Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Gerald "Gerry" Rauenhorst -- a development and construction tycoon who grew up without indoor plumbing, pioneered the "design-build" concept and founded what would eventually grow into the Minnetonka-based Opus Group, a commercial real estate powerhouse, died Thursday at the age of 86, according to his family.

School officials noted that Rauenhorst, a University of St. Thomas graduate, was one of the most influential and generous alumni in the St. Paul-based university's history -- often guiding development and helping to design or construct nearly two dozen campus buildings.

"For all his greatness -- and he was truly a great man -- he never came across as anything more than a common man and your next-door neighbor," the Rev.

Gerry Rauenhorst

Born in Olivia, Minn., in 1927, Rauenhorst started in sales amid the Great Depression as a 6-year-old purveyor of sweet corn, working a stand near his family's tenant farm.

"We were poor in material things -- we didn't even have an indoor biffy (toilet) until I was 15 -- but we were rich in the things that count," Rauenhorst, the seventh of eight children, wrote in his 2003 memoir, "A Better Way: Faith, Family, and the First Fifty Years of the Opus Group of Companies."

Rauenhorst graduated from St. Thomas in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He went on to receive a bachelor's in civil engineering from Marquette University in 1951. After that, he worked for two years as an engineer and job estimator. Then, at age 25, he founded Rauenhorst Construction out of his Richfield home with $354 in cash and a $2,500 loan from his brother, a farmer.

With no employees and the help of his late wife, Henrietta "Hanky" Schmoll Rauenhorst, whom he married in 1950, he worked from sunrise until late into the evening most days, family members said.

That same year, he landed a contract to build a new church for Zion Lutheran in Olivia.

Rauenhorst Construction -- renamed Opus in 1982 -- grew as its founder bought and developed swaths of suburban land using the new "design-build" concept, in which both architectural and construction services were provided by a single company, without contracting them out.

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Gerald Rauenhorst, Twin Cities developer and St. Thomas benefactor, dies at 86

BY MARAH ALTENBERG, TODD SHIELDS AND FRANK ABDERHOLDEN Sun-Times Media April 25, 2014 11:44PM

Long Grove-4/26/14, Sat./4773 Trenton Ct. Aftermath of Friday nights house explosion in Long Grove. Joe Shuman/For Sun-Times Media

storyidforme: 65496074 tmspicid: 23425574 fileheaderid: 11440844

Updated: April 26, 2014 6:41PM

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the explosion in Long Grove Friday night, which leveled an upscale home in the Royal Melbourne subdivision, may have been caused by a natural gas leak, although further investigation is on-going, Lake County Sheriffs officials said Saturday.

North Shore Gas was already in the area investigating a report of an odor of natural gas, Countryside Fire Protection District officials confirmed Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday morning North Shore Gas Company employees were on the scene as well as restoration crews and Lake County Sheriffs police blanketed the area. Homeowners were carrying luggage from their homes that had much structural damage. Some predicted they would be in hotels for at least the next few nights.

Clusters of homeowners were still out on the street retelling stories about the unbelieveable explosion that rocked their neighborhood. Landscape crews could be seen cleaning up the insulation that had scattered all over with leafblowers. You could still see the insulation in trees and covering rooftops of homes.

Huge plywood boards were stuck like javelins in the ground in Sheiners neighbors front yard.

When fire crews arrived at 10:51 they found the house at 4771 Trenton Court destroyed by an explosion and on fire, Countryside fire officials confirmed. Approximately 50 other houses within a quarter mile radius sustained moderate to severe damage. Some of the homes closest to the explosion are uninhabitable, fire officials said. Two people sustained minor injuries and were evaluated and released at the scene.

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Explosion levels house, several others damaged in suburban Long Grove

Clean Tech Restoration: Helping to Manage Your Emergency

Kent Cleaners Ltd 183 Lansdowne E, Peterborough, ON 705-745-7904

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Clean Tech Restoration: Helping to Manage Your Emergency

Kenneth Frieden lives a double life. By day, he works as an commodities broker in Houston, but when work is done, he heads south for peace and playtime on Galveston's Tiki Island.

It wasn't until after he bought a boat that Frieden took seriously the idea of making Tiki Island his primary home - but once he started looking he found a small, storm-beaten house on a big lot and decided to build his beach house two years ago.

"He wanted something that was guylike and fancy, without being uncomfortable," said Albert Wilson of Ken Kehoe & Company, one of the designers who helped create the interiors for the 3,200-square-foot house. "So this whole place is designed around being comfy and cool."

