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Q&A with Jim "ZZ" Zradicka
Wisconsin carpenter devotes most
of his spare time to community work
By Mark Shaw
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Jim
"ZZ" Zradicka
CARPENTER FORMAN
J.H. FINDORFF & SON INC.
Demolition Contractor
Eugene, Oregon
Born Waukegan, Ill.
Age: 38
Single parent to daughter Jesse, 19; sons Zach, 14; and
Dalton, 12
Experience
> Worked construction for 25 years, since age of 15
> Member of Carpenters' Local 314 for 20 years
> Started with J.H. Findorff & Son in 1987
Key Projects
> Minora Terrace, UW Madison
> Red Gym Armory
> Univ. of Wisconsin Law School
Community Service
> Project Home's Hammer with a Heart, three years
> Built playground equipment for Hollandale Elementary
School and Keller Park, Blanchardville
> Conducts free clinics in self-defense training for
schools, fire departments and emergency services personnel
> Works with his fellow Centurian motorcycle club members
to raise money for various causes, including the Lions
Club camp for the disabled and blind
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Jim "ZZ" Zradicka, a carpenter
foreman with Milwaukee's J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., was
last year's AGC of Wisconsin Community Service Award winner.
He was honored for his "strong ethics, willingness to
help others and his commitment to those in need and his community."
Constructor: Everyone calls you "ZZ"
rather than Jim. Why is that? Anything to do with the band
ZZ Top?
Zradicka: No, it's a
family thing. I have a twin brother who's actually 40 minutes
older than me and people started calling him "Z,"
so naturally, as the "younger" of the two, I became
"ZZ."
Constructor: So what brought you to
the construction industry?
Zradicka: I've been in
construction for about 25 years, since I was 15. I started
working with a guy who owned a farm. He had me milk the cows
at night and do some other farm chores, and during the day,
we did what I call "barnyard construction," reroofing
people's barns, remodeling farm houses, mostly rural-type
projects.
Constructor: Have you had any formal
training?
Zradicka: Mostly, I learned
from experience. My father was a musician and a carpet layer,
so I had some exposure to tools from him, but I didn't do
any formal apprenticeship program. I took several skills-upgrade
classes through the union, and I've even taught a few classes
there too. But most of it I just picked up on the job.
Constructor: What types of projects
have you worked on?
Zradicka: J.H. Findorff
is a general contractor and we do a lot of different things-schools,
multifamily residential, university work and some commercial
stuff-so I've been exposed to a lot of different project types,
which has been fun. I like doing big buildings, the bigger,
the better. I'd like to do a 100-story high-rise, but I doubt
that'll happen around here.
Constructor: What do you like best about
construction?
Zradicka: I like driving
by a building almost anywhere we go, pointing at it and saying,
"I helped build that," although I'm sure my kids
probably get a little tired of hearing it. I like building
parts of the community.
Constructor: Let's talk about your community
work. What does that involve?
Zradicka: I just do what
I can to help out. I've been pretty fortunate, so I like to
give some of that back. I'm the Findorff team leader for Hammer
with a Heart. We do home improvements for low-income people
and senior citizens, mostly roofs, painting, fixing stairwells,
exterior doors and so on. And my motorcycle club has helped
raise money for the Lions Club camp for the disabled and blind.
Last year, we came up with almost $40,000 to help them improve
facilities at the camp.
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| Zradicka and his fellow team members
gather outside a Hammer with a Heart project house. |
I also have a fourth-degree black belt in TaeKwon-Do, so
I volunteer to do some self-defense training for some of the
fire departments and ambulance guys.
I just do what I can where I can. I'm the first one they
call, and I always say "yes." I think one person
can help to create a better world, and that's what I tell
my kids, too.
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