Exterior leaks usually begin small: a gap where two materials meet, a seam that was never properly capped, or a piece of trim that wasn’t fabricated for the specific building it’s on. Water finds that gap long before anyone notices a stain on the ceiling below.

This guide walks through the most common building exterior mistakes that lead to leaks, and why the metal components tying everything together, including flashing, coping, trim, and panel systems, matter more than most facilities realize until something goes wrong.

Roofs get the most attention because leaks there are visible and disruptive. But a building’s exterior is a system, not a single surface, and water intrusion often starts at the points where different materials or building sections meet. Wall-to-roof transitions, parapet caps, window and door surrounds, and expansion joints are where most failures begin, not because the primary materials failed, but because the connections between them were never sealed or flashed correctly in the first place.

A wall can be structurally sound for decades while still leaking. The vulnerability sits in what covers the seam, not the wall material itself.

Using generic or off-the-shelf metal instead of custom-fabricated pieces is one of the most frequent issues we see. A standard flashing profile might fit close enough to look correct, but “close enough” leaves gaps that widen with age, weather cycling, and building movement. Custom metal, fabricated to the exact dimensions and angles of a building’s specific transitions, closes those gaps from day one instead of approximating a fit.

Improper overlap at seams is another common failure point. Metal panels and flashing pieces are designed to overlap in a specific direction, so water sheds downward and outward rather than working its way underneath. When installers reverse that overlap or leave insufficient coverage, water gets pulled in by wind and gravity instead of shed away.

Sealant used as a substitute for proper flashing shows up often in older or previously patched buildings. Caulk and sealant are meant to supplement a properly designed water management system, not replace one. Sealant degrades, cracks, and shrinks over time; metal flashing, properly installed, does not.

Skipping thermal movement allowances causes long-term seam failure even when the initial installation looks clean. Metal expands and contracts with temperature swings, and materials in Minnesota and the surrounding Midwest see some of the widest seasonal ranges in the country. Rigid installations without room to move eventually crack, buckle, or pull apart at the seams.

Mismatched materials at transition points create a different kind of problem. When dissimilar metals come into direct contact without a proper barrier, galvanic corrosion can develop over time, weakening the metal from the inside even when the surface still looks fine.

When metal components are ordered specifically for a building, whether that’s coping, counterflashing, trim, or panel systems, the fit accounts for the building’s actual measurements, angles, and movement requirements. That precision is what prevents the small gaps that eventually become leaks.

Schwickert’s fabricates custom metal in-house, which means the same team that assesses a building’s exterior can also produce components built to that building’s exact specifications, rather than relying on stock sizing that requires field modification. Fewer field adjustments mean fewer opportunities for the small inconsistencies that lead to long-term failure.

The buildings we’re called to most often for exterior leak repairs share a pattern: previous repairs used generalized materials instead of custom-fitted ones. A patch job might solve the visible symptom for a season or two, but if the underlying fit was never corrected, the same failure point tends to resurface, often in a slightly different spot along the same seam or transition.

Buildings with a documented exterior maintenance history fare noticeably better. When we can see how flashing and trim have performed over several years, we can identify which sections are aging faster than expected and address them before they fail, rather than reacting after water has already found its way in.

Building age and prior workmanship play a significant role. Older buildings, or those that have gone through multiple owners and repair crews, often have a patchwork of materials and fitting approaches layered over decades, which increases the number of potential failure points.

Climate exposure matters as much as material choice. A building’s north-facing versus south-facing walls, its exposure to prevailing wind, and the freeze-thaw cycles it experiences each year all affect how quickly a marginal installation becomes a failing one.

The complexity of the building envelope itself, how many transitions, penetrations, and material changes exist, determines how much custom fabrication is actually needed. Simpler structures have fewer opportunities for water intrusion; more architecturally complex buildings need a maintenance and materials plan that reflects that complexity.

If your facility has a history of recurring leaks in the same general area, or if previous repairs have used generic materials instead of custom-fitted metal, the underlying fit is worth investigating before another patch is applied.

Schwickert’s fabricates custom metal for commercial buildings across Minnesota, Kansas, and the Midwest, and works directly with facilities to identify where generic materials may be creating long-term risk. Reach out to Schwickert’s to talk through what your building’s exterior actually needs.

An HVAC system that runs fine in April can fail in July, and the difference usually isn’t bad luck. It’s whether the system had a maintenance schedule built around when problems actually develop, not a generic once-a-year check-up. Facilities that avoid summer breakdowns and winter heating failures share one habit: they service equipment on a schedule that matches the season, not a calendar that’s convenient for the maintenance crew.

Use this guide to understand what a real HVAC maintenance plan includes, when each task should happen, and what a facility gains by staying consistent.

Commercial HVAC systems don’t wear down at a steady pace. They’re pushed hardest during specific seasons, and each season creates its own failure points.

Spring

This is when systems come out of winter dormancy and start ramping up for cooling season. Refrigerant levels, belts, and electrical connections should be checked before the summer demand hits, not after a unit fails on the first 90-degree day.

Summer

Peak cooling season is when rooftop units and compressors work hardest. Filters clog faster, condensate lines back up more easily, and any weak component is more likely to fail under sustained heavy use.

Fall

Before heating season starts, gas furnaces, heat exchangers, and ignition systems need inspection. A cracked heat exchanger or failing burner is far easier to catch in October than during the season’s first cold snap.

