Virtual reality one way Keen Project Solutions sets itself apart in construction
BY KATHY A. BOLTEN
KATHY A. BOLTEN is a senior staff writer at Business Record. She covers real estate & development, law & government and retail.
Before steel beams were erected or electrical wiring and pipes for plumbing were installed for a five-story, mixed-use development under construction in West Des Moines, the project’s development team members were able to experience the final product through virtual and augmented reality software.
The group from DRA Properties LC saw whether ceilings in the project’s underground parking were at a height that allowed a large pickup truck to be easily maneuvered through the garage. They noted the location of roof drains to determine whether water would flow onto condo owners’ patios. They made sure light fixtures were placed in areas that maximized illumination.
“We were actually able to take a little, bitty person on a computer and walk room by room and see where the sprinkler lines were, the water lines, the air ducts,” said entrepreneur Dennis Albaugh, owner of DRA Properties, which is developing the more than $25 million West Des Moines project. “We have not ever been able to do that before.”
The company that provided the detailed look at the project before the start of construction? Keen Project Solutions, an Ankeny-based company founded eight years ago.
The full-service engineering and construction company is one of just a few in Central Iowa that provide such a detailed review of a project before the first concrete footing is poured. The virtual reality walk-through of a project cuts down the number of revisions made during the construction, a cost-saving benefit.
The company has been using the software for about six years, but its founders have been finding ways to save customers money since the company began in 2014.
“Everything we do is targeted at saving our customers time and money and making the end cost of our product better than the next person’s,” said Dustin Waters, a senior vice president and partner at Keen.
A subcontractor for Keen Project Solutions works on the Jordan Creek Tower project, which is under construction at South 60th Street and Stagecoach Drive in West Des Moines.
Photos by Duane Tinkey
Keen Project Solutionsʼ quality assurance leader, Michael Leyva and second-year apprentice, Doug Praska, review drawings in Keen’s prefabrication facility.
Subcontractors for Keen Project Solutions determining the location of under-floor fixtures at the Jordan Creek Tower project.
A Company Built on Principles
Before founding Keen Product Solutions, Matt Frandsen, Cory Larson and Waters all worked at the Weitz Co. The three had different responsibilities in the construction company and often found themselves working together on various projects.
In 2012, Weitz was acquired by Orascom Construction Industries, one of the world’s largest fertilizer makers whose headquarters are in Cairo, Egypt.
“After a couple years of working under new ownership, we each had come to a decision to make a change,” said Frandsen, Keen’s president. “We had built a lot of trust and confidence in each other in the way we deliver our services, our professionalism. … So rather than go our separate ways, we said, ‘Why don’t we figure out how to come together?’”
The Des Moines-area construction market is competitive, “and we knew we’d have to earn our way into business,” Frandsen said.
The three spent several days developing Keen’s guiding principles before looking for projects or hiring employees. Those principles – protecting people, building relationships, focusing on end goals and driving innovation – remain the foundation of the company, the partners said.
Each of the partners brought a different strength to the business–construction, business development and operations, said Larson, a vice president. “Over the past eight years, we’ve each continued to grow in our individual specialties.”
In October 2014, the partners met with representatives of General Mills, a food company known for its cereals and other products. The company planned on building a large gluten-free processing plant in Minnesota. The meeting occurred in a meeting room at a hotel in Ames.
“By Christmas, we had 27 millwrights, a project manager and multiple superintendents,” Waters said. “We’ve just kept going and growing from there.”
The Jordan Creek Tower, a five-story, mixed-use building, will include retail, restaurant and office space, as well as owner-occupied condominiums. The project by DRA Properties LC is under construction on the northwest corner of South 60th Street and Stagecoach Drive in West Des Moines. The 3-acre parcel was one of a few remaining vacant lots between Interstate Highway 35 and Jordan Creek Parkway in West Des Moines.
Photo by Duane Tinkey Architectural rendering by Simonson & Associates
Keen’s Relationship
with Corteva
Keen’s largest client is Corteva Agriscience, the U.S.-based agricultural chemical and seed company that has operations in Johnston.
The partners had worked with Corteva in their previous jobs and had purposely avoided contacting the company about possible work. In 2015, however, Corteva reached out to Keen about work on a possible project, they said.
“To be clear, we did not call them; they called us,” Waters said.
Eric Sanders, a regional production leader at Corteva, said the company’s relationship with Keen has grown over the years. Currently the company does between $30 million and $60 million worth of work with Keen annually, Sanders said.
Most of the work Keen has done with Corteva involves improvements and expansions to existing facilities, Sanders said. Among the projects was a $20 million expansion to a soybean facility in Litchfield, Ill., that was completed in July 2020.
Keen’s ability to use virtual and augmented reality to show Corteva leaders detailed expansion plans during the design process has helped reduce the number of changes that occur during construction, Sanders said. Previously, other companies Corteva worked with used 3D computer modeling to show details of a construction project. That modeling, though, did not include all of the minute details incorporated into Keen’s virtual and augmented reality software programs.