In addition to a textured seagrass rug, bamboo blinds and an end table filled with driftwood logs, the natural feel of the living room is dominated by a pair of custom white sofas with wide cushions for maximum relaxation, upholstered in a commercial-grade fabric that would survive use by Frieden's dog.

As is only proper for a bay-side abode, beach themes abound in a mix of kitsch and chic styles. Hurricane glasses filled with sand and shells dot the living room shelves across from a large piece of artwork by Houston photographer Julie Soefer depicting someone's catch of the day. In an adjacent entertainment room, pale blue textiles on the custom corner bench and throw pillows have a subtle wave pattern, complemented by faux shagreen nesting tables and a lamp made from stacked oyster shells. A cheeky jellyfish lamp hangs from a corner of the ceiling.

The powder room has the most dramatic look, covered in black wallpaper that features neon images of crocheted fish. A different wallpaper on the ceiling mimics a corrugated metal roof.

"He thought we were nuts, especially with the jellyfish and the corrugated metal wallpaper. When clients first meet you, you have to convince them that your crazy ideas are actually really awesome," said Wilson. "Once they actually see how it works, then they trust you."

Despite the beach theme, Frieden's taste runs to a more contemporary look, which also is well-represented throughout the space. The Kehoe team painted the wooden beam at the apex of the vaulted ceiling to look like a steel beam and added a sleek ceiling fan underneath it. Restoration Hardware's distressed leather version of an Arne Jacobsen egg chair makes an impression in the living room, as does an industrial-style lamp with a ring of Edison light bulbs.

In the corner, a pair of tall, wavy sculptures add some height and color to the living room. They have a contemporary look but a connection to the sea as well - they're made out of surfboard material.

"I like right angles and clean lines, so my style is a simple palette with some color added in. I wanted a modern, comfortable beach house and Ken and Albert took just that and ran with it," said Frieden.

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Tiki Island home is a party palace

Jill Kelly had to laugh at the irony. There was a time, as a young man, when her husband resisted the idea of coming to Buffalo. Now, 30 years later, Jim Kelly has become the epitome of what we like to call the Buffalo guy.

I know, Jill said in an interview this week. Isnt that interesting? Well, clearly God had other plans, because it goes way beyond the football field.

Kelly has called Buffalo home since his retirement from the Bills in 1996. But his wife says it has never been more evident than during his battle with sinus cancer.

Two weeks ago, Kelly had the first of his chemotherapy treatments at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. When he returned to Buffalo for Easter weekend, the original plan was for him to return to New York City. Instead, he decided to stay and resume his treatment here in Buffalo.

The initial treatment rocked Kelly, whose body has been ravaged over the years by a variety of injuries. Jill said theyre kind of slam dunking him with the most potent chemo. But when he and his family discussed the possibility of continuing treatment here, Kellys spirits brightened considerably.

I think the most clear and obvious change was when Jim was told he could go home, Jill said. I think that although the care in NYC was impeccable, we started looking into our options to make sure we could do the exact same thing back in Buffalo.

As soon as Jim knew there was a green light, and that everything would go smoothly and there wouldnt be any hiccups in his care, he just ... changed.

As a football player, leading the Bills to four straight Super Bowls, Kelly became a symbol of Buffalos resilient, fighting spirit. Now he is in the fight of his life, and he and his family realized that he wanted to go toe-to-toe with cancer in the place where he feels strongest, in Buffalo.

Hes been being ambushed in his mind, Jill said, and this was a turning point for him, absolutely. Hes a different person now, being home and surrounded by family that love him and are with him. His brothers each taking a turn. And they were doing this in New York as well.

But youre home, she said. You can look out the windows of your home and see your dog. You can see the wild

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Jill Kelly says there's no place like home

BATAVIA Voters in the Batavia School District may solve a longstanding problem for the School Board in the May 20 election: getting rid of a large piece of property that has been vacant for years.

A 13-acre landscaped stretch of land in the citys northeast residential area was once pegged as the site for an elementary school to serve a fast-growing part of the city. That plan was abandoned and years later it was decided to convert the acreage into an athletic field. That idea didnt sell to a dozen neighbors who front the property.

Now the board has a $150,000 offer from a Batavia resident who wants to develop housing on the site. The voters must approve a sale for land assessed at $100,000.

The money would go into the 2014-2015 budget, a $42.9 million spending plan that would raise the real property taxes about 2 percent. That is also subject to voter approval.