Winter

Heating systems run continuously through freezing temperatures. This is also when facilities should be planning ahead for spring cooling system prep, so nothing is rushed once temperatures rise again.

A maintenance plan isn’t a single annual visit. It’s a structured schedule built around what the equipment needs at each point in the year.

Biannual Inspections – at a minimum, two visits per year, aligned with the changing heating/cooling seasons.

Filter replacement on a consistent cycle – clogged filters are one of the most preventable causes of reduced efficiency and premature equipment wear.

Refrigerant and electrical checks – low refrigerant and worn electrical connections are common causes of compressor failure, and both are easy to catch early.

Belt and bearing inspection – worn belts and bearings cause inconsistent temperature control long before they cause a full breakdown.

Condensate drain and coil cleaning – buildup here reduces efficiency and can lead to water damage if left unaddressed.

Written documentation with photos – every inspection should be logged, not just completed. Documentation is what turns a maintenance visit into a decision-making tool for next year’s budget.

A maintenance schedule built for a Minnesota facility looks different than one built for a facility in a milder climate. Cold winters mean heating systems run longer and harder, which shortens their service life if maintenance is inconsistent. Humid summers put more strain on cooling systems and increase the risk of condensate and drainage issues. A maintenance plan should reflect the facility’s actual climate, not a national average.

The facilities that avoid HVAC emergencies all have the same thing in common: a documented maintenance history. When we can see how a unit has performed over the last three, four, or five years, a repair or replacement decision becomes based on real data instead of guesswork.

Facilities without that history are often surprised by failures that, on inspection, had been developing for months. There’s no way to know if a breakdown was sudden or building for a while without a record to compare against.

Through our Tracker platform, we help facility managers track inspections, condition scores, and repair priorities in one place. That visibility turns a maintenance plan into a long-term budgeting and planning tool, not just a service record.

Equipment age and service history – older units need more frequent inspection, and knowing where a unit is in its lifecycle helps plan for replacement before a failure forces the decision.

System size and complexity – larger facilities with multiple units or zoned systems have more points of potential failure and need a maintenance plan sized accordingly.

Consistency of service – a maintenance plan only works if it’s followed on schedule. Skipped or delayed visits let small issues develop into larger ones.

Documentation quality – photos, condition notes, and repair priorities give a facility manager the information needed to plan budgets around actual equipment condition.

Scheduling one visit per year instead of one per season. A single annual check misses the specific stresses each season puts on the system.

Waiting for a complaint before servicing a unit. By the time occupants notice inconsistent temperatures, the underlying issue has usually been developing for a while.

Skipping filter changes to save on cost. Deferred filter changes reduce efficiency and shorten equipment life, which costs more over time.

Treating every unit the same regardless of age or workload. Older or heavily used units need more frequent attention than newer, lightly used ones.

If your facility doesn’t have a documented HVAC maintenance schedule, or if service has been reactive rather than seasonal, the next step is getting a clear picture of where your systems stand today.

Schwickert’s has helped facilities across the Midwest move from reactive HVAC repairs to planned, season-based maintenance schedules. Reach out to Schwickert’s to talk through what a maintenance plan could look like for your building.

Preventative maintenance costs money, but waiting and hoping a system holds on can cost much more. A rooftop unit failing in the heat of August does not just mean a repair bill, it means emergency service rates, lost operating hours, and a budget line that was never planned for. The facilities that avoid this pattern share one habit: they plan for repairs before they become emergencies, not after.

Use this guide to understand what drives unpredictable repair costs, and what a facility can put in place to bring those costs back under control.

A repair scheduled in advance and a repair made under emergency conditions are not the same expense, even when the work itself is identical.

Emergency service rates – after-hours and rush repairs typically carry a premium over standard scheduled work. That premium applies every time a facility waits for a failure instead of catching it early.

Operational disruption – a planned repair can be scheduled around building use. An emergency repair happens whenever the failure happens, often during hours of operation, and often with less notice to staff or tenants.

Compounding damage – equipment that fails completely usually costs more to repair or replace than the same equipment caught early in a state of decline. A minor issue addressed in an inspection is a fraction of the cost of the same issue addressed after failure.

Fewer good options – emergency repairs shrink the menu of options and the planning window. The facility has to solve the immediate problem, which can limit decisions around repair vs. replace, equipment availability, timing, temporary fixes, and how the work affects the building as a whole.

Unpredictable repair costs are rarely the result of one bad year. They are usually the result of a budgeting process that was never built to anticipate them.

No capital reserve for aging systems – most commercial equipment has a known service life. Facilities that do not track equipment age are consistently surprised by costs that were, in fact, predictable years in advance.

Annual budgets built without inspection data – a budget built on last year’s spending, rather than the current condition of the building’s systems, will not account for problems that are actively developing.

Deferred maintenance treated as savings – skipping an inspection or a service cycle looks like a savings in the current budget year. It is not a savings. It is a cost moved into a future year, usually at a higher price.

The facilities we work with that consistently avoid budget surprises all have the same thing in common: documented inspection history. When a facility can see a piece of equipment’s condition over the last three, four, or five years, a repair decision becomes data-driven instead of reactive.

Facilities without that history are, in effect, starting from zero every time something goes wrong. There is no way to know if a failure was sudden or years in the making, which makes it difficult to plan for what else might be close behind it.