The 3D modeling “was not the same as walking through and saying, ‘Hey, I can’t access that valve’ or ‘My maintenance guy isn’t going to be able to get up to that valve without a ladder,’” Sanders said. “How things look on paper isn’t always the way it operates when you actually get it built. That’s been a really nice tool for us and not something everybody else does.
“It’s unique to Keen.”
Keen is also Corteva’s procurement partner, Sanders said. In the past, Corteva staff would negotiate purchase order agreements for materials and equipment, a process that took up a lot of time, he said.
“Now we are able to leverage Keen’s buying power because they are not only buying for all of our projects but they’re buying for other projects as well,” Sanders said. “We’re able to reduce costs and the time required to do that on our side. It’s been a nice service that we’ve had in place for a couple years.”
While Corteva is Keen’s largest client, the Ankeny company has dozens of others as well.
Earlier this year, Keen completed construction of a $6.5 million, 31,000-square-foot office, warehouse and distribution facility for Pet Parents at 1810 S.W. Magazine Road in Ankeny. In late 2021, it completed a $25 million expansion project for Purefield Ingredients’ foodgrade protein production facility in Russell, Kan. Keen has also worked with Hy-Vee Inc.’s construction team by providing engineering support, project management and procurement services for a commissary project in Ankeny and a food processing facility in Chariton, where it also installed food processing equipment.
As Keen has added clients, its revenues have also grown. In 2018, Keen’s revenues totaled $50 million, according to a company overview. Over the next four years, revenues have doubled to $100 million. In 2023, the company’s revenues are projected to exceed $105 million.
Keen’s director of engineering, Mike Larson, demonstrates virtual reality applications used on client projects. Keen’s use of modern technology is a key differentiator for customers looking for innovative partners.
What’s in Store
For the Next Five Years?
Keen has experienced steady growth since its start in 2014.
“We’re eight years in but we still have the energy of a startup,” Frandsen said. “We’ve embraced the idea of building a modern engineering and construction firm.”
The company is strengthening relationships with current customers as it seeks new ones, he said. “We have to continue to provide great service so our customers have no reason to switch and go with another company.”
In the past 18 months, new leaders have been added, including directors of finance, engineering, operations, and business development. The staff additions are helping position Keen for future growth, Waters said.
The company is also stepping up its investment in employee training and professional development. Keen has diversified revenue streams, which means employees need diversified skills, company leaders said. Some employees have detailed knowledge and skills that focus on agricultural-related construction. Others have skills related to the development of food manufacturing or commercial facilities.
“We have these high-performing teams and it’s fun to see them create opportunities … and serve our customers,” Frandsen said.
A goal is for Keen to be known for its “integrated project approach,” Waters said. “We want to prefabricate as much as we can. Someday we envision building modular projects all around the country. We’re going to get that good that we’re going to engineer and fabricate them off-site and then stack them up on the job site.
“That’s where we want to go.”
To get to that point means employing people who are well-trained, implementing a detailed construction process and embracing cutting-edge technology, he said.
“That’s the only way you’re going to win in the future, right?” Waters said. “You have to do it differently than the next person.”
At a Glance
FOUNDED
2014
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
170
ESTIMATED REVENUE 2022
Nearly $100 million
OWNERS
Matt Frandsen
President
Cory Larson and Dustin Waters
Senior Vice Presidents
KEY LEADERS
Lawrence Cunningham
Director of Business Development
Lorie Kane
Director of Finance
Mike Larson
Director of Engineering
Jeff Scandrett
Director of Operations
COMPANY FOCUS
A modern engineering and construction company that offers a range of services including design and engineering, general contracting, construction management, and millwright services.
WHERE THE COMPANY DOES BUSINESS
25 states, three Canadian provinces, New Zealand, Australia and Latin America. About 75% of the company’s business is related to agriculture.
Why ‘Keen’?
Keen Project Solutions’ founding partners were originally unsure what to call their company. They Googled different suggestions and researched whether names were in use by other companies. They settled on Keen because of its definition: “highly developed.” “We have a keen sense of what we want to do, a higher sense of selfawareness,” said senior vice president Dustin Waters.
Lessons Learned During
Past 8 Years
The Business Record asked the executive team of Keen Project Solutions to name one thing they have learned since the company was launched eight years ago that they continue to carry with them. Here’s what they said:
MATT FRANDSEN
President
“Stay with our principles. Our principles got us everything – from who we work with to who we hire, how we problem-solve, how we engage in building relationships. … We’re growing a business. Our [employees] are relying upon us as leaders to make the right calls and move the business forward. We can’t do that unless we follow our principles.”
CORY LARSON
Senior Vice President
“That we can outwork everyone. Our team works harder than anyone out there.”
DUSTIN WATERS
Senior Vice President
“Take care of people – from our customers to our vendors and our team right here. If you focus on that, then good things will happen.”
Think Different Think Keen