Blog Posts

Recent News

Building Culture Book Club Fosters Courageous Conversations on DEI

3/20/2024
blue book sitting on a table on right and logo in bottom, left corner with words "Building Culture Book Club"

With our commitment to reinforcing a culture of welcoming and belonging that values diversity, equity and inclusion, we launched the Building Culture Book Club last year. Participating associates learned about and discussed DEI concepts while building connections with associates from around the organization. Read More

Open Doors Internship Launches Second Year Intern Search

3/7/2024
young man and woman wearing safety vests and hardhats

We’re opening the doors to our industry! The Open Doors Internship invites students to explore their interests in greater depth and gain insight into the development, architecture and construction efforts required to create impactful structures and spaces across the country. Read More

Construction Education Foundation Expands Program with Opus Foundation Grant

2/28/2024
a group of male teenagers wearing safety vests and hardhats inside a warehouse learning how to build wooden frames for walls

Denver-based Construction Education Foundation (CEF) is expanding its Careers in Construction program with the help of a $60,000 grant from the Opus Foundation. CEF’s mission of recruiting, developing and serving young students in the construction industry has a strong fit with youth development, one of the Foundation’s focus areas. Read More

Constructing Change: AltCap Expands M/WBE Contractor Support with Opus Foundation Investment & Grant

2/14/2024
man standing beside semi-truck

With a two-year $200,000 grant and a five-year $500,000 program-related investment (PRI) from the Opus Foundation, minority-owned and women-owned construction businesses in Kansas City will be getting a substantial boost. The money will fund a multi-faceted workforce and community development initiative enabling AltCap, a Community Development Financial Institution, to expand its micro-lending and technical assistance to minority and women business enterprises (M/WBE). Read More

Opus Foundation® Awards $1.5 Million in Impact Fund Grants

8/7/2023
Group of men and women posing for picture inside a conference room

Committed to building community for a better tomorrow, in June 2023 the Opus Foundation awarded grants to 15 impactful nonprofit organizations in our communities, supporting the Community Revitalization, Early Childhood Education, Workforce Development and Youth Development focus areas. Read More

Pat Rumpza: Truly Leading by Example

6/19/2023
man in professional attire

A man of few words, Senior Project Manager Pat Rumpza manages the project management team’s action list, ensuring there’s someone assigned to everything that needs to be done and that it’s done successfully. Read More

Joe Swensson: On the Development Fast Track

5/22/2023
man in professional attire

After joining Team Opus in 2016, Joe Swensson, Director of Real Estate Development, has left his mark on Denver. He has developed $690 million in projects, including over 1,000 apartment units and nearly one million square feet of industrial space. Read More

GREENteam Advances Sustainability In & Out of Opus

4/24/2023
view over a man's shoulder of another man wearing glasses and professional attire with shelving in the background

Respecting the environment is one of the three focus areas in our corporate responsibility commitment. We strive to be a good steward of the environment, protecting natural resources and reducing negative impact. Our GREENteam is a resource for and advocate of all things sustainability at Opus. Read More

Building on 70 Years

4/18/2023
on the left The Opus Group shield logo with the outline of buildings on top and the words "70 years" on the right

April 22 marks our Founder’s Day – the date Gerry Rauenhorst signed his first contract for a construction business that would evolve into The Opus Group of today. This year it is an important milestone – 70 years! Read More

Opus Women’s Network Making an Impact, Advocating for Women

3/30/2023
two women in professional attire writing on a whiteboard in a conference room

Now seven years old, OWN's mission is to empower and foster the development of women at Opus through connections, learning and advocacy. OWN was created as a grass roots effort to help women feel more supported and connected at work – the same reason the group exists today. Read More

Christine Butterfield: Seasoned Property & Facilities Management Pro

3/20/2023
woman in professional attire

“Opus truly cares about our associates’ safety and wellbeing. Employees who feel they are treated with respect turn around and treat your clients and partners with that same level of respect – and that’s important.” – Christine Butterfield, Director of Office and Facilities Management With more than two decades of experience managing Opus-owned facilities and properties, Christine has seen this play out in every department and at every level within the company. Read More

Continuing Our Commitment to DEI: A Recap of 2022 Work

3/16/2023
hands stacking wood blocks

It's our aim to continue enhancing our culture by creating a safe, diverse and inclusive space for associates, clients and community partners as we honor the diversity of voices and experiences within our team. We have developed a multi-year DEI plan with six focus areas. In 2022, we made progress on work in each area. Read More