Through our Tracker platform, we help facility managers track inspections, condition scores, repair priorities, and budgets in one place. That visibility is what turns a maintenance plan into a budgeting tool, not just a service record.

Equipment age and service history – knowing where major systems are in their lifecycle is the difference between a planned capital expense and an emergency one.

Facility size and system complexity – larger facilities or those with more mechanical, electrical, and roofing systems have more points of potential failure, and need a maintenance plan sized accordingly.

Inspection frequency – facilities on a consistent inspection schedule catch developing issues while they are still minor and inexpensive to address.

Documentation quality – a maintenance history with photos, condition notes, and repair priorities gives a facility manager the information needed to plan budgets around actual risk, not guesswork.

Waiting for equipment to fail before replacing it. Planned replacement is almost always less disruptive and less expensive than emergency replacement.

Budgeting reactively instead of proactively. A budget based only on prior spending will not reflect what is currently developing in a building’s systems.

Skipping inspections to save on cost. Deferred inspections do not reduce spending, they concentrate it into larger, less predictable repairs later.

Treating every system as equally urgent, or not urgent at all. Not every repair needs the same response time, and a facility without a way to prioritize is left responding to whatever fails first, rather than what matters most.

If repair costs have felt unpredictable year over year, or your facility does not have a documented maintenance history to budget against, the next step is getting a clear picture of where your systems actually stand.

Schwickert’s has turned reactive repair budgets into planned maintenance strategies across the Midwest. Reach out to Schwickert’s to talk through what a tracking and planning system could look like for your building.

All roof leaks are a problem, but in hospitals, clinics, and care facilites the risk is often higher. Water in the wrong place can compromise sterile environments, damage sensitive equipment, displace patients, and trigger infection control protocols that ripple through an entire department. The difference between a leak that gets caught early and one that causes a serious disruption almost always comes down to one thing: whether the facility had a real maintenance plan in place.

Commercial roof maintenance for healthcare facilities is not the same as maintaining a standard commercial building. The stakes are different, the coordination requirements are different, and the tolerance for disruption is effectively zero. Here is what a proper approach looks like – and what goes wrong when facilities treat their roofs like any other building.

Healthcare buildings tend to have more rooftop equipment than most commercial structures. HVAC units, exhaust systems, plumbing vents, specialty ventilation for isolation rooms and operating suites, skylights – each one of these penetrates the roof membrane and creates a potential point of failure. The more penetrations a roof has, the more maintenance it requires and the more carefully that maintenance needs to be sequenced with what is happening below.

There is also the question of what is directly underneath. A leak above a storage room is very different from a leak above a pharmacy, a procedure room, or a sterile supply area. Understanding the layout of the building below the roof is essential to prioritizing maintenance and emergency response correctly. Not every roofing contractor takes the time to understand that relationship before they start work.

For a full overview of what Schwickert’s handles on the commercial roofing side, including healthcare and institutional projects, visit our commercial roofing services page.

Reactive maintenance, fixing problems after they appear, is not a strategy for a healthcare environment. It is a liability. The goal is to identify deterioration before it becomes a leak, and to document what the roof looks like over time so that decisions about repair and replacement are based on data, not guesswork.

A structured maintenance plan for a healthcare facility should include:

Twice-yearly inspections – spring and fall at minimum. Spring catches winter damage. Fall prepares the roof for freeze-thaw stress ahead.

Drainage system checks – clogged drains and scuppers are one of the most common causes of ponding water, which accelerates membrane deterioration faster than almost anything else.

Flashing and penetration inspections – flashings around every rooftop unit, pipe, vent, and curb need to be checked and resealed on a regular cycle. These are the most common failure points on any commercial roof.

Rooftop unit coordination – HVAC equipment and the roof membrane around it need to be inspected together. Condensate drainage problems, vibration damage, and improper curb sealing are frequent sources of roofing problems that get missed when the two trades work in isolation.

Written documentation with photos – Schwickert’s uses Tecta Tracker to document roof inspections, photos, condition notes, repair priorities, budgets, and roof history in one web-based platform. That gives facility managers a clear view of what needs attention now, what can be monitored, and what should be planned for future repair or replacement.

Healthcare roofs that have been maintained reactively tend to show the same patterns when we get on them. Membrane patches layered on top of each other. Flashings that have been addressed multiple times without addressing the underlying cause. Drainage areas that have been slowly filling with debris for years.

The facilities that consistently avoid major roofing disruptions share one common trait: they have a maintenance history. When we can look back at inspection records from three, four, or five years ago, we can see where problems are recurring, which sections of the roof are aging faster than expected, and where the next repair dollar should go. Without that history, every inspection is a diagnostic from scratch.

Scheduling is also where healthcare roof maintenance gets complicated in ways that most contractors are not prepared for. Work cannot happen during surgical procedures. Certain materials and adhesives cannot be used near air intakes. Noise and vibration from roofing work may need to be coordinated with nursing supervisors and department heads, not just the facilities manager. That level of coordination requires a contractor who understands how healthcare facilities actually operate.

Roof age and installation quality – a poorly installed roof will require more frequent intervention regardless of maintenance effort afterward.

Number and condition of penetrations – facilities that have added mechanical equipment over the years without properly integrating it into the roof system tend to have more chronic problems.

