In 2020, Breitenbach established the new Wichita office. He has led JE Dunn from a small, unfamiliar name to the largest general contractor in Wichita in less than four years.

“In just a few short years, Alex has quickly proven himself to be a significant industry leader in the Wichita market,” says Jeff Blaesing, Vice President and Kansas City Office Leader. “In addition to delivering complex projects for our current clients, Alex and his team have built relationships and cemented JE Dunn as a go-to Wichita builder. I do not doubt the upward trajectory of our presence in the Wichita market under Alex’s leadership.”

In the Wichita market, the name Alex Breitenbach has almost become synonymous with JE Dunn. He is passionate about making every project he works on and every person he meets be the best they can be. In building the JE Dunn brand in Wichita, he has taken every opportunity to share his passion for success with others.

“Alex is thriving as our Wichita office leader,” says Curtis Golba, Group Manager. “He is well known in the area and a valuable resource for all things construction. He leads a very energetic, young office of future leaders and delivers exceptional client experiences on a multitude of projects in Wichita! Alex will continue to bring success to our growing office in Wichita.”

About the ENR Midwest Top Young Professional Program 

ENR is a highly regarded national media outlet providing engineering and construction news, analysis, commentary, and data in the construction industry. Their annual recognition program is geared towards young industry experts, all under 40 years old, who are achieving professional excellence.

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Cox succeeds Paul Neidlein, who served in the role for six years and has been named President of JE Dunn’s new Advanced Facilities Group, leading projects in the rapid growth of industrial and manufacturing; mission-critical; and advanced industries markets across the country.  

A graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Cox has more than 22 years of experience in the construction industry. His entire career has been with JE Dunn, starting as a Project Engineer. He has held numerous roles during his tenure, ranging from Project Manager to Vice President, and, most recently, the Director of Construction Operations for the Kansas City office. 

Cox has worked on a variety of project types and has excelled at managing large, complex projects in both preconstruction and construction. A few of his notable projects include the Loews Kansas City and Arlington Convention Center hotels, JE Dunn’s 1st semiconductor manufacturing work in Oregon, the T-Mobile Headquarters Campus, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Richard Bolling Federal Building, and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department headquarters. 

His leadership and community experience also extend outside of JE Dunn. Cox is a LEED Accredited Professional, he served as a board member and secretary of the Kansas City Architectural Foundation, and he is an alumnus of the Centurions Leadership Program of The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Cox also volunteers with organizations such as United Way, Harvesters, and the HIKE Reading Lab.  

“It is such an honor to oversee this region and the incredible teams who work here,” said Adam Cox, Midwest Region President. “Paul has done an excellent job leading the region over the past six years, so I have big shoes to fill, and I’m excited to take it on—particularly as we celebrate 100 years since JE Dunn’s founding. The region is in great shape with strong leaders across our offices and verticals. We have a bright future ahead of us.”

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The ballpark has the capacity for 10,000 fans, including 6,000 fixed seats within the bowl and 14 private suites. The 360-degree main concourse allows for full circulation around the stadium and includes restrooms and concessions, while team amenities include three locker rooms, sports medicine and a batting tunnel. The stadium also has a maintenance yard and a two-story office building in right field that houses the team store, a museum and team offices.

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Implementing a New Approach
To implement the forward-thinking method, the team employed a “just-in time” delivery for materials as well as with design, which was a new approach for the architects. By developing a design schedule that allowed the design team to focus their efforts on the areas that were to be constructed next, we were able to coordinate a process that closely aligned design with construction, resulting in more efficient use of everyone’s time. For example, design of the 3rd baseline was being completed with materials being procured while design was still being completed along the 1st baseline.

In addition to a unique approach for the design-build schedule, the team initially agreed on a more phased approach for the structural systems. Collaboration between the Design Build Team and steel trade partner allowed us to make critical design decisions based on aesthetics, availability of material and pricing within hours as opposed to weeks. This approach provided the engineers with information needed to design the foundations needed immediately to get the seating bowl constructed while steel was being fabricated. The key to the success of the project was making informed decisions quickly for the next phase of design to be completed just in time.

Ground Water Challenges
Because the ballpark was located along a river, the project required a specially designed system of underground wells to address the presence of ground water in the area. The system specifically keeps ground water from rising to a level that would enter the subgrade and jeopardize the integrity of the playing field. These dewatering wells complemented the underground field drainage system. While not related to any typical fan experience, the ground water wells are one of the most important aspects of the ballpark. Using historical geological documents, we engaged a hydrologist to analyze and design the wells to ensure groundwater fluctuations don’t compromise the playing field.  Similar to other aspects of design, the hydrologist worked closely with the project team to provide the most time sensitive and cost-effective design.

All About the Fans
Keeping the fan experience in mind, the team put themselves in spectators’ shoes when designing and constructing the seating bowl to allow unobstructed sight lines. To create a quality concrete seating structure, a modular form system on wheels was used. This system had the ability to set the riser dimensions for each tread individually. Once the riser depth was set, concrete could be placed. Once cured, the system could be released and rolled to the next seating section creating a consistent riser height at each tread throughout the seating bowl.

As important as it was to have unobstructed sight lines, spectator safety was also top of mind. The glass used in the amenity spaces had to withstand the damage caused by a foul ball while preventing injury to spectators in addition to remaining clear for visibility reasons. To overcome this challenge, our team utilized two layers of ¼” laminated glass on the outboard side, to prevent shards of glass from injuring spectators. During the construction process, the glass panels were installed at the club and despite the strength being correct, the laminated glass created vertical waves which caused visual distortion while looking out at the playing field. “After researching, we discovered the annealing (strengthening) process of glass could be accomplished in multiple ways.  In order to ensure the viewing quality met major league standards, the glass at the club was removed and replaced with 3/8” tempered glass that provided much clearer, unobstructed visibility to the playing surface while not compromising safety,” said Vice President Scott Sherry.

From permitting to approvals to extreme coordination, the success of the Wichita ballpark relied on buy-in from all parties, including the ownership group. “In addition to the challenges of the incredibly aggressive schedule, toward the end of the project we were confronted with the disruptive effects of the Coronavirus … yet the stadium was constructed on time and on budget,” said Jordan Kobritz, partner/senior advisor for Wichita Wind Surge. A big step in the revitalization of the neighborhood, the only thing left to do is play ball.

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