WAUKESHA, WIS. — CornerStone Plumbing hired Shawn Hirtz as project manager for the company’s special projects division. Hirtz joins CornerStone after operating Sam Vitchar Plumbing in Waukesha, Wis., which he acquired from his uncle in 2010.
As manager of the Special Projects Division for CornerStone, Hirtz oversees the commercial plumbing contractor’s more unique and technically challenging jobs. Those projects can range from simple relocation of fixtures to more complicated installations.
“Every job and every customer is different,” Hirtz said. “But while they’re different, the approach we take with each is the same: We talk with the customer and then carefully assess the project and all of its components to really understand what steps we need to take.”
He said that key to success in special projects is investing time up front to understand the needs of the customer.
“Our goal is always to provide the best-possible solution,” Hirtz said, noting that with challenging projects, 10 different plumbers may approach them 10 different ways. “At CornerStone, we are determined to provide the most cost-effective and functional solutions for our customers.”
The development of the SPD is part of a long-term plan initiated by CornerStone owner Steve Adkins, who said the addition of Hirtz completes a three-year search for “the right person” for this important position.
“CornerStone’s portfolio of services has included everything from concept to construction to completion,” Adkins said. “With Shawn Hirtz and the Special Projects Division, we now add ‘continuance of service’ to complete the package.”
Adkins sees the work done by the SPD as being key to the development of the overall business community in southeastern Wisconsin.
“We do our small part so that area businesses and manufacturers can do their larger part,” said Adkins, who founded CornerStone Plumbing in 2003.
Since then, CornerStone has been recognized as one of the area’s fastest-growing commercial plumbing contractors and now employs more than 40 people. The firm will soon be expanding its operations — now housed in three buildings comprising 7,200 sq. ft. in Waukesha — to a 25,000-sq.-ft. facility in Brookfield, Wis.