Deferred maintenance – skipping inspections does not reduce costs. It concentrates them into larger, more disruptive repairs. A flashing repair caught during a routine inspection costs a fraction of what it costs after water has been moving through it for a season.

Treating the healthcare roof like a standard commercial roof. The coordination requirements, the consequences of disruption, and the complexity of the rooftop environment are all different. A contractor without healthcare facility experience will create problems even when the roofing work itself is technically sound.

Scheduling maintenance without looping in clinical operations. Roofing activity above a procedure room, a pharmacy, or a sterile supply area without coordinating with those departments first creates real risk – not just inconvenience.

Ignoring flashings during informal walkthroughs. Flashings are the most common failure point on any commercial roof and the most overlooked during non-professional inspections. Deterioration at flashings is often invisible until water is already moving through it.

Deferring small repairs to the next budget cycle. A minor repair in the fall can become a significant repair in the spring after a winter of freeze-thaw cycles. In a healthcare environment, the cost of the interior disruption that follows almost always exceeds the cost of the repair that was deferred.

If your healthcare facility does not have a documented roof maintenance plan – or if the last inspection did not produce a written report with photos – the right starting point is an assessment.

Schwickert’s works with healthcare facilities to build maintenance programs that fit the operational demands of those environments. We understand the scheduling constraints, the coordination requirements, and what it means to work in a building where disruption is not an option.

Contact Schwickert’s to schedule an inspection or start a conversation about a maintenance plan for your facility.

Mechanical issues in healthcare facilities often show up first as small warning signs: longer run times, inconsistent room temperatures, repeated comfort complaints, water pressure changes, or maintenance items that keep getting pushed back. If those issues are not addressed, they can lead to equipment failure, emergency repairs, and disruption to daily operations.

In a standard commercial building, a mechanical failure means discomfort and inconvenience. In a hospital, clinic, or care facility, it can mean compromised patient care, failed regulatory inspections, and emergency repairs under conditions that make everything harder and more expensive. The facilities that consistently avoid those outcomes share one habit: they catch problems early, before they become failures.

Use this guide as a resource for identifying common mechanical issues in healthcare facilities. Each section covers what to watch for, why it matters, and when the issue may need service, inspection, or future replacement planning.

Before getting into specific equipment issues, it is worth establishing why mechanical maintenance in healthcare carries a different weight than in other commercial settings.

Healthcare facilities operate under regulatory frameworks – Joint Commission standards, CMS Conditions of Participation, state health department requirements – that treat mechanical system performance as a compliance issue, not just an operational one. Documented preventive maintenance programs are not optional. They are required. A facility that cannot produce maintenance records for its boilers, backflow preventers, cooling towers, or fire suppression systems during a survey is exposed to citation, remediation requirements, and in serious cases, loss of accreditation.

That regulatory context changes how mechanical maintenance should be approached. It is not just about keeping equipment running – it is about being able to demonstrate that equipment has been properly maintained over time.

Schwickert’s provides full-scope mechanical services for healthcare and commercial facilities. Learn more about our mechanical services and how we approach planned maintenance programs.

HVAC is where most healthcare mechanical problems originate, and where the consequences of failure are most immediate.

Rooftop unit deterioration – RTUs in continuous operation degrade faster than equipment in standard commercial applications. Compressor wear, refrigerant loss, failing contactors, and worn belts are common in units without a structured maintenance schedule. The early warning signs are often subtle: run times that are longer than expected, inconsistent temperature control in specific zones, or energy consumption that has been creeping upward without an obvious explanation.

Air handling unit neglect – clogged filters are the most preventable HVAC problem in any healthcare building. In a standard commercial building, the consequence is reduced efficiency and accelerated equipment wear. In a healthcare facility, it also means compromised indoor air quality in spaces where air quality directly affects patient outcomes. Filter replacement schedules need to match the actual load on the system — not a generic schedule that was set when the building opened.

Cooling tower problems – cooling towers require consistent water treatment, regular cleaning, and inspection of fill media, distribution systems, and basin conditions. A neglected cooling tower creates biological risk, including Legionella, that is a serious concern in any facility with immunocompromised patients. This is not a theoretical risk — it is a documented source of healthcare-associated infections that is entirely preventable with proper maintenance.

Ductwork integrity – leaking ductwork wastes energy and creates pressure imbalances that can affect air quality in sensitive areas. In isolation rooms, operating suites, and sterile processing areas, maintaining the correct pressure relationships between spaces is a clinical requirement. Duct leakage that would be a minor efficiency problem in an office building can be a patient safety issue in a healthcare environment.

Backflow preventer failure – backflow preventers protect potable water systems from contamination and are a regulatory requirement in most jurisdictions. They require annual testing by a certified professional. A failed backflow preventer is not just a plumbing problem — it is a public health and compliance issue that can result in regulatory action.

Pipe corrosion – older healthcare facilities often have aging pipe systems where corrosion has been developing for years. Discolored water, reduced flow rates, and pressure fluctuations are early indicators. Left unaddressed, corrosion leads to pinhole leaks, then larger failures, then the kind of water damage that contaminates a space and forces it out of service.

Domestic hot water system performance – maintaining proper water temperature throughout a healthcare facility is both a clinical requirement and an infection control measure. Thermostatic mixing valves, circulation pumps, and water heater performance all need to be monitored. Water that is too cool creates Legionella risk. Equipment that runs inefficiently drives up operating costs and masks developing problems.

