History of Wickman Construction
Founder Ken Wickman grew up in Marinette County, his father found work locally at the paper mill. As Ken became of age, he decided he would move to Chicago to study engineering. Soon after moving he found himself working a few odd jobs until he began working for a tool & die company. He started his career working at the renowned Ingersoll and Milling Company, where he quickly moved up the ranks as a manager. Working as a manager he traveled routinely around the country, retaining his own company twin prop plane and pilot. Ken remembers the pilot allowing him to fly the plane during especially long travels. Ken eventually became head of the division, and enjoyed life.
Ingersoll decided to sell the profitable division to Amstadt Industries, with this abrupt change Ken decided to make a new change. He had always been fond of the Northwoods, so at the age of 28, Ken decided he would retire and move north. Soon after moving north Ken became anxious for work, and so he started doing small projects for neighbors and visitors who needed work done around their home. Wickman Construction was born. For the next 40 years Wickman Construction has built hundreds of beautiful homes all over the north-woods. In 2020 Ken Wickman sold the business to the Buglass Family to ensure that the long lasting tradition of Wickman Construction is carried strongly into the future.
Meet The Team
John has spent his entire life around construction. His father, Bob, works as a division manager for a heavy highway road contractor. John spent his childhood riding around from job site to job site to check on construction progress with his father. As he entered his high school years, he spent summers testing concrete; performing quality control for a local Ready-Mix company called Schmitz Ready Mix. It was here where John first received real world exposure to the construction industry and never looked back. After high school he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he studied Civil Engineering and soon followed in his father’s footsteps entering the world of government contracting in the heavy highway industry. His family is central to his life, his wife and children are his biggest fans. John now enjoys managing, estimating and expediting construction contracts for Wickman Construction.
Wickman construction welcomed Chad to the team in April of 2020. Chad has always had a passion for helping others and pursued his degree at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. Chad works with clients to build upon the strong traditions of customer service excellence. He will manage your project from start and finish and have your project come to life while also building relationships that make it a great overall experience. His background in customer service for over the past decade give him the skills to deliver in the construction field and provide the Northwoods and surrounding communities someone they can depend on to get the job done. Chad is excited to have his wife, Ashley and three children supporting his career at Wickman Construction and look forward to “building tradition” in the Northwoods.