monthly NEWSLETTER January 2026
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JANUARY 2026 THIS ISSUE 03
New Employees
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Reasons to Celebrate
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Mark Your Calendar
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Ownership Outlook
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North YMCA
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Retirement Party
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From the Vault
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Ham Day Recap
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2025 Service Awards
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Park City Pool
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CTRL+Tips
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Tool Box Talk
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Learning in Action | Dondlinger Perks
GREETINGS
January is our chance to break ground on a new year. With strong foundations and clear plans ahead, we’re ready to build on last year’s momentum and take on what’s next! The calendar reset, but our commitment didn’t. Let’s start strong and have ourselves a year!
FEEDBACK This newsletter is our way of keeping everyone connected. Through sharing updates, celebrating wins, and highlighting people and projects that make our work possible. If you have something you’d like to feature, a story to share, or an idea for future content, I’d love to hear from you. Your feedback helps me build a better newsletter, so don’t hesitate to send your thoughts my way! Emily Nietzel | Marketing Coordinator enietzel@dondlinger.build
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NEW EMPLOYEES
There is a reason that Dondlinger Construction is a leader in the construction industry. It’s our people. We rely on the leadership, expertise, and drive of our employees to create the many bridges, highways, buildings and structures that are part of the Kansas skyline. Each employee at Dondlinger plays a key role in the success of this company. Joshua Buebe Avery Renteria Carter Hall Nathan Bruenger Crystal Dreiling Jacob Breithaupt Drew Fell Derek Quenzer Matthew Benton Todd Askins Nicholas Bailey
Carpenter Carpenter Field Engineer Laborer Office Operator Operator Operator Recruiting Coordinator Superintendent Superintendent
Welcome/Welcome Back Winter Interns: Elijah Anderson Charles Chrisman Henry Chrisman Cooper Forrest Tucker Garrison Bryson Hamilton Joshua Helten Eric Henkel Alex Key Zachary Root Collin Streit Joanna Torres Kordell Webb Sillas Weber
Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern
Here are some of the most popular New Years Resolutions of 2026: [ Exercising more [ Be happy If you don’t have one yet, maybe [ Eat Healthier one of these ideas can help you [ Save more money come up with your own! [ Spend more time with family [ Read More [Travel 3
[REASONS TO CELEBRATE DA Y
Brent Schultz
1/3
Carlos Silva
1/4
Tanner Scott
1/5
Michael Smith
1/8
Charlie Byrd
1/9
John Green Jr.
1/9
Jose Chavez Toca
1/10
Brent Fischer
1/11
Joshua Farrington
1/12
Brent Castillo
1 year
Troy Kapels
1/12
Amber Patten
1 year
Kevin Cleary
1/15
Jason Sittler
1 year
Tanner Roberts
1/16
Zach Newell
2 years
Jared Woody
1/19
Noah Shacklett
2 years
Christian Moreno
1/22
Amber Miller
3 years
Antonio Vasquez
1/22
Richard Pool
3 years
Jose Rivas
1/25
Adam Thompson
3 years
Nikolas Sutton
1/28
Juan Rueda Adame
5 years
Corey Baker
1/29
Whitney Schweninger
13 years
Luis Leon
1/29
Adam Helten
18 years
George Stringer IV
1/29
Antonio Vasquez
22 years
Osmar Palomares Rodriguez
1/31
Manuel Olivares
27 years
Matt Inlow
37 years
ANNIVER RY SA A U RI N A J
ES
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BIRTH
S
JA
ARY U N
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
New Year’s Day January 1st Office Closed
Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 19th
REMINDER! [ Now that we are in the new year, all Dondlinger employees are required to wear the new Type 2 Class C hard hat. No other hard hat will be accepted!
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OWNERSHIP
O Building Value Together U On Every Job. T L O O K
As we kick off the New Year, it’s a great time to remember that every project counts and every role matters. Dondlinger’s success, and the strength of our ESOP, is built day by day through safe, high-quality work and teamwork across the entire organization.