Unit heater deterioration – gas-fired unit heaters in mechanical rooms, loading docks, and support spaces are frequently overlooked until they stop working. Cracked heat exchangers, ignition failures, and burner degradation are common in older units. A cracked heat exchanger is also a carbon monoxide risk — which is why these units need to be inspected before heating season, not after the first cold week.

Boiler and heat exchanger problems – scale buildup, failing controls, and deteriorating heat transfer surfaces reduce efficiency over time and eventually lead to failure. Boiler inspections are a regulatory requirement in Minnesota and other states where Schwickert’s operates. Treating them as optional is both a compliance risk and a reliability risk.

The pattern we see most often in healthcare facilities with chronic mechanical problems is deferred maintenance compounding over time. An issue gets noted, added to a list, and deprioritized because something more urgent came up. By the time it gets addressed, it has become a larger repair – or a failure that forces emergency response under the worst possible conditions.

We also see facilities that have no documented maintenance history. When something fails in that environment, the diagnostic process takes significantly longer because there is no baseline to measure against. Nobody knows what the system looked like six months ago, which parts have been replaced, or whether the current problem is new or has been developing for years.

An area where Schwickert’s really helps healthcare facilities is asset management. Through our HVAC-R Tracker, inspections, condition scores, repair priorities, budgets, reports, and equipment history can all be tracked in one web-based platform. This gives facility managers a clearer view of what needs attention now, what can be planned for, and where future replacement dollars may be needed.

Equipment age and service history – most mechanical equipment has a defined service life. Knowing where your major systems sit in their lifecycle, and having a plan for eventual replacement, is the difference between planned capital expenditure and emergency spending.

Operational intensity – healthcare facilities run mechanical systems harder and longer than most commercial buildings. Standard maintenance intervals developed for office buildings are often insufficient.

Staff awareness and reporting – facility staff frequently notice early warning signs before they become documented problems. Unusual sounds, temperature inconsistencies, water discoloration, pressure changes — these observations matter. Facilities that have a clear process for reporting and tracking these observations catch problems earlier and cheaper.

Water quality management – cooling tower water treatment and domestic water temperature management are two of the most overlooked aspects of healthcare mechanical maintenance, and two of the most consequential when they fail.

Waiting for equipment to fail before replacing it. Planned replacement is almost always less disruptive and less expensive than emergency replacement. A chiller that fails in the middle of a Midwest summer in an occupied healthcare facility creates a genuinely difficult situation with no good options.

Using the same maintenance schedule for all equipment regardless of criticality. Systems that directly affect patient care, sterile environments, or regulatory compliance need more frequent attention than systems in low-criticality spaces. A one-size maintenance schedule misses that distinction.

Skipping water treatment. Cooling tower water quality and domestic water temperature management are not optional elements of a healthcare maintenance program. The consequences of a Legionella issue or a failed backflow inspection are significant and avoidable.

Failing to coordinate with clinical operations. Maintenance work in a healthcare facility needs to be scheduled around patient care – not just around the facilities team’s availability. That requires communication with the departments affected by the work, not just a note on the calendar.

If your facility does not have a documented mechanical maintenance program, or if you have systems that are aging without a replacement plan in place, the right first step is an assessment – not a sales call, but a real look at what you have, how it is performing, and where the risk is concentrated.

Schwickert’s has been working in healthcare facilities across Minnesota, Kansas, and throughout the Midwest for decades. We understand the regulatory requirements, the operational constraints, and the coordination that this environment demands.

Contact Schwickert’s to start a conversation about mechanical maintenance for your healthcare facility.

Most companies don’t make it to 10 years. Getting to 50 is rare. Reaching 120 means something went right – not once, but over and over again, across generations, market shifts, and industries that looked completely different than when you started.

Schwickert’s is marking 120 years in business in 2026. That number is worth pausing on. But the more interesting story isn’t the number – it’s what it took to get here, and why the same principles that kept Schwickert’s going in 1906 still drive decisions today.

George Schwickert founded the company in Mankato, Minnesota in 1906 as a hardware store. By the time his son Leas joined in 1947, it had already grown into something more. By the time grandsons Kent and Kim Schwickert took over in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they were leading what their grandfather had started – and feeling the weight of it.

“If you screw up, there are 200 families that don’t have a job,” Kim Schwickert said, reflecting on what it meant to inherit that responsibility. His grandfather had built the largest hardware store in southern Minnesota with an eighth-grade education. That was the standard they were working to uphold.

What followed under Kent and Kim’s leadership was steady, deliberate expansion – into Rochester in 1983, into the Twin Cities metro in 2012, and into Kansas in 2016. Each step was calculated. None of it was accidental.

Derek Homrighausen, who became president of Schwickert’s in 2024, started his career as an HVAC technician after technical college. He moved into service management, then director roles, then vice president, then president. That path is not unusual at Schwickert’s – it is the point.

“It’s a nonstop balance of knowing your people, reading your people, going through seasons with your co-workers and seasons with your communities,” Homrighausen said.

That shows up in the numbers. Schwickert’s currently has 20 employees with more than 20 years of service, and several with more than 30 or even 40 years. In an industry with notoriously high turnover, that kind of retention doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people feel like they have somewhere to go within a company – and when leadership actually knows who they are.

