Wanzek’s projects range from heavy civil site work to wind farms and industrial processing plants.

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Founded in 1971, Wanzek Construction Inc. is a heavy and industrial contractor based in Fargo, N.D. It operates throughout the central United States offering diverse services in projects ranging from heavy civil site work to wind farms and industrial processing plants. The company says its vision is to meet customer expectations “safely and profitably in a manner which is rewarding to the team.”

To do this, the company relies on its employees and equipment resources.        

“Wanzek’s professionals have a can-do attitude and approach projects with integrity, urgency and teamwork,” the company states.

Vast Services
The company says it believes the construction process should be a fun and positive experience for the entire team.       

“Wanzek’s promise is to serve [customers] with integrity, responsiveness and innovation,” it asserts. “Since 1971, Wanzek has been achieving customer expectations. We are proud of our company and its people.”

Wanzek’s services include:
n Bridges
n Cranes (22-ton to 660-ton)
n Ethanol
n Biodiesel
n Crushing  and extraction
n Heavy civil
n Industrial food and beverage
n Sugar refineries
n Wind farm construction

Ethanol Efforts
Wanzek has been selected to construct a 100-million gallons per year (MMGY) ethanol plant in Casselton, N.D., for the Tharaldson Ethanol Group. Wanzek broke ground for the project in May, and construction is expected to be complete by January 2009.

The plant will consume approximately 36 million bushels of corn to produce the ethanol and 300,000 tons of dried distiller’s grains annually.

Jim Heyer, owner of Heyer Engineering, Fargo, is the owner’s representative for the project. His first recommendation to Tharaldson Ethanol Group was to negotiate a construction contract with Wanzek, the company says.

“I have a lot of confidence in what they can do,” Heyer said in a statement. “In this region, Wanzek is the only company that really has the right experience in heavy industrial work such as ethanol plant construction, so they were the obvious choice.”

This is Wanzek’s largest ethanol project both in terms of the plant’s capacity and project cost.
To date, the company’s crews have been working on 50- and 60-MMGY plants. “We look at this project as a springboard to future growth of our company,” said Mike Pederson, senior project manager. “In addition to spurring our growth for this year, it will help us move into an expanded role in the ethanol industry.”

Wanzek is the general contractor on the project and will self-perform site work, concrete, foundations, millwright and equipment installation, steel erection, process piping, steam dryer assembly and crane services.

Valley Engineering, Fargo, is doing the balance-of-plant design, and Vogelbusch USA Inc., Houston, is providing the process technology.

Vogelbusch is the premier supplier of process technology engineering packages for the fuel ethanol industry in the nation, Wanzek says. Wanzek introduced Heyer and the Tharaldson Ethanol Group to the Vogelbusch technology.

While the Casselton plant is the first for the Tharaldson Ethanol Group, at least one more is in the planning stages.

“When we do this one well, there will be one or two more plants to build the same way,” Pederson said.

Biofuels Projects
Wanzek’s has completed projects in the biomass and biofuels arenas. Its biomass work includes a project for Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co.

It handled site work, concrete, structural steel, millwright and piping for the company’s pilot gasification plant in Benson, Minn.     

Wanzek’s biofuels work has included:
n  Abengoa Bioenergy, Ravenna, Neb. – Concrete and millwright for an 88 MMGY plant
n  Archer Daniels Midland, Marshall, Minn. – Maintenance and capital improvements
n High Plains Bioenergy LLC, Guymon, Okla. – Balance of plant contractor for 30-MMGY biodiesel plant construction

The company’s biofuels work for Poet Energy includes:
n Expansion of existing ethanol facility in Chancellor, S.D.
n 60 MMGY ethanol facility in North Manchester, Ind.
n Millwright package in Portland, Ind.  
n Plant expansion in Big Stone City, S.D.  
n Capital improvement in Lake Crystal, Minn.
n Millwright project in Mitchell, S.D.
n Maintenance and shut-down projects in Chancellor
n Maintenance and shut-down projects in Jewel, Iowa
n Maintenance and shut-down projects in Gowrie, Iowa

Wanzek’s biofuels work for VeraSun Energy includes:
n Maintenance and capital project to add an eight evaporator to the facility in Aurora, S.D.
n Shut-down in Fort Dodge, Iowa
n Shut-down in Charles City, Iowa

Wind Projects
Wanzek recently acquired two heavy-duty cranes that allow the company to be a “balance-of-plant contractor on jobs anywhere in North America,” it notes.

“The two crawlers – a 550-ton Demag 2500-1 and a 650-ton Demag 2800-1NT – can handle today’s taller towers and heavier turbines,” the company says.

Rush Waite, vice president, said the rapid evolution of the wind development industry, along with severely limited availability of rental cranes, drove the purchase decision.

“It is next to impossible to rent cranes that can handle today’s taller towers and heavier turbines,” he said in a statement.

“Without these cranes, Wanzek couldn’t compete. With them, it’s hard for others to compete with us.”  

Wanzek says its evolution as a wind development constructor began in 2001 when it purchased a 300-ton crane and began taking on projects in the region surrounding Fargo.

In 2003, Wanzek secured its first project with FPL Energy in 2003, a 41-turbine job near Edgeley, N.D.

Since then, the company has been awarded four additional projects with FPL Energy.

“FPL Energy does repeat business with companies like Wanzek because they do good work and they seem to be pretty much on top of everything,” said Joe Marchese, FPL Energy’s director of wind construction.

“We feel we can trust them and that they’re going to do right by us.”

Wanzek says its wind energy division is focused on the future with contracts in place to complete more than 600 megawatts (MW) in 2007.

“We’re growing by leaps and bounds,” said Rob Lee, project manager. “At this pace, we’re going to double the number of turbines erected by our company each year.” The division has completed wind projects in seven states.

“Over the years we’ve progressed from one- and two-tower projects to become a big player,” Waite said.

“We’ve invested a lot of money, time and effort into pursuing wind, and it’s a very significant part of what we do now,” he added.

Safety Priorities
Wanzek says it makes safety its No. 1 priority with continued development of its safety and injury-management programs.

This includes activity planning, team member accountability and insisting employees wear protective equipment and comply with safety standards.

“Safety and quality are also essential to project success,” the company states. “Wanzek personnel are hardworking, knowledgeable and committed.     

“[Our] equipment resources are an important part of providing customers diverse construction services.

“[We are] continuously investing in people, equipment and technology in order to provide innovative and cost-effective construction services.”