First market rate apartments in downtown Green Bay in 20 years.

Green Bay, WI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/16/2015 -- A grand ribbon cutting ceremony was held the other evening as the City Deck Landing luxury apartment complex officially marked its opening in downtown Green Bay. After two years of planning that began in 2012, the construction began in spring of 2014 with residents beginning to move in early this summer. The final units were officially completed this past week with 75 of the 76 units leased out. The project represents the first set of market rate apartments in twenty years in the Green Bay downtown district.

The complex uses several colors of brick with metal detailing for balconies and stone accents. There is plenty of green space with a large open outdoor terrace facing the Fox River. Inside, the building contains a fitness center, a large community room with kitchen and media rooms for entertaining, a library and game rooms, and underground parking. The units contain spacious and open floor plans, premium to mid-level finishes, premium flooring and carpet throughout.

Patrick Ostroth, project manager who has worked on several mid to high rise apartment projects in the Chicago area, noted the high occupancy and said: "It's remarkable to have this many units leased out at the beginning of the project." "Generally, it takes about two to three years for a complex to get off the ground." The leasing activity is due to a pent up demand and points to a trend where people want to live in downtown metro areas.

The high lease up level also speaks well of the effort Downtown Main Street, Inc. and the city of Green Bay has undertaken to revitalize its downtown district. Since 2005, over $150 million in construction projects have occurred in downtown. New business and bank headquarters, new recreational activities, new restaurants and breweries, and now new housing have all contributed to this revitalization.

About Smet Construction Services
Smet Construction Services has been active in the Green Bay downtown resurgence since the first project when the former Boston Store was converted to the Baylake City Center which currently houses Baylake Bank, APAC Customer Service, KoKo and Erbert & Gerbert's. Our work downtown has continued with several projects including Breakthrough Fuel, the Meyer Theatre, Titletown Brewery Expansion Kavarna, Karma and now City Deck Landing. If you have a downtown Project that needs some expertise, or just some advice, give us a call. We'd love to work on your downtown building.

The project is now open with one unit yet to be leased. More information can be seen at http://www.citydecklanding.com

For more information:
Greg Polacheck
Director Market Development
Smet Construction Services, Inc.
920-532-3828
gpolacheck@smet.com

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Sharpening the Saw!

Green Bay, WI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/03/2015 -- Each year, folks at Smet take a little time out to reflect on the past, discuss the future, and review best practices in the construction industry. Smet Construction Services is a member of the Jack Miller Network which is an industry-wide network that exchanges information on best practices in construction throughout the year. The group annually gets together to strengthen their relationships and to foster stronger communication about topics and issues that daily affect the construction industry.

Last year I named this event, "Sharpening the Saw", after one of my favorite habits in Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits for Highly Effective People". This happens to be the seventh habit where we take time to recharge our batteries and renew ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. Again this year, Smet joined 200 contractors in Orlando to sharpen the saw.

Paul Belschner, CPA, Smet's CFO and President, lead the focus group "Redevelopment Opportunities" at the Network meeting. Belschner has been conducting focus groups at the network meeting for the past seven years. Also in attendance were Smet's CEO, Scott Smet; Director of Project Management, Joash Smits; Executive Assistant, Karen Klevesahl; LEED AP and Interior Designer, Sarah Reese; and Project Manager, Patrick Ostroth.

During the past few years, Smet has used the design/build approach in strengthening our relationships with local municipalities. Increasingly, municipalities seek solutions for their redevelopment projects. Often, a property becomes a community eyesore and adaptive re-use is needed to re-position a property. Too often it becomes a municipal project because municipalities become "stuck" with abandoned or under-performing buildings. "That's when a collaborative approach is needed to reposition the property." Belschner said as he discussed several redevelopment projects that Smet has undertaken. "We believe each project adds value and solves a problem. Our redevelopment efforts have led to situations where we have been actively sought out to work with a municipality on their projects."

During the week, the topics and ideas flowed. There is a genuine willingness to share ideas and experiences on topics facing the construction industry. Over forty topics were on the agenda and the Smet group was re-energized, coming back with a renewed sense of energy, ready to continue the hard work in the year ahead. Plus, we've strengthened relationships in our industry which is always nice when facing difficult or unknown situations.

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