The company also runs an in-house accredited apprenticeship program. Apprentices receive a combination of on-the-job training, classroom instruction, and mentorship from Schwickert’s own experienced professionals. All of this allows them to build a successful career in the roofing industry. The program supports career advancement while helping address the industry’s growing need for skilled tradespeople.

A lot of companies survive by staying the same. Schwickert’s thrives by doing the opposite.

The company went from selling hardware and early appliances to becoming a full-service commercial roofing and mechanical contractor. It added HVAC. Then plumbing. Then architectural metals and electrical work. Then facility maintenance. Then air duct cleaning in 2019. Each expansion came in response to what customers and markets needed – not just what was comfortable.

“There’s just constant, constant intent for growth and willingness to change as the different markets change, as the different trades change, as the different community needs change,” Homrighausen said.

In 2000, Schwickert’s became a founding member of Tecta America Corp., now the largest roofing contractor in North America. That move gave the company access to a national network of more than 100 contractors while still allowing it to operate regionally and independently. It’s the kind of partnership that makes a company stronger without making it generic.

Companies that reach milestones like 120 years sometimes make the mistake of treating the anniversary as the story. It isn’t. The anniversary is the result. The story is everything that happened before it.

The other common mistake is assuming that what worked for the last 40 years will work for the next 40. Kim Schwickert put it plainly: “You are constantly morphing. You have to. If you don’t change, you get buried.”

That mindset is what separates companies that last from companies that coast. Coasting gets you a few good years. Constant adaptation gets you 120.

What makes Schwickert’s unusual isn’t just the age of the company – it’s that the company still operates with the same values that built it. Julie Leiferman, director of sales and business development, described the approach to clients this way: “We are not there to score a big sale. We are there for whatever your needs are, whether it’s emergency service, whether it’s budgeting, or whether it’s asset management. There are just so many solutions that we provide for clients and become more of a consultant for them than somebody who’s out there to make a sale.”

That’s not a sales pitch. That’s a 120-year operating philosophy.

Dan Alleven, who has been with Schwickert’s since 1983, has watched the HVAC department grow from three service technicians to more than 20. “I never thought it would get to be that big,” he said. His career is a version of the company’s story in miniature — steady, committed, and built over time.

Homrighausen said he’d want to tell George Schwickert one thing if he could: “I want to show you what you built.”

What George built was a business. What four generations of leadership built after him was a company with real staying power – not because the industry didn’t change, but because the people inside it never stopped adapting to it.

120 years is not a finish line. It’s a proof point.

If you’re managing a commercial facility in Kansas, Minnesota, or the surrounding regions, Schwickert’s has been doing exactly that for 120 years.

Contact our team to start a conversation about your project, your facility’s needs, or your long-term maintenance plan. We’re not here to make a sale. We’re here to be your partner.

Healthcare facilities do not get to pause for construction. Patients are still coming through the doors, staff are still at work, and every mechanical system in the building still needs to function – even while a major upgrade is underway. That is exactly the environment Schwickert’s walked into at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, Minnesota. And it is exactly the kind of challenge the team is built for.

This project required replacing aging cooling equipment, installing new piping systems, and doing all of it without disrupting an active healthcare facility. Here is how it came together.

Schwickert’s completed this mechanical project at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea between October 2017 and April 2018. Schwickert’s served as the mechanical contractor alongside general contractor Benike Construction

The scope of work on this project covered the full mechanical cooling and heating system for the facility. Schwickert’s installed three centrifugal Trane chillers, which are large, high-efficiency units designed to cool a building at scale. These are the workhorses of a commercial cooling system – reliable, powerful, and built for facilities that cannot afford downtime.

Alongside the chillers, the team installed a three-cell BAC cooling tower. The cooling tower is what pulls heat out of the system and keeps the chillers running efficiently. Without it, the whole cooling loop breaks down. To protect the quality of the water moving through that system, Schwickert’s also installed a Lakeos cooling tower basin scrubbers and filter system. In a healthcare environment, clean water in mechanical systems is not just about performance – it is about safety.

To complete the heating side of the project, the team put in Reznor gas fired unit heaters, along with miscellaneous plumbing fixtures throughout the facility.

Beyond the equipment itself, Schwickert’s fabricated and installed both the chilled water piping and the condenser water piping – the full network of pipes that connects the chillers to the cooling tower and keeps the entire system moving. If you want to understand more about what goes into commercial mechanical systems like this one, Schwickert’s handles the full scope from design to installation.

This is where the project got complicated – and where experience matters most.

Replacing three centrifugal chillers sounds straightforward on paper. In practice, it meant coordinating the removal and installation of large equipment while the facility still needed to maintain cooling throughout the process. To do that, the team had to keep one of the existing older air-cooled units running during the transition so the building never lost its cooling capacity.

Here is what made that especially tricky: the first chiller scheduled for removal happened to be in the best condition of the three. That meant the team could not simply start with the most worn-out unit and work their way down. The sequence had to be carefully planned to protect the building’s cooling at every stage, even when that meant working around equipment that was still performing well.

On top of the sequencing challenge, close clearances inside the mechanical space made the cooling tower fabrication significantly more difficult. When you are working with large equipment in a tight room, there is very little margin for error. Every piece has to be measured, fabricated, and placed exactly right – because there is no room to adjust once it is in.

