely with Outdoor Creations to create a drop off exterior at the back of the building. The back features a walk-out basement with a covered gallery that echoes passages built on the sheltered sides of German barns. The gallery leads to a walkway surrounding the lake.
The design calls for materials and finishes that recall the textures of a working barn: stone foundations and signature walls, tongue and groove wood and metal fittings. The sharp pitch in the spine of the central roof is reminiscent of traditional barn roofs and serves as a core visual element that pulls the side structure together into a unified, organic whole.
Guests who attended a reception following the groundbreaking ceremony were able to view a virtual tour of the new complex.
Monday’s ceremony kicked off with an opening prayer and blessing of the construction site by Father Ed Schaefer and Deacon Linus Klostermann.
Several local dignitaries and civic leaders offered comments.
“This is a great day for Poettker Construction but it’s also a great day for Breese and Clinton County,” said Breese Mayor Charlie Hilmes.
He noted that he and the council members were proud to be involved with the project, ensuring that good paying jobs will be available for years to come.
“When we get right down to it, we’re talking about a quality of life that every resident in Breese and surrounding towns have worked very hard toward,” Hilmes said. “Poettker Construction is one part of that whole concept of us continuing to provide a quality of life for our kids and our grandkids. Poettker Construction has provided jobs for Breese and the surrounding area, and it will continue now to provide those jobs in this area. To us, that’s exceedingly important. We look forward to working with you for a lot of years to come.”
Erika Kennett, southwest regional manager of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said she had the privilege of working with the Poettker family on their headquarters project.
“Our goal was to keep Poettker Construction’s employees and operations right here in the city of Breese,” Kennett said. “It’s important to celebrate our existing businesses and honor their continued investment in Illinois. Poettker Construction has solidified their presence in Breese thus reminding us all that southwestern Illinois is the place to do business and prosper.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner was unable to attend the ceremony but Kennett presented Poettker Construction with a letter from the governor congratulating the business and the city of Breese . Rauner stated that the groundbreaking signifies “a great milestone” providing “an excellent opportunity to make plans for the future and build on that success.”
State Rep. Charlie Meier spoke about the growth of Poettker Construction and the importance of keeping the business in this community.
“It’s always great to work on these type of projects, but it’s even greater to work with people you know, a family who works together, a family who is making the commitment to stay here to keep these family values of Clinton County going for the next generations,” Meier said. “To the entire family and all the staff at Poettker, I want to say thank you from the 108th district for making the commitment to stay here, to be part of this community and to make our future brighter. We will do whatever we can to make your future brighter.”
Congressman Mike Bost congratulated the company and spoke about his own experience working in his family’s trucking business in which his grandfather “drove trucks on the road until he was 88 and drove trucks in the lime field until he was 96.”
“He had his hand in that business; it was a good thing and the rest of the family took pride in that business,” Bost said.
“This nation is the great nation that it is because of hardworking families like yours and hardworking employees like you have,” Bost said. “Thank you for continuing to keep them employed and thank you for making sure that this continues to grow."
by Daniel Chamness
for the Breese Journal
Torre Kohrmann Two down, one to go.
Or if you are counting the parents, it is four down and one to go.
Not many families are going to have the athletic acumen of the Kohrmann family. Not among the children or the parents. Torre Kohrmann, the middle sibling, just finished her basketball career.
As her sister (Shelby) did before her and her brother (Logan) will in a couple of years. The parents, Glenn and Gigi Kohrmann of Bartelso, were also college athletes as both suited up for Southwestern Illinois College, known as Belleville Area College at the time. Glenn Kohrmann played baseball, while Gigi Kohrmann was a softball player.
“My siblings and I always competed in everything, but battling on the court was pretty great,” said the Central graduate and Bartelso native, who recently finished at Lindenwood University-Belleville. “With Logan attending McKendree, all four of us will have played four years of college basketball.”
Kohrmann, who played four years for the Lynx, retires as the all-time leading women’s scorer at the school. She finished her four year career with 1,228 points.
After her freshman season and scoring 204 points, she would score 316 points or more in each of the next three years. Her older sister held the career scoring record before Torre broke it.
“Setting the all-time scoring record was the best personal moment,” said Kohrmann. “Team-wise, making it to the NAIA Nationals as a junior and senior can’t be topped.”
She helped Lindenwood University-Belleville post winning records in three of her four years on the hardwood, both overall and in the American Midwest Conference.
During her junior and senior seasons, the Lynx won over 20 games overall, posting a 22-10 mark in 2016-17 and 22-9 in 2017-18. In the AMC, they were 18-6 and 19-5 respectively. They qualified for the NAIA Tournament during her junior and senior seasons.
As a senior, Kohrmann played and started all 31 games. She averaged 32.3 minutes per game. The 5-foot-7 guard scored 339 points, hitting 118-of-262 from the floor and 59-of-71 from the charity stripe. Of her field goals, she drained 44-of-110 from beyond the arc. She hit 45 percent from the floor, 44 percent from beyond the arc and 83 percent from the free-throw line.
She also had a team-leading 94 assists, 81 rebounds, an average of 2.6 per game, and 28 steals.
“We had a great team,” said Kohrmann of her senior season. “It was enjoyable to go to practice and games every day. We made huge strides for the program.”