Changing Dynamics of Senior Living Communities

10/26/2022
Dusk rendering of the front entry of Cadence Broomfield Senior Living by The Opus Group

Today’s senior living communities are dramatically different than the institutions many of our parents and grandparents have known. Director of Design Architecture, Jay Fourniea, shares how design trends are being incorporated into the construction of Cadence Broomfield. Read More

Golden Triangle Corporate Center Wins NAIOP Award

9/26/2022
The Opus Group’s Eden Prairie Golden Triangle Corporate Center speculative industrial development

The 130,000-square-foot speculative industrial building is a unique offering, as 100,000+ square feet of continuous space is uncommon in Eden Prairie where functional industrial space has been in short supply for more than 20 years. Read More

Opus Foundation® Awards $910k in Grants

9/6/2022
young girl reading book

Committed to building community for a better tomorrow, in June 2022 the Opus Foundation awarded nearly $910,000 to 13 impactful nonprofit organizations, supporting community revitalization, early childhood education, youth development and workforce development. Read More

Delivering Long-Term Value with our Design-Build Approach

6/29/2022
Andersen Windows Manufacturing Goodyear

While every project comes with different specs and goals, our team approaches each with the intent to deliver on our clients’ objectives with maximum value – delivering on-time and on-budget with a client experience and building even better than they imagined. Read More

Beth Duyvejonck Named Distinguished Alumni

4/18/2022
headshot of Beth Duyvejonck, Regional Vice President of Construction

The Iowa State University Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumni recognized Beth’s “influence and leadership in construction engineering and construction education and strong advocacy for women.” Read More

Celebrating Women at Opus

3/8/2022
Kristin Weise

Today marks International Women’s Day and yesterday marked the start of Women in Construction Week. With women working across many areas of our organization – real estate development, construction project management, architecture, engineering and business partner services, we’re excited for the opportunity to recognize them. Read More

Our 2021 Top News Coverage

12/30/2021
ceiling light of Jules on 3rd, multifamily development

As the year wraps up and we’re busy with year-end work, we’re shining a light on our top news coverage of the year. Take a look back with us. Read More

Our Most Viewed Blog Posts of 2021

12/15/2021
aerial of Edison District, a mixed-use development, in Overland Park, Kansas

With 2021 nearing its curtain call, we’re following our tradition of highlighting the most viewed blog posts from this year. While it might go without saying, we’ll say it anyways: it’s been a hectic, busy year; we appreciate the time you’ve spent reading our blog posts. Read More

COVID-19 Statement

7/8/2021

The safety and health of our associates, clients and partners has always been and remains a top priority for us, and especially as we navigate these uncertain times with COVID-19. Read More

Ed Gschneidner Shares Insights from 35-Year Architecture Career

6/2/2021
headshot of Ed Gschneidner, president of Opus AE Group, L.L.C.

After 27 years at Opus and over 35 years as an architect, Ed Gschneidner is retiring! Ed joined Team Opus as a Project Architect. After 17 years with us, he moved into the role of President. In his time, he’s truly left his mark on Opus and the buildings we’ve built. Before heading out, Ed shared insights from his career. Read More

Helping Bring Economic Vitality & Independence to a Historic Kansas City Neighborhood

5/4/2021
Pathway Financial Education sign on glass

Achieving sustainable social change is critical to eliminating poverty, homelessness and underemployment. We're taking deliberate steps to encourage diversity, equity and inclusion in our organization, communities and our industry to affect this change. Recently, we collaborated with other organizations that share our desire to affect change, resulting in the new facility for Pathway Financial Education. Read More

Building on Our Values to Advance DEI

4/29/2021

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) serve to amplify everything we do; a culture and environment that actively values DEI makes us stronger, more creative, more competitive, sustainable, and just plain better. This is the foundational premise of the Opus DEI Action Team. Launched in 2020, the DEI Action Team is consistent with our values, desired culture and vision for our communities. Our Action Team is taking intentional action to cultivate DEI in and outside of our walls. Read More

Dean Newins: Championing Sustainability & Leading Design

4/19/2021
headshot of Dean Newins, Senior Vice President of Architecture

Our integrated, one-team approach brings great value to clients. It also enables us to put up truly exceptional buildings. We’ve always wanted to do more than that though. We want to make life better for the people that live, work and play in those buildings. Read More