A lot of mechanical contractors can install equipment. Fewer can manage the live system coordination that a project like this requires. What Schwickert’s brought to Mayo Clinic Albert Lea was not just the technical skill to install the equipment – it was the planning and field experience to keep the hospital running the entire time.

That kind of project management is especially critical in healthcare. These facilities operate around the clock. A disruption to the mechanical system is not just an inconvenience – it can directly impact patient care. Schwickert’s understands that, and it shapes how the team approaches every decision on a healthcare job, from sequencing the work to managing the tight spaces where large equipment has to fit.

This is also the kind of project that benefits from having an experienced fabrication team in-house. Rather than waiting on outside vendors, Schwickert’s fabricated the piping systems directly, which gives the team control over quality and schedule. That in-house capability is one of the reasons projects like this finish on time even when the conditions are difficult.

For a look at another project where Schwickert’s navigated complex mechanical and coordination challenges, check out the Eide Bailly Center project profile to see how the team managed a large multi-trade commercial build from the ground up.

Schwickert’s completed the Mayo Clinic Albert Lea project on time and exceeded expectations — in a live healthcare facility, with close clearances, and with a sequencing challenge that required careful coordination from start to finish.

That is what good mechanical work looks like in a high-stakes environment. Not just getting the equipment in, but managing every step of the process so the building and the people inside it are never compromised.

Whether you are managing aging equipment, planning a full system replacement, or navigating a project in an occupied facility, Schwickert’s has the experience to handle it. We work across healthcare, commercial, and industrial settings throughout Minnesota and beyond. Contact us today to start a conversation about your project – and find out what Schwickert’s can do for you.

When a brand-new seven-story building goes up in the heart of Mankato, a lot has to happen behind the walls and above the ceilings before it’s ready for people to move in. The Eide Bailly Center is a striking example of what it takes to bring a modern commercial building to life – and Schwickert’s Tecta America played a major role in making it happen.

From the mechanical systems that keep the building comfortable and functional, to the eye-catching exterior panels that give it its distinctive look, Schwickert’s was on the job from the ground up. Here’s a closer look at what the team delivered.

The Eide Bailly Center is a seven-story commercial building in Mankato, Minnesota, developed by Neubau Holdings and designed by ISG. General contractor Knutson Construction led the overall build, with Schwickert’s serving in two key roles: mechanical contractor and architectural sheet metal contractor. The project kicked off in June 2019 and was completed in October 2019.

Before a building like the Eide Bailly Center can welcome a single tenant, it needs a full mechanical backbone. That means heating, cooling, plumbing, and drainage systems. These systems are not only functional, but built to support whatever businesses eventually move in. That’s exactly what Schwickert’s mechanical team delivered.

The job started at the top – literally. Large HVAC units were lifted and set into place on the roof by crane, a complex operation that requires precise coordination and an experienced crew. From those rooftop air handling units, the team ran large duct systems down through the building. The ductwork stretches to every floor, making sure conditioned air could flow to every corner of the space.

Keeping people warm is just as important as keeping them cool, so the team also installed hot water heat throughout each floor of the building. This kind of system is reliable, efficient, and well-suited for a Minnesota climate where winters can be brutal.

On the plumbing side, Schwickert’s installed full restrooms on three floors. They also handled storm drainage for both the building itself and the adjacent parking ramp, making sure rainwater and snowmelt have a clear path out of the structure. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes work that most people never think about, but without it, a building simply doesn’t function.

All of this was designed with future tenants in mind. Because the building was built to support a variety of businesses and uses, the mechanical systems needed to be flexible and ready for whatever build-outs would come later. Schwickert’s made sure that foundation was solid.

If the mechanical work is what makes the Eide Bailly Center function, the exterior panels are what make it stand out. Schwickert’s architectural sheet metal team was responsible for the building’s entire outer skin — and the result is something worth noticing.

The team installed 13,600 square feet of aluminum composite material, known as ACM, using Schwickert’s own WS-100 Wet-Seal system. ACM panels are a popular choice for modern commercial buildings because they’re lightweight, durable, and can be fabricated into clean, precise shapes that give a building a sharp, professional appearance.

For this project, two different finishes were used to create a layered, intentional look. Floors one through three feature Alpolic’s 4MM Fire Retardant material in a unique OGM Matte Green finish. Floors four through seven switch to Alpolic’s 4MM FR material in OPT Mica, a softer, complementary tone. Together, the two finishes work beautifully alongside the heavy use of locally quarried limestone and curtain wall glazing throughout the building’s design – a nod to the region’s natural materials and character.

But the visual result is only part of the story. Beneath the panels, the team installed a thermally broken furring system over the building’s exterior insulation sheathing. This is an important detail – a thermally broken system helps prevent heat from transferring through the building’s exterior, improving energy efficiency and protecting the structure long-term.

What makes this project stand out isn’t just the square footage – it’s the coordination required to deliver two completely different roofing systems on the same building, on the same schedule, without disrupting an active public facility.

What made this project especially complex was the level of precision required to pull it off. Every single furring channel and clip – approximately 10,000 of them – was laid out using CAD-based software. Each clip attaches a panel in its own unique spot on the building, meaning no two placements were exactly alike. That kind of custom, detail-oriented work requires serious planning and expertise.