For her career, in addition to her career record 1,228 points, she also had 422 rebounds, 393 assists, 121 steals and nine blocked shots. She nailed 399-of-1,031 from the field and 302-of-369 from the charity stripe. Beyond the arc, she hit 128-of-372.
The former Central Cougar earned American Midwest Conference Freshman of the Year in 2015, an honor she shared with another player. That was only the start of the honors in the league as she remained a fixture on the all-conference team during her entire career.
She is a member of the Lynx 1,000-point club as well. At the school, she was named the LU-Belleville Female Athlete of the Year for her senior season.
Academically, she earned a degree in psychology. The Bartelso native finished her undergraduate academic work with a grade-point average of 3.6.
She will begin her graduate work in mere months as she pursues a master’s degree in behavior analysis. It is one more step toward her becoming a board certified behavior analyst.
Kohrmann was on the LU-Belleville Dean’s List for four years as well as being an AMC Academic All-Conference selection since her freshman season. She also earned the Lynx Presidential Award for student athletes. The academic honor society Psi Chi also named her as a member.
During her time on the LU-Belleville women’s basketball team, she had her elder sister as either a teammate or an assistant coach.
“Shelby and I did not get much time together in high school, but we did in college,” said Torre. “It was an awesome experience for us and the entire family. I could count on her for anything, basketball related or not. She really enjoyed the coaching staff and the small campus. I was told what to expect as an incoming freshman.”
Breese native Katie Robben, pictured here with her little friend Jacinta, will hold an informational meeting next Thursday, July 19 at 7 p.m. in the media room at All Saints Academy to discuss her work and life in Uganda. A Breese woman who is working to build a better future for others in Uganda is reaching out to others to help with her mission.
Come hear Katie Robben, founder of Let Us Move Mountains, talk about ministry in Uganda, East Africa during a meet and greet session next Thursday, July 19 at 7 p.m. in the media room at All Saints Academy in Breese.
Robben moved to Kyarusozi, Uganda in September 2016.
Prior to her move, she was a second-grade teacher at Breese District 12 Elementary and she traveled over 7,000 miles to Kyarusozi where she has been a full-time volunteer teacher at Kyarusozi Primary School.
The possibility of volunteering in Uganda was sparked by two of Robben’s friends who volunteered in Uganda during the summer of 2014. Robben spent 9-1/2 weeks teaching at a private school in Uganda during the summer of 2015. However, as her stay came to an end, she wasn’t ready to leave and moved to Uganda the following year.
Robben said that the past two years have been an “incredible journey” for Let Us Move Mountains.
“We were able to renovate Kyarusozi Primary School, begin a piggery project, build a women’s dorm for St. John Bosco Vocational Training Center and buy farmland,” she said, adding that they now need help to continue their mission to share the Gospel through empowerment of local organizations and families.
Let Us Move Mountains’ vision is to share the Gospel through empowerment of local initiatives in Uganda and inspire all to serve the Lord in their vocations.
“When you give to Let Us Move Mountains, you are sponsoring an entire ministry, Young Positives Empowered to Adhere (YPEA),” Robben said, adding that YPEA is a holistic ministry that focuses on children from Kyarusozi Primary School who were born with HIV.
“YPEA’s purpose is to bring hope back into the lives of these students and work together with them to build a better future, all in the name of the Lord,” she said. “Your donations cover the costs of relief (education and health care) when necessary, long term development projects (agriculture and raising animals), and the operations to keep these projects running (salaries and transportation).”
She added that they also soon hope to build a partnership with St. John Bosco Vocational Training School.
“St. John Bosco offers courses such as tailoring, hairdressing, knitting, brick laying and concrete practice, motor vehicle mechanics and driving, carpentry and joinery, plumbing and electric and solar power installation,” she said, adding that these courses teach children and young adults technical hands-on skills that enable them to start their own small businesses after completion of the course. “It is an incredible opportunity for those who were not able to complete a formal education, and for those who did complete a formal education but are unable to find a job,” she said.
In 2017, Let Us Move Mountains assisted in building a women’s dorm for the school and looks forward to a continued partnership.
“The beauty of Let Us Move Mountains is that it combines the knowledge of development researchers who have been in the field for decades, with the knowledge and goals of local organizations like YPEA and St. John Bosco,” she said. “Our ministry isn’t just about keeping people out of poverty, it’s also about healing brokenness and growing closer to God.”
To keep the ministry moving, Let Us Move Mountains needs donors who are willing to give a one time payment of $240 or give recurring payments of $20 per month for one year.
Those who donate a minimum of $240 per year (as a one-time payment or in recurring payments) will receive a quarterly e-newsletter. The newsletter will include welcome notes, photos, and a “Meet the Family” section where you will learn more about the families that are served. Don’t miss this opportunity to get to know your brothers and sisters in Uganda!
To make your tax deductible donation online visit www.letusmovemountains.org then click the “Donate” tab or type this web address directly: www.letusmovemoun tains.org/donate.
Checks can be made payable to Let Us Move Mountains and sent to: Let Us Move Mountains, PO Box 341, Breese, IL 62230.
You can also learn more about it during the meet and greet with Robben next Thursday in the media room at All Saints Academy in Breese.
Already a donor? Come hear updates.
Potential donor or just curious? Come hear more about it.
Expect the meet and greet session to last one hour, including time at the end for questions and answers. Water and snacks will be served.
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447.44 |
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447.06 |
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