The ballot will list candidates for three School Board seats with the terms of Wayne Gunther, Amy Barone and Leslie Johnson ending.

Prospective candidates have until next week to get their names on the ballot. Board members serve three-year terms.

A vote that wont count but may help determine future action is an Alternative Veterans Tax exemption. A sliding scale for combat veterans and disabled veterans would still be subject to board approval prior to March 1 of any year. If the straw vote is approved, the exemption would be on any residence assessed at $80,000 or more and would increase the property levies of non-veterans by a small amount.

Residents also will vote on continuing a non-voting student to attend board meetings.

District voters who reside north of Main Street (Route 5) in the city, and towns of Batavia and Stafford that comprise the district, will be voting now in the former Robert Morris Elementary School instead of John Kennedy.

The two are at opposite ends of the city but Robert Morris offers more available space.

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Batavia school voters to consider land sale, budget, board elections

By Off Main Street | The Buffalo News

on April 25, 2014 - 10:25 PM

Buffalo fan on the ball

The guy who dropped Albert Pujols 500th home run this week at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.?

Hes from Buffalo.

And hes also an admirably good sport.

Chris Gordon, 45, won some instant celebrity when he ran toward the ball, which bounced off his stomach and into the hands of longtime Los Angeles Angels fan Tom Sherrill.

Video of the event shows Gordon diving to get the ball and then getting up to hug Sherrill after the catch. The two even exchanged phone numbers afterward.

Sherrill returned the ball to Pujols, which Gordon said shows that there are good people in the world, according to the Washington Post.

Acknowledging Sherrill is an Angels fan, Gordon said, The right person ended up with the ball.

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The offbeat side of the news

WASHINGTON - Still smarting from the sting of the latest Keystone XL delay, a Canadian cabinet minister was in the U.S. on Friday to push for progress on another major bilateral file: a new bridge crossing between Windsor and Detroit.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt used her visit to request funding for completion of a replacement for the aging bridge that handles nearly one-third of all Canada-U.S. trade.

She delivered the message in a Chicago speech, one week after the Obama administration announced an indefinite delay in a decision over an oil pipeline that has caused tensions between the two national governments.

Raitt noted that the Canadian government has put up nearly all the money for the New International Trade Crossing and is simply awaiting the U.S. government to fund a new customs plaza on the American side.

"The government of Canada is concerned about the vulnerability of that trade and the jobs it sustains in both our countries," said the prepared text of Raitt's speech, which she delivered to the NAFTAnext summit in Chicago.

"President Obama issued a presidential permit for the bridge in 2013, and all that is missing now is the commitment of the U.S. government to build a new customs plaza in Detroit. Canada continues to await a decision by the U.S. government to pay for this new facility. It requires a relatively modest investment some $250 million out of the $4 billion overall cost for the project.

"But this final hurdle is holding up a vitally important project."

The new public replacement for the privately owned, 85-year-old Ambassador Bridge has the stated support of both national governments. As a Canada-U.S. trade issue, it might only be rivalled by Keystone XL.

But don't expect things to move faster to soothe any hard feelings over the stalled pipeline project, said one Canada-U.S. watcher. David Biette of the Wilson Center counts a number of ways the two files are entirely separate.

For starters, Keystone XL was delayed by a Democratic administration amid election-year divisions among Democrats. The bridge is more likely to face funding obstacles in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives from conservatives opposed to new government spending.

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Raitt in U.S. to lobby for new bridge

Bordentown City

Police charged Donnell Jr., 24, of Willingboro, for unlawful possession of a handgun on April 17.

According to police, an officer saw a car matching a vehicle description in several anonymous tips of suspected drug trafficking. A random run of the cars registration revealed its registration was also expired, police said.

The gun, which was unlicensed and unregistered, was discovered during an ensuing motor vehicle stop, police said.

Police said the case pending.

According to police, police responded to reports of a man looking into cars on Railroad Avenue. Patrol later saw Mr. Vajdics looking into a car known not to belong to him.

Police said the accused later admitted to looking for loose change in the cars. While being searched, according to police, he was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia, resulting in an additional charged.

Police said the case is pending.

Police charged Samantha Blum, 23, of Jobstown, for driving while intoxicated on March 27.

According to police, officers were dispatched to the area of Prince Street for reports of a hit and run to several parked cars. The suspected vehicle, driven by Ms. Blum, was located shortly thereafter on W. Burlington Street.

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POLICE BLOTTER: April 24

Roofing Software 2014
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Roofing Software 2014 - Video