To make it all work logistically, every panel was fabricated at Schwickert’s own shop in Mankato and delivered to the job site as needed. This was especially important because there was little to no storage space available on site. Having an in-house fabrication facility nearby made it possible to keep the project moving without delays or bottlenecks.

The Eide Bailly Center is the kind of project that showcases what Schwickert’s does best – showing up for complex, multi-trade work and delivering results that are built to last. From crane-set rooftop HVAC units to all of the precisely placed exterior panels, every piece of this project required skill, coordination, and attention to detail.

The building stands today as a landmark in downtown Mankato, and Schwickert’s is proud to have played a role in bringing it to life – from the inside out.

Whether you need mechanical systems, architectural sheet metal, or both, Schwickert’s Tecta America has the experience and the team to handle it. Contact us today to talk about your project and find out what we can do for you.

When the City of Rochester needed a roofing solution for one of its most heavily used public facilities, they turned to Schwickert’s Tecta America. The Rochester Recreation Center is a busy, multi-use sports complex that serves the community year-round – and keeping it protected from the elements is no small job. This project covered 77,000 square feet across two very different environments: an active ice rink and an indoor pool. Each one came with its own set of challenges, and each one required a completely different roofing system to get it right.

From September 2024 through June 2025, our team delivered a customized, multi-system solution that protected every inch of this facility – on time and built to last.

Not all commercial roofs are the same, and this project is a perfect example of why one-size-fits-all solutions don’t work for complex facilities. The Rochester Rec Center presented two distinct environments under one roof – literally.

The pool area creates a high-moisture environment. Heat, humidity, and condensation work constantly against the building envelope, making vapor control a top priority. Without the right system in place, moisture infiltration can compromise insulation, damage structure, and lead to costly long-term problems.

The ice rink is a different challenge entirely. Cold surfaces, temperature differentials, and the mechanical demands of a working arena require a roofing system with serious durability and long-term performance credentials. The materials and methods used over a rink have to hold up under conditions that would wear out lesser systems quickly.

Schwickert’s addressed each section with the right tool for the job – and the expertise to execute both at the same time.

For the pool areas, the team started by repairing the existing vapor barrier – a critical first step in any high-humidity environment. Getting the vapor barrier right protects the insulation and the structure beneath it from the moisture that pools and natatoriums generate constantly.

Once the vapor barrier was in solid shape, new insulation was installed to bring the thermal performance of the roof up to standard. The team then applied Carlisle 60 mil TPO membrane using a cold process installation method.

TPO, thermoplastic polyolefin, is one of the most widely trusted single-ply roofing membranes in commercial construction. At 60 mil thickness, it offers exceptional puncture resistance, UV protection, and long-term weatherability. The cold process installation was the right call for this environment, allowing the work to proceed without introducing open-flame or high-heat methods near an occupied facility with sensitive indoor conditions.

The result is a roof system that handles Minnesota weather on the outside while protecting the delicate humidity balance on the inside.

The ice rink sections called for a completely different approach. For these areas, Schwickert’s installed a multi-layer Garland Built-Up Roofing system – a time-tested method that delivers outstanding durability for demanding commercial applications.

Built-up roofing, commonly called BUR, gets its name from the way it’s constructed: in layers. Each layer builds on the last, creating a roof system with serious depth and redundancy. Here’s how Schwickert’s built it out for the Rochester Rec Center:

The system started with two base plies, providing the foundational layers of the assembly. Over the base plies, a modified field membrane was installed, adding flexibility and resistance to thermal movement – important in any climate, but especially in Minnesota where temperature swings are significant. A modified flashing membrane followed, reinforcing the critical transition points where the roof meets walls, curbs, and penetrations. These spots are where most roofs fail first, so getting the flashing right is essential. The system was finished with a flood coat and gravel surfacing, applied with hot asphalt. The flood coat seals everything together, and the gravel surfacing provides UV protection, ballast, and fire resistance while giving the roof the rugged, proven finish that BUR systems are known for.

This is not a lightweight or temporary solution. It is a heavy-duty, commercial-grade roofing assembly built to protect a high-traffic public facility for decades.

What makes this project stand out isn’t just the square footage – it’s the coordination required to deliver two completely different roofing systems on the same building, on the same schedule, without disrupting an active public facility.

The Rochester Recreation Center was in use throughout much of the project. That means the Schwickert’s team had to manage sequencing, material staging, and daily operations around a functioning building – the kind of logistical challenge that separates experienced commercial contractors from the rest.

From the first site visit in September 2024 to final completion in June 2025, the project stayed on track through a Minnesota winter, multiple material systems, and the demands of working on a government facility with public accountability. Every phase was coordinated, every system was installed to specification, and the finished product was delivered on schedule.

The Rochester Recreation Center is a great example of what Schwickert’s Tecta America does best – showing up for complex, large-scale projects and delivering the right solution for every part of the job. Whether your facility has one roof system or five, our team has the experience, the materials, and the coordination capability to handle it from start to finish. If you have a commercial roofing project coming up, we’d love to talk. Contact Schwickert’s Tecta America today to get a quote and find out what the right roofing system looks like for your building.

What began as targeted leak repairs for the State Bank of Faribault, evolved into a 12,100 square foot commercial roofing project for our Commercial Roofing Team. This roof replacement took place after a detailed on-site evaluation, which revealed the long-term value of addressing the entire system at once.