Whatever it Takes

Cordeck
Written by Jen Hocken

Cordeck is a full service manufacturer of metal deck, a formed corrugated steel sheet supported by steel joists or beams to provide structurally efficient floor and roof systems. It includes the roof deck, the floor deck, form deck and cellular deck.
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The cellular deck is a specialty product that has a bottom plate attached to the top portion of the deck to carry an in-floor wire management system. The cellular platform allows the floor or ceiling to be incorporated with cabling – either data, electrical or video – extending to many work stations within a building. Using the cellular deck to create a safe raceway for all wiring reduces materials and costs. Casinos, owner-occupied office buildings, recreation centers, libraries and colleges are all regular customers for metal deck manufactured by Cordeck.

Kenneth A. Moore established the company. He was an ironworker who felt there was a need for better customer service and for products to be more readily available in the construction industry. His goal was for customers to be able to receive metal deck products the day after they were ordered, instead of the usual four to eight weeks of waiting time. The mission of Cordeck has become: ‘whatever it takes,’ and the company lives by this to deliver metal deck to customers at the right time.

Cordeck has its headquarters in the Metro Chicagoland area (Kenosha, Wisconsin), as well as locations in Metro New York (Middlesex, New Jersey); Houston, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; Cincinnati, Ohio; and a sales office in Austin, Texas.

The family-owned company was established in 1995, in Kenosha, WI, supports a close-knit atmosphere in the workplace, and the employees are encouraged to have a positive attitude, treat others with the same respect with which they would like to be treated, challenge each other, work as a team and to create an environment that is receptive to ideas and opinions. All of this makes Cordeck a better place to work and results in better customer service, according to Kristine Stolfi, the marketing manager at Cordeck. As company president Kenneth Moore is fond of saying, “There is opportunity for everyone; all they have to do is reach for it.” A good number of the employees, about sixty percent, have been with the company for over fifteen years.

The biggest struggle for Cordeck is competing with price as it grows. Its competitors’ products are sometimes priced lower, and some people do not understand the value in what Cordeck offers. If a job has to be postponed or delayed because the metal deck has not arrived, the lower-priced product from the competing company is not worth the time wasted. Time is money in the construction industry.

“We make sure that we get to the customer what they want, when they want it. With the way we quote our customers, there have been times that our deck has been quoted, accepted, shipped and received before they even get quotes from some of our competitors,” David Angelici, the sales manager at Cordeck explains. Cordeck customers receive world-class expertise during every stage of the design and build process.

The responsiveness of the company is what drastically sets it apart from its competition. The goal is to send out quotes within an hour of a client’s inquiry, and customers often receive quotes for projects within thirty minutes of initial contact. The company builds good relationships with both its customers and its suppliers. Remaining in contact with steel suppliers and securing stable relationships with them is an important aspect of the company to have the proper inventory available and to produce specific materials for customers in a timely manner.

Cordeck takes extra care when dealing with its products. The employees who produce the deck carefully wrap the metal deck products well to make sure that no Cordeck product gets damaged or harmed between production and delivery of the material to the client. All of the company’s employees, from the president to the people who load the trucks, maintain the quality of products delivered.

The headquarters building for Acuity Insurance in Sheboygan, Wisconsin is a recent project that represents Cordeck well. Not long ago, Acuity Insurance was voted the second best place to work in America, just behind Google.

The Main Line Health Center in Concordville, Pennsylvania and the Solaire Resort and Casino in Manila, Philippines were also impressive projects for the company. These three ventures – an office building, a recreation center and a large casino – show the variety of projects that Cordeck works on. Cordeck has also supplied metal deck to Miller Park, Lambeau Field, U.S. Cellular and even Wrigley Field.

Cordeck is committed to the safety of its employees. There are quarterly safety meetings at which employees are awarded when there is no lost time due to injury. The president of the company takes it very seriously and, according to David, “he always says that he wants the employees to leave the same way they showed up to work, so they get rewarded for it.”

The company and the president are involved in a variety of community charities and causes since Cordeck believes that it can make a difference within each the communities where it operates and that its employees are the greatest source of positive change. “We are so dedicated to these beliefs that we created ‘Cordeck for a Cause,’ a charitable giving committee comprised of Cordeck employees,” Kristine explains.

Cordeck for a Cause reviews and approves donations to charitable organizations in the communities of each Cordeck location. Cordeck for a Cause endeavors to financially support as many local organizations as possible, and it organizes Cordeck employees to assist in community activities when organizations require physical participation to reach certain goals.

Employees of Cordeck helped to build the Kenosha Dream Playground in Kenosha, Wisconsin with thousands of volunteers in just ten days. Employees also participate in local walks/runs and various golf outings. The company helps to meet the many needs of its community by organizing drives for food, personal care items, and school supplies. It also organizes a blood donation drive, and during the holiday season, it provides substantial meals and cheerful gifts to local families in need.

The charitability of Cordeck does not end there, according to Kristine Stolfi. “At the heart of Cordeck, we are especially vigilant in the fight to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. In this effort, we have partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) as our flagship charity. We hold an annual Double Down for Diabetes Texas Hold’em Tournament and Casino Night event.” All the proceeds from this event are donated to JDRF, and the company participates in the JDRF One Walk as well as the annual bicycle ride events.

Cordeck for a Cause also contributes to the Youth for Christ (YFC) charity of Southeastern Wisconsin throughout the year. It is a non-denominational Christian group that helps young individuals build a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. “Cordeck continually looks for ways to support the communities we serve, and as we value what is important to our employees, we welcome suggestions of charities that are meaningful to them,” Kristine explains.

The future for the company is bright, Cordeck is continuing to grow, and it is working on innovating and enhancing its In Floor Cellular Raceway System.

Compared to other wire management systems, the company provides a low life cycle cost that saves the client thousands of dollars over time. It may seem insignificant on smaller projects, but for larger projects the cost-per-square-foot savings is extremely valuable for a business. The difference is that Cordeck is able to install cables within the cells of the metal deck, eliminating the added costs of plenum-rated cables that are typically used by traditional wire management systems.

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