An architect for 15 years, Katie Kawczynski has spent the past 10 years of her career at Pewaukee-based VJS Construction Services as the firm’s first in-house architect.
In 2017, Kawczynski became a licensed architect. She was named partner and director of architecture at VJS in 2020, making her the first woman to ever hold a partner/ownership, non-family position at the firm.
Formerly, design-build services represented 5% of VJS’ annual volume. Under Kawczynski’s leadership, it now represents 20% of VJS’ volume, a 400% increase in the past few years.
She has been involved in projects including the expansion of Summit Packaging Systems, covering 77,000 square feet in Racine, and the transformation of the Fox Run Development in Waukesha. This property, formerly a shopping center, has been redeveloped into a mixed-use commercial project.
Currently, Kawczynski is leading the construction management of Wildeck Inc.’s new corporate office and innovation center in Waukesha. This new campus is more than three times the size of Wildeck’s current facility and spans nearly 22 acres.
