Mike Johnson - IEI GC - Build From Ground Up Every Day

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mike Johnson, a former industrial arts teacher, found success more to his liking first as a draftsman then as founder of his own company, IEI General Contractors.

Mike Johnson, IEI General Contractors, build from the ground up every day; Johnson oversees planning, estimates and schedules. www.ieigc.com

Mike Johnson grew up in Kingsford, Mich., the son of a mason contractor. He knew he didn't want to work in construction, so he became an industrial arts teacher. But that didn't last. "It really takes a special person to be a teacher, and I just wasn't cut out for that. I couldn't live on the student's successes; I wanted more success for myself. I hope that doesn't sound selfish," Johnson said.

He moved to Detroit to live near some college friends, and he became a draftsman while earning his degree in architecture. His wife is from Green Bay and wanted to move home. Johnson told her if she could sell the house they would move. She sold the house in one week and they moved to Green Bay with no house and no jobs lined up.

He landed a job as a draftsman and began playing shortstop on the company baseball team. He was always late for games because of his work hours. The team manager and pitcher was the head of the estimating department and told Johnson that if he moved to his department he would make it to games on time and make a dollar an hour more. So Johnson began estimating construction. He moved up the company ladder to become vice president. He started IEI in 1989 and built it from the ground up.

Building from the ground up is what Johnson does every day. Ultimately he shoulders the responsibility from the time ground is broken until the last piece of trim is nailed in place. He starts by looking over building plans for commercial structures such as medical buildings, stores and schools. He calculates what labor and materials are going to cost to build it exactly as the customer wants, and submits his bid.

If he wins the bid, he orders a project manager, the workers, subcontractors and materials. Everything must be done in the proper order while following a strict schedule and timeline. The project manager on the job is responsible not to lose time or money, and every minute counts. He must motivate people to get the most and best work from them.

Johnson works closely with the architects, engineers, employees, subcontractors and the client. He must be sure that permits have been secured and that safety codes have been adhered to. Scheduling must be done for periodic inspections, electrical, plumbing, painting and other subcontractors. Because they work year round and the weather can't be predicted, an early morning call might have to be made to get snow plowed so workers can stay on schedule.

IEI is building a Bay orthopedic and sports medicine specialist building in Green Bay and working on the emergency room at Bellin Hospital. Previous projects are St. Joseph's church at St. Norbert College, Menards and Festival Foods.

Highlights: The best part of the job for Johnson is a project completed on time and on budget with everyone happy.
"When we first started we couldn't find a painter to work for what we bid. So Brad and I painted the job ourselves to stay in budget," said Johnson.

Lowlights: The worst part of the job is not having all 12 project managers lined up yet for jobs starting in April.

Industry changes: "I could print better and faster than anyone as a draftsman. Now everything is computerized. I used to use a calculator and scale and multiplication and division to figure out how much block and concrete were needed for a job. Now you punch in some measurements and the program figures it for you. When we started, we were cutting edge with a cell phone and fax machine, and now we have laptops in the field with e-mail," Johnson said.

The other change in construction is that work used to be done from April through November. Technology now makes year-round work the norm.

What's needed: Johnson suggests earning a degree in construction management. A solid work ethic is needed, and you must be trustworthy and good at interacting with many different kinds of people. You must pay strict attention to detail because one setback can cost the company thousands of dollars.

Advice: "I was writing an estimate and I wanted to add more labor hours just in case to make sure the expense was covered. Then I added one here and one there. Andy Tweet told me that little pigs are cute; big pigs get slaughtered. That has stuck with me all this time."
Future: "Golf three months in Florida and golf nine months in Wisconsin."

Mike Johnson
Residence: Allouez, Wisconsin
Family: Wife Jo and three children, Brett, 26; Blake, 24 and Sarah, 22
Hobby: Golf
Business: IEI General Contractors, Inc., 1725 Midway Road, De Pere/Rockland, Wisconsin; (920) 337-2111; www.ieigc.com
Education: Degrees in industrial education and architecture

IEI is located between Green Bay and Appleton, WI, east of U.S. Hwy. 41
Contact us today: 1.920.337.2111     brad@ieigc.com