Krusinski Construction Company recently hosted the March meeting of Young Industrial Brokers at John Barleycorn, 3524 N. Clark in Chicago.

In attendance were more than 40 brokers and 14 Krusinski employees, including Jerry and Jeff Krusinski.

Michael Hawryluk of Cushman & Wakefield won first prize in the raffle and received a three-in-one tool and worklight. Ronan Remandaban, Lee & Associates and Adam Roth, NAI Hiffman, were the second and third place winners. They both received a Lettuce Entertain You gift certificate.

High-velocity distribution centers are rapidly becoming a larger segment of the warehouse/distribution center market. As more goods are shipped internationally, businesses with long supply chains look to HVDCs to control or reduce their handling costs. In the winter 2005 issue of the Professional Report, Joseph R. Krusinski explains their importance.

According to Krusinski, minimizing delays through efficient handling gets products to consumers faster and reduces investment in inventory. High-value products often devalue quickly in the marketplace, and neither suppliers nor retailers can afford to let them sit in warehouses or spend time in transit. In just a few weeks, a warehoused product of this type could conceivably lose half its retail value.

HVDCs are put in place to reduce that risk. They are typically located near major shipping ports or international airports and at key transportation hubs across the nation.

Modern HVDCs generally fall into two categories. The first is often quite large (500,000 square feet or more) and combines the characteristics of a high-capacity warehouse.

The second tends to be smaller and more focused on high-value products, such as computer equipment. The emphasis in these facilities is less on warehousing and more on rapid redirection of incoming product into outgoing trucks.

Although HVDCs often have a number of characteristics in common, there are many design variations. They should be tailored as closely as possible to the specific requirements of the user.

Krusinski Construction Company recently began work on an expansion for Insight, a leading supplier of IT products and services at 1600 Hunter Court in Hanover Park, Ill., a building owned by Morgan/Stanley.

Krusinski broke ground in March on the expansion, which will add 63,000 square feet, including 1,200 square feet of office space to the facility. The addition also includes 14 loading docks and parking for 37 cars.

Jerry R. Krusinski is the project executive. Steve Moeller is the project manager and Steve Bulger is the project superintendent. Julius Kwasek of Kwasek Architects is the architect. Brian Replinger of The Greeby Companies is the owner’s representative.

Completion is anticipated in July.

Citadel Group, an alliance of eight “best of class” regional construction-related companies in 15 cities that have joined together to serve the needs of national clients, has appointed Ed Faulkner as executive director.

According to Joseph R. Krusinski, president of Citadel Group, Faulkner will be responsible for implementing overall strategy and will assist Citadel in coordinating its sales and marketing efforts.

Before the May quarterly meeting in Atlanta, Faulkner will meet with each company at its office to learn about its clients, capabilities and the local market.

The American Heart Association estimates that 400,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest every year. Now there is something that you can do about it, according to Shawn Barry, Krusinski Construction Company’s newly promoted corporate safety officer.

Barry explains that automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which can be operated safely by anyone 11 years old or older, are becoming common on golf courses, airplanes and corporate offices.

Priced from $700 to $3,000, the new models weigh only four to five pounds and provide a voice-activated guide to walk a novice through the process with simple step-by-step instructions.

The device reads the heart rhythm of a patient suffering from cardiac arrest and assesses the amount of electric shock needed to restore the patient’s heart rhythm back to normal. It then applies the shock, analyzes the results and provides a second shock if needed.

AEDs are not recommended for use on children under the age of eight.

Krusinski Construction Company currently has an automated external defibrillator in its office and is evaluating the acquisition of one for every job site.

Krusinski Construction Company recently hired three new employees.

Karen M. Boza of Aurora joins Krusinski as office manager. She will be responsible for office and building management and will supervise the administrative staff. Boza will also chair the DIG committee, which selects the quarterly DIG (Diversify, Improve, Grow) award winner. She previously worked for TherMatrex,Inc. where she worked as office/customer service manager and was later promoted to marketing operations manager. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Northern Illinois University.

Eleni Iliopoulos, an Orland Park resident, will serve as administrative assistant, and is responsible for assisting pre-construction managers with bids and providing support for department team members. She previously worked for ThyssenKrupp Elevator as a modernization coordinator, and Gaines International as a research/administrative assistant. Iliopoulos received a bachelor of arts degree from Colombia College Chicago.

Katie L. Osgood, of Glendale Heights, joins Krusinski as a receptionist. She will be responsible for answering phones, greeting visitors and proofreading correspondence and reports. Osgood formerly worked at Phoenix Forbes, LLC, as a purchasing agent and at International Contractors as a receptionist.

Steven A. Moeller, project manager, is the 2nd quarter 2005 DIG (Diversify, Improve, Grow) winner.

Moeller, who joined Krusinski in June 2004, received the award for his work on a prototype payment center for Comcast Communications in Speedway, Ind. Moeller worked many weekends to complete the project on time. He has been nominated three times for this award.

The DIG program was instituted as a way to involve every employee in company strategies for growth and profitability. The award is given to employees who have either submitted recommendations for cost savings, sales leads or productivity initiatives or have worked to further those goals.

As a DIG recipient, Moeller received a cash bonus and a company lunch in his honor. In addition, his name will be added to a company plaque.