Partnering With Light & Power

The Grand Haven Board of Light & Power is a “community-owned, locally controlled, not-for-profit” municipal utility serving Grand Haven, Michigan. The utility provides electrical services to some 13,700 households in the greater Grand Haven area.

In 2017, the Grand Haven Board of Light & Power decided to renovate its corporate headquarters, located at 1700 Eaton Drive in Grand Haven. The building dated back to 1989 and had never been renovated or improved in any way. To modernize the space, the Board of Light & Power wanted to make way for a more open-concept office layout—one with greater possibilities for employee collaboration. The client also wanted a new customer entrance, a boardroom addition, energy-efficient lighting, and numerous other improvements.

As General Contractor for the $1.4 million renovation, Rockford Construction gutted the vast majority of the building’s interior. Rockford then called on Windemuller to assist with the design-build process. Grand Rapids firm Via Design provided the architectural plans.

The Challenge

Because the project involved essentially scrapping everything that was in the old Grand Haven Light & Power building and starting from scratch, Windemuller had a lot on its plate. We were in charge of lighting, communications, information technology, and security for the new building. Our list of responsibilities also grew as the project moved forward, requiring our teams to adjust on the fly.

The biggest challenge, though, was relocating the Grand Haven Board of Light & Power team for the duration of the half-year project. Despite the fact that we were gutting the entire building, we had to work around existing distribution systems and electrical systems to maintain connectivity and power to the site. In fact, the Board of Light & Power wanted to keep the majority of its staff on premises, which demanded some creative thinking.


The Solution

Luckily, Windemuller is well-equipped to provide a wide range of services. To meet the full requirements of the project, we simply called upon ourselves. For this job, we were able to involve our IT department, our security specialists, and our low-voltage cabling team. Together, this Windemuller brain trust handled everything from energy efficient lighting and state-of-the-art lighting controls to fiber optics and data cabling. We also revamped the building’s security system, with cameras and keyless access controls.

To keep its employees on site, the Board of Light & Power brought in several job trailers to serve as temporary workspaces. Windemuller was responsible for getting power to the trailers and relocating company servers, to maintain connectivity and keep the business up and running despite the renovation. Even with the logistical challenges, we managed a seamless transition that satisfied the client and cleared the building for a beautiful remodel.


Project Partners

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