After 33 years in the construction industry, we’ve designed, created, and reimagined countless spaces for businesses to grow and adapt, organizations to thrive, and individuals to call home. Recently, we wrapped up a major historic preservation and adaptive reuse project in Stoughton, as well as the final phase of a 3-phase development for new assisted living and memory care facilities in Oregon. We currently have projects ranging from extensive remodels for several Madison-based employers, including Shopbop’s corporate headquarters, to a new 20-unit multifamily development in Milton, with many more projects in the pipeline.
One of the units at The Shop Lofts apartments, featuring original hardwood flooring
Brand new kitchen at BeeHive Memory Care
We’ve been busy! And since we just celebrated our birthday in October, it’s the perfect time to share a few updates on where we are as a company.
Passing the Torch
After starting TJK Design-Build at his kitchen table in 1992, our Founder and President, Tim Kritter, will slowly begin to step away from the helm as he and Executive Vice President, Jon Hepner, work through a transition. For Tim, TJK has always been a relationship business, and the connections and friendships he built over the last three decades helped us grow and drive repeat business throughout Dane County and beyond. He and Jon first met by chance at a fitness station along Lake Mendota in early 2020, and that connection grew into a business partnership with Jon joining our team in 2022. As Tim steps back, he continues to support our growth, including bringing in business and acting as a resource on certain jobs.
For those of you who have followed our journey and have had the pleasure of meeting Tim, not to worry! He will still be at the office, maintaining a level of involvement with the company.
TJK’s Founder and President, Tim Kritter
To accommodate this transition, we did some interior remodeling of our own at our headquarters at 612 West Main Street, just southwest of the Capitol Square and about a one-minute walk from the Echo Tap & Grill. Part of our remodel included converting our conference room into a new private office for our PM, creating a slightly scaled-down office for Tim, and moving Jon into his former office.
Growing our Team and Sharing Their Stories
The Madison construction market remains strong, and over the past year, we’ve added to both our design and field teams to keep up with the demand. We welcomed Project Manager Chris Allen and carpenters Scott Gapinkski, Ken Harris, Mike Homme, and Ryan Altenberger to our team and look forward to watching them grow with us. Each of our new carpenters brings their own specific skill set and preferences, and we expect all of them to advance to superintendents running their own jobs.
You can learn more about all our team members, including the guys you may see on the jobsite, on our Office and Field Staff pages, which we update regularly. The reason we do this is simple–when we hire someone, we hope to be a place where they can build a career. Two employees who started with TJK in the early days recently retired after 30 or so years of employment, and our newest hire, after just a few days on the job, shared that he intends to retire from our company.
We’re always proud to share that the average employee tenure is 17 years, and we attribute that to how we take care of, trust, invest in, and promote our staff.
Expanding our Online Presence
You may have noticed that we’ve been more active online lately. Part of our intention with our LinkedIn posts and blogs like this one is to be a thought leader in the Madison construction space and to inspire curiosity and conversation. It’s always fun to post construction progress photos, but we also like digging a little deeper into the nuances of projects and sharing more about our creative process. Whether you’re a business owner exploring a future project, a broker advising clients, or simply someone curious about the construction process, we write for readers who may not have a background in construction but are interested in our company’s experience and capabilities and what it takes to build from the ground up or remodel an existing space.
Planning Ahead
As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, we plan to stay busy with projects, including an adaptive reuse of a former senior center, a major office remodel that will capture Verona-based Epic-style theming throughout, and the remodel of a building on World Dairy Drive that also happens to be a property we built in 2004 for a dental practice. If all goes to plan, we’ll also complete a remodel of more than 90,000 s.f. of Shopbop’s office space by the end of next year.
Transforming a senior center into a space that provides housing and support for new mothers on the East side of Madison
Framing as part of Shopbop’s corporate office remodel, Phase II
We’ll keep you posted on construction progress, behind-the-scenes insights, and stories from the people who bring our customers’ visions to life. Bring it on, 2026—we’re ready!