ESOP EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PROGRAM
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ESOP REMINDERS: [Thinking like an owner means focusing on efficiency, safety, and craftsmanship. [When work is done right the first time, we reduce rework, avoid delays, and keep projects on schedule. [ Fewer incidents mean lower costs related to injuries, insurance, and downtime. [ Safe job sites support a stronger workforce, steadier operations, and a healthier ESOP for all employees. [When projects run smoothly, office teams experience fewer disruptions, clearer communication, and stronger financial performance. [ Success in the field creates stability in the office and vice versa.
Quality construction truly builds equity.
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NORTH
Y M C A
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Project Manager | Jim Milligan Superintendent | Jim Dieckman
Dondlinger has been doing phased remodels for the YMCA for approximately the last three years. In 2025, we gutted, reconfigured and remodeled the existing locker rooms at the North YMCA. The work was done in three phases so that both men and women always had access to locker and shower spaces. Midway through the project a rehab of the indoor aquatics area was added to the project scope. This involved draining the pools, building scaffolding across the entire area and painting the exposed structure and ductwork. The dry sauna, hot tub and steam room were also gutted and rebuilt. This was one of the five YMCA properties that we worked on during the year 2025. This job has consisted of 8,000+ Dondlinger man hours.
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CONGRATS DAVE & BRAD!
In December, we celebrated Dave Koch and Brad Reichenberger on their retirement. Both Dave and Brad worked in the utilities division at Dondlinger for a combined 72+ years of service (Dave- 39.5 Brad- 33.5). They were both hardworking and loyal employees. Enjoy your retirement Dave and Brad, you deserve it!
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FROM THE
VAULT
LEWIS STREET BRIDGE 1997
This bridge is known for it’s tall feathered towers. When designing the bride, the city was looking at nautical and aeronautical themes. Specifically the Jayhawk, Bill Koch’s America’s Cup qualifying boat, which was located off of the Lewis Street Bridge as well as the airfoil shapes and the wind patterns that you would get on an aircraft. These tall stainless steel towers on the Waterman bridge resemble a mast, a feather or a wing, it is up to the interpreter. Through wisps extending beyond the main structures, suggesting upward motion, natural light casts feathery shadows on the ground. At night, the towers are illuminated from below.
info from www.shoutwichita.com
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[
HAM DAY
2 0 2 5
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Ham Day 2025 was a success! We got to gather and mingle with all of our incredible employees while enjoying some hot chocolate & snacks, get to rock our new hard hats and apparel, win some prizes and of course bring home a nice ham! Thank you to all the employees that came out celebrate another year of building in the books!
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2025 SERVICE AWARDS 5 YEARS
10 YEARS
15 YEARS
20 YEARS
30 YEARS
35 YEARS
Cliff Benson Andrew Blaylock Ashley Doyle Haley Hedrick Tyson Hirt Dawson Lee Damen Nowak Mitch O’Neill Mario Pereira Bryce Sanders Cody Schwant Jonathan Scoval Bailee Zink
Jeff Cox Raymond Dondlinger Luis Leon Calon Trulove
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Greg Anderson Jeff Burnham Jose Chaves Toca Willie Collins Adam Doll Andrea Frye Darin Nickel Robby Sattelmeier
Scott Sattelmeier Carlos Silva
Scott Gelwick Angel Lopez Jesus Lucero Adrian Nunez Rod Roberts Derrick Whillock
Miguel Diaz Brad Napper Jose Rivas Gary Sanchez
50 YEARS OF SERVICE...
TIM HELTEN
In 2025, Tim Helten reached an extraordinary milestone... 50 years with Dondlinger. That means Tim first joined the team back in 1975, bringing with him a work ethic, dedication, and pride that have stood the test of time. Over the years, Tim has been an invaluable part of the Dondlinger family, leading projects with exceptional knowledge, care, and a steady hand. His experience and leadership have left a lasting mark on our company and the many people who have had the privilege of working alongside him. While Tim has contributed to countless jobs throughout his career, the projects highlighted here are just a glimpse into the impact he’s made, barely scratching the surface of five decades of commitment, craftsmanship, and excellence. [ Seneca State Bank (Tims first job as a Superintendent) [ Intrust Bank Arena [ Exploration Place [ City of Wichita WWTP Plant II (in the ‘80s and now!) [ Wichita Art Museum (addition and remodel) [ Wichita Children’s Home [ BG Products Distribution Center (expansion) [ St. Rose Catholic Church
THANK YOU TIM! Tim on far left
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PARK CITY
Project Manager | Zach Newell Superintendent | Adam Helten
P O O L
Set to open in May 2026!