North Star Sheets Sees the Value of Fully-Integrated Design-Build

4/14/2021
Southeast Industrial Park developed by Opus and Hillcrest

To us value means delivering superior craftsmanship along with your requirements for function, aesthetics, cost and time. Our design, engineering and construction expertise delivers ultimate value. Inspired by your goals, and understanding your timeline and budget, we’re ready to apply our diverse experience and deliver your vision. We have proven that we can meet the aggressive schedules that can be crucial to clients. Read More

Committed: Our 2020 Philanthropy Annual Report

3/16/2021
group of kids outdoors from Environmental Learning for Kids

The events of 2020 have strengthened our resolve to make our communities better places for all people to live, work, play and raise families. Through 2020 we remained steadfast in our commitment to stewardship but flexible in how we gave back. Read More

Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities Expanding Resources

2/10/2021
woman and girl Big Brother Big Sisters Twin Cities

The Opus Foundation recently awarded a $50,000 Impact Fund grant to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Twin Cities, a nonprofit that helps children achieve their full potential through relationships with adult mentors. The money will help the organization expand an online training platform and create a new skills assessment tool for staff and volunteers. Read More

Opus Foundation® Addresses Racial Equity

1/28/2021
three men pose in front of Better Futures Minnesota’s new work pickup

The Opus Foundation is taking intentional steps to enact sustainable social change and address complex issues for a more equitable future. Recently, they awarded grants to Better Futures Minnesota and Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity’s Digital Learning Fund. Read More

Su O’Sullivan: Driving an Accurate & Collaborative Team

1/19/2021
Su O’Sullivan, CPA, Vice President of Accounting, for The Opus Group

“I have a deep respect for Opus and the people who work here,” said Su O’Sullivan, CPA, Vice President of Accounting. “Our culture is genuine. It’s based on our values and a collaborative spirit. We work together with passion, drive and creativity and value new perspectives. That’s why people come to work here – and why they stay so long.” Read More

Our 2020 Top News Coverage

12/23/2020
cozy and quirky clubroom lounge at Ascend Five Points South student living development in Birmingham, Alabama

As the year wraps up and we’re busy with year-end work, we wanted to shine a light on our top news coverage of the year. Take a look back with us. Read More

Our Most Viewed Blog Posts of 2020

12/16/2020
young private school children and their teacher read in front of a fireplace

As this anything-but-ordinary year comes to a close, we wanted to follow our tradition of highlighting our most viewed blog posts of the year. A lot has happened, and we've published many blog posts this year. We appreciate the time you’ve spent reading our blog posts. Take a look back at the year with our most viewed 2020 blog posts. Read More

Truly Caring for Clients: Noticing the Details That Matter

11/10/2020
CDH Opus commissioned painting

Similar to how an orchestra’s conductor guides each individual musician to achieve a unified result on stage, our project managers synthesize the work of designers, engineers and subcontractors to ensure projects are finished as promised. Managing this requires strong communication and leadership skills – and outstanding interpersonal skills. Read More

Delivering the Needs of Industrial Tenants

10/19/2020
Rendering of Bergen Industrial, built by Opus

Often times, an industrial tenant needs a building fast. As a leading developer of speculative industrial developments and with our fully-integrated team and unique design-build model, we’re able to deliver the customization today’s industrial companies need on a tight timeline. Read More

Building Value with One Team, One Objective

9/23/2020
Rendering of Cherne Industries Warehouse at Brick Yard, built by Opus

Employing our unique design-build model, our in-house development, design and construction experts collaborate to address challenges and create real estate value. We operate as one team with one objective: yours. See how we put that to work for Cherne Industries and Proxi – Lawrence. Read More

Top 5 Benefits of Our Team’s Ability to Respond Quickly

7/13/2020
Freightquote Front Exterior

Success doesn't just happen; we make it happen through hard work, collaboration and a shared goal: your goal. Whether it’s delivering a new project or addressing a unique challenge, our fully-integrated team of in-house, multidisciplinary experts can make it happen quickly. Read More

Creative Interior Design During & Post COVID-19

7/8/2020
James Reason Swiss Cheese Model Cleveland Clinic

Companies all over the world are making adjustments to keep their employees safe and their businesses financially viable. In order to make employees feel confident in returning to office space, health guidelines need to be in place. Read More

