Company completes big projects

Janotta & Herner has made a reputation for itself over the past 60 years. Over those six decades, the Monroeville-based contractor has grown and worked on projects throughout Huron County and the surrounding areas. Company leadership discussed the work it does, what it takes to complete a project and why its work stands apart from other companies. Business history Janotta & Herner was founded in 1962 by Bob Janotta and Jim Herner. Janotta took the design lead within the company. He was a graduate of Norwalk High School and then went on to serve in the army during WWII. Janotta then went on to take over his family's business, Janotta and Son, before partnering with Herner and creating Janotta and Herner. Herner graduated from Monroeville High School. He came from a farming background before attending the Ohio State Architectural College and serving in the Army. Herner retired as the president of Janotta and Herner in 1995. Throughout its years of operation, the company has grown to employ more than 170 workers. When Janotta & Herner first created its company, the two worked on remodeling and construction projects in the Norwalk, Bellevue and Monroeville areas before expanding. The company expanded to Firelands Fabrication, a steel fabrication plant in New London in 2011. With the help of this plant, Janotta & Herner was able to support its construction projects with that steel. The organization saw an increase in projects in northeast Ohio, so it decided to expand once again in 2016. The organization turned to Medina, where it purchased 620 Construction. 620 Construction had the same business layout as Janotta & Herner, a design and build firm dedicated to clients. The addition of this partner came with a re-brand. The organization wanted to ensure all companies within it were able to stand on their own, but also have a similar style to show relation in terms of logo design. The organization decided to use the orange banner as a representation of the original logo created by Jim Herner, and the leaning letters correspond to the organization's drive to progress. To conclude the rebrand, the three companies gained a new corporate identity, JHI Group Inc. "As an organization, we will continue to seek controlled, strategic, growth as a company," Zach Jones, the company's CEO, said. In 2000, the company decided to put its trust in its employees by becoming fully employee-owned. This decision came from the founders' principle of treating employees as family and trusting them to give an honest day's work. This principle comes from one of the founders of the company, Janotta. "As a 100% employee-owned company, it is our goal to work every day to improve the lives of our employees and their families," Jones said. In 2020, the three companies gained a new chief executive officer. Janotta Herner, 620 Construction and Firelands Fabrication welcomed Paul Roeder as their CEO. Roeder had previous experience as a CFO and CEO within the construction industry before taking on this role. In the same year, Tyler Wasserman replaced Ted Kastor in the role of director of business development after Kastor retired. In 2021, the company lost one of its founding members, Herner. In January of that year, he was involved in a fatal car accident at 88 years old. In 2023, the company hired its new CEO, Zach Jones, after Roeder retired. Jones has only been in his current position since May 2023, but he has been with the company for 20 years. In 2000, Jones worked as a co-op intern. After two years, he became a project manager. In 2018 he became president of the company and then added CEO to his list of positions. Other current leaders of the company include Jason Ott as COO and Ben Moncher as CFO. Company projects Janotta & Herner have contributed to multiple notable projects over the past few years. The company was responsible for assignments within Fisher Titus Medical Center around Huron County, Borgers's manufacturing facility in Norwalk which was a total of 300,000 square feet and Pepperidge Farm's expansion to its manufacturing and warehouse facility in Willard. In addition to these past projects, the company has a few current projects. "Ganley Hyundai and Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep New Dealerships in Norwalk, and FTMC Medical Office Building in Willard are a couple local Huron County projects," Jones said. "In addition to that we have thirty (30) other projects currently under construction across the State of Ohio." Janotta & Herner also had a hand in Sandusky State Theatre's current renovations. The company acted as a subcontractor by providing fabrication and erection of structural steel. The process "There are many moving parts and steps along the way to take a client's ideas and turn them into a reality," Jones said. "The process starts with our talented design and engineering team and then our crew of highly skilled craftsman execute the work in the field." According to the company's website, there are five stages of the construction process. The first stage is pre-construction. This is when the client and Janotta & Herner collaborate on budget, schedule and what kind of project will fit the client's needs. During this stage, the client and company decide on a site location. The client makes this decision, but the company could add its input with its list of known available properties. The next step is to review the zone. This means the construction site is viewed for compliance with zoning regulations. If the site does not meet regulations, the company could help its client get a variance from the government. A variance is a permit to work around the regulations that are not met. The last step of this stage is to do one more review of the property. During this review, the company and the client look at qualities such as soil conditions, flooding potential and future building expansions. The next stage is designing. The first step of this stage is programming. This is when Janotta & Herner architects and its client decide on requirements and preferences related to space and programs. For example: How big each room will be, what the rooms will be used for and where each room will go. The next step is creating the floor and site plans, creating a conceptual rendering and the performance of a preliminary code review. Due to the company acting as a design/build contractor, they have the advantage of starting on a budget estimate during this step. For other companies, the budget estimates would not come up until the construction documents were finalized. This allows changes to be made if necessary for the budget. The project then moves into the design development step. In this step, the project details and budget are defined further. Once everything inside and out of the building is finalized, the project moves into its next step. The construction documents are the final step of the design phase. This is when the "how" of the project is laid out. Details of the project's structure and foundation are finalized. The next stage is estimating and scheduling. At this stage, the project manager and the client talk about construction and the schedule details to finalize a cost estimation. They discuss topics such as weather, if construction can take place during the day and when the client wants to occupy their new building. The next stage is when the construction takes place. The first step of this stage is to prep the site. This step goes back to the information collected during the site review. If the land is not suitable for the foundations, roads or parking, the company will shape and stabilize it. The company's engineering and construction teams work together to follow requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The next two steps are to lay down the foundation and structure of the build. Building systems such as sprinklers, electric and plumbing are also installed. The last step of the construction phase is to finish the interior. This includes carpet, light fixtures and door knobs which are all approved by the client with a final walkthrough. The last stage is post-construction. The build is periodically inspected throughout the process, but there is a final inspection which takes place to ensure the everything is up to code and safe. If the building passes the inspection, it receives a Certificate of Occupancy. The final step of the process is to hand over the building to the client. The company shows its clients around the building and provides a facility manual. This manual contains everything the client needs to maintain its building including plans and maintenance schedules. Why choose Janotta & Herner There are two options for a client that wants to build, the company said. The first option is to reach out to an architect to design a plan. The client would then go around to multiple construction companies to compare costs. This would mean two contracts would be created. One for the client and design company, and one for the client and construction company. The other option for the client would be to turn to a design/build company. This type of company combines the two processes so the client is only working with one team for both design and construction. There are three main advantages to choosing a design/build company. The first advantage is speeding up the project schedule. Design/ build companies have allow the opportunity to order materials while still in the design phase rather than waiting for construction to start. Cost is another advantage to choosing a design/build company, the company said. This construction is usually less expensive than the traditional option. The cost with design/build is set early in the process, which saves time in the long run. Saving time means saving money. Companies that have the design/build structure use value-engineering analysis to determine building solutions. This means contracts are set with a guaranteed maximum timespan, material agreement and cost which allows for transparency. The last big advantage of a design/build company is single-source responsibility. With only one company involved in the project, there is accountability and reduced conflict. In addition to the advantages of working with Janotta & Herner as a design/build company, Jones said his company takes pride in working for Huron County. "We are all proud to work and support Huron County and the surrounding communities," Jones said. "Most all of our employees and their families live in this immediate area."