The buildings, home to State Farm Insurance, required more than 8,600 Draper® XD Clutch FlexShade®s to be delivered and installed during the 19 month-long construction process.
“The sheer number of shades made this a big project,” Hawes said, “but there were other factors, as well. There were five buildings, 47 floors, multiple floors often requiring simultaneous installation, plus these shades are 10 feet high, so there’s the need for scaffolds and ladders.”
But those problems weren’t the worst of it. At a preconstruction meeting with the general contractor after being awarded the first part of the job, Building D, Hawes got the news.
“Custom brackets were required to avoid impacting the moveable storefront, which was designed to flex with building movement,” Hawes said. “Attachments had to be made to horizontal mullions only, and they could not attach to vertical mullions.” After discussions with Walters and Wolf, the company that designed the moveable storefront, Hawes’ next move was to contact Draper®. He quickly brought Solar Control Solutions’ technical manager, Clint Childress (LEED AP), up to speed. Clint spearheads Draper®’s custom solar control solutions efforts.
“It’s fairly straightforward in situations like this,” Childress said. “A problem is identified to us—in this case the shades, which are designed to mount side by side at a vertical mullion, cannot be attached to the vertical mullion. Our first step, as always, was to get a detail drawing of the mullion.”
Clint then worked with Draper®’s dedicated solar control solutions design engineer to come up with an alternative mounting solution—custom mounting brackets that allowed the shades to be attached to the horizontal mullion.
“After we developed the solution, we sent out a 3D drawing indicating what we thought would be the best way forward,” Childress said. “They came back with some suggestions, and we were able to quickly modify the design to incorporate their ideas.” The final step in the design process was producing 3D-printed sample brackets to test with a mock-up section of mullion. The custom design was approved, and Draper® manufactured the brackets.
“Working through this process with Clint and the engineering group at Draper® was fantastic,” Hawes said. “It was quick and effi cient and the 3D drawings they provided were impressive.“
The installation started in May of 2015, and was completed in December 2016.
Draper® offers a full array of customization possibilities, from modifying current products to designing and manufacturing one-of-a-kind, one-off solutions. “One big advantage to working with us when these things crop up is that we can see it through the long haul, over years of design, project development, and completion,” Childress said. “Sometimes the issue is with aesthetics, sometimes it’s the available space, sometimes it’s the site conditions, as in this case. Whatever the problem is, we can make a solution happen!”
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