WATCH HERE 16
CTRL+TIPS Clipboard History (Win + V) Ever copy something... then copy something else and lose the first thing? Windows has a better way.
Clipboard History lets you access multiple recently copied items instead of just the last one. Here’s how to use it: 1) Copy text or an image like normal (Ctrl+C) 2) Press Window + V 3) Click any item from the list to paste it If it’s your first time using, Windows will prompt you to turn it on, just click Enable Bonus: You can pin frequently used items so they stay available, even after copying something new. Unpinned clipboard items are cleared when your computer restarts. Once you start using Clipboard History, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without it!
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HARD HAT D s and D N’Ts
Safety is a continuing journey, not a final destination.
ANSI-approved hard hats are designed to protect you from the impact of falling objects, and with some types, from accidental contact DO NOT USE SOLVENTS to clean your hard hat. with electrical current. However, the way we Just like with paints, solvents can also degrade take care for our hard hats can have a big the strength of the hard hat shell. impact (no pun intended) on how well it does its job. DO NOT ALTER OR MODIFY your hard hat. Drilling holes and/or inserting screws in your Here are a few DOs and DON’Ts regarding the hard hat so you can add attachments (or for any use and care of your hard hat: other reason) can weaken the shell of your hard hat, and can also allow electrical current to pass DO CLEAN your hard hat as needed, using a through. mild soap and water solution or other solution recommended by the manufacturer. DO NOT WEAR YOUR HARD HAT BACKWARDS unless specifically approved by the hard hat DO STORE your hard hat as recommended by manufacturer and your employer. the manufacturer, which means keeping it out of the direct sun (like on the back dash of your DO NOT WEAR A BALL CAP OR TOBOGGAN car) and out of areas with high heat (like in the BENEATH YOUR HARD HAT. Doing so could car trunk) while you’re off the job. interfere with the suspension and shell, which work together to reduce the force of an impact. DO INSPECT your hard hat shell and Cold weather liners approved by the hard hat suspension for damage and deterioration every manufacturer are available. day before use, as well as after any event that may affect its integrity (such as being struck by Obviously, your hard hat won’t protect you a falling object or crushed). unless it’s being worn. But to give you the DO REPLACE your hard hat shell or suspension maximum protection offered, they must also be worn in accordance with the manufacturer’s when it shows any signs of damage or recommendations for the particular brand and deterioration. model in use, as well as in accordance with the policy of your employer. So please take care of DO NOT PAINT your hard hat. Hard hat your hard hat, so it can take care of you. manufacturers typically forbid using paints because they can degrade the strength of the hard hat shell, making it easier to break.
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LEARNING IN ACTION
Mitch O’Neill, David Dellinger, and Scott Gelwick went to East High and poured some parking stops with their construction class.
DONDLINGER PERKS 25% OFF YOUR ORDER
[ WORK-WEAR
FREE PASSES To these locations:
Historical Museum Aviation Museum
[ OUTERWEAR
[ [
[ HATS
Reach out to Tawny Vo if interested!
[ POLOS
[ & MORE
CLICK HERE
15% OFF
CLICK HERE
YOUR ORDER
[ Work Boots [ Work-wear [ FRC [ PPE [ Boot Care Discount applies to any regularly priced items in-store only and cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.
UP TO 35% OFF You and your family are eligible for discounts such as: 35% off Accessories, 22% off NonUnlimited Data Plans, $5 off Unlimited Plans with Auto Pay, and additional discounts available for first responders, teachers and other eligible groups.
REFERRAL BONUS
You can earn up to $1,000 for every person you refer who is hired! Contact HR for more details!
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