COVID-19 Statement

3/19/2020

The safety and health of our associates, clients and partners has always been and remains a top priority for us, and especially as we navigate these uncertain times with COVID-19. Read More

Celebrating International Women’s Day

3/9/2020
Christine Butterfield headshot

International Women’s Day is a “global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” We’re marking the occasion by sharing insights from three leading women at Opus! Read More

Opus Foundation® Supports Project for Pride in Living’s Career Readiness and Housing Stability Program

2/26/2020
Women at table

Workforce development, including training underserved populations for greater self-sufficiency, is one of the five focus areas of the Opus Foundation®. Recently, the Foundation awarded the Minneapolis-based nonprofit with a $50,000 Impact Fund grant to support career-readiness training with housing stability to provide positive outcomes for residents with low incomes. Read More

Girls on the Run-Chicago Empowered 10,000+ Girls with 2018 Building Community Award

2/10/2020
Opus Grant Award Group Photo

Almost two years ago, Girls on the Run–Chicago (GOTRC) won the Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award. The annual award, which honors our founder’s legacy of giving, provided GOTRC with a gift of $65,000 grant to further its mission of inspiring girls to be joyful, healthy and confident through a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running and physical activity. Read More

Our 2019 Top News Coverage

12/17/2019
residents of 365 Nicollet gather in the luxury building’s well-designed club room

As the year wraps up and we’re busy with year-end work, we wanted to shine a light on our top news coverage of the year. Take a look back with us. Read More

Happy Holidays!

12/4/2018
The artwork on our annual holiday greeting is the third in a series of community-created work.

The artwork on our annual holiday greeting is the third in a series of community-created work. Read More

Greg Woelfel: Build it Like it’s Your Own

5/2/2018
Greg Woelfel, senior superintendent, Opus Design Build, L.L.C.

Our superintendents take an active part in our projects, bringing forth ideas to make the building better, save the client money and accelerate the construction schedule. Find out how clients benefit from Greg’s years of experience. Read More

In the News: May 5, 2017

5/5/2017
luxury apartment development, luxury apartment construction

The grand opening of Citizen Park Luxury Apartments, completion of the new corporate headquarters for Delta Defense LLC and new hires in the Phoenix office are in this week’s news. Read More

In the News: March 24, 2017

3/24/2017
exterior of The Union on Lincoln Way Student Living

The start of construction on a private student housing development and the completion of an industrial development are in this week’s news. Read More

In the News: March 17, 2017

3/17/2017
ISU's new residence hall

Completion of a residence hall, the start of construction on a private student housing development and the completion of an industrial development are in this week’s news. Read More

In the News: December 2, 2016

12/2/2016
Spec industrial development in Phoenix, AZ

Opus’ selling of an industrial warehouse in Phoenix, Ariz., the start of construction on a luxury mulifamily development in Edina, Minn., and employee promotions are in this week’s news. Read More

In the News: November 11, 2016

11/11/2016
The Loden apartments in Edina, Minn.

Opus’ recent purchase in order to develop a luxury apartment building in Edina, Minn., and the completion and leasing of an industrial development near Des Moines, Iowa, are in this week’s news. Read More

In the News: September 2, 2016

9/2/2016
luxury apartment development, luxury apartment construction

Building booms in the St. Louis metro, delivering an unmet need in Kansas City, retail construction in the Twin Cities and more are in this week’s news. Read More

In the News: August 12, 2016

8/12/2016
Delta Defense’ Headquarters to be constructed by Opus

An office outside Milwaukee, an industrial building outside Kansas City and a multifamily building in Minneapolis are in news from the last couple week. Read More

In the News: July 29, 2016

7/29/2016
Photos of 56 Commerce Center, building B by The Opus Group

Industrial and residential project starts in Kansas City and Minneapolis, an office project completion in Minneapolis and a new hire for Indianapolis are in this week's news. Read More

Putting Our Partnership in Action for ConAgra Foods

7/25/2016

Delivering the 1.6-million-square-foot ConAgra Foods Distribution Center in Frankfort, Ind., involved thoughtful and skillful collaboration by the entire project team, resulting in an incredibly successful facility that satisfies ConAgra’s requirements for maximum efficiency and competitive differentiation and empowers their mission of making the food people love. Read More