March 23, 2023 at 11:43 a.m.
Minocqua ad hoc committee to pursue bringing Holtz Builders solution to town board
By Trevor Greene-
During the group's March 16 meeting, Holtz Companies president Dan Bullock told the members about two companies that fall under the umbrella of the Lake Delton-based Holtz Companies - Holtz Builders and International Residence Hall.
He said Holtz Builders is a company which began in the 1970s as a single family residential builder. About 15 years ago, the company transitioned into a general contractor of commercial buildings.
Holtz Builders works around the country with the company's specialty being the hospitality industry, he noted.
Most recently, Bullock said the company built a water slide at Mt. Olympus waterpark in the Wisconsin Dells called "Medusa's Slidewheel." It's the first of its kind in the country and the third of its kind in the world. It's won multiple awards, he added.
"So we do anything from simple to very complex and very unique," Bullock said.
He then transitioned to talking about International Residence Hall, the other company owned by Holtz Companies, saying it's probably "a little bit more applicable" to what the committee's objectives are.
The organization started about 12 to 13 years ago and primarily serves individuals who have J1 visas, he said.
International Residence Hall, Bullock said, builds housing complexes that custom fit communities who host foreign exchange students for seasonal work. He explained the business's concept began in the Wisconsin Dells, which focuses on giving exchange students an American experience first and foremost.
"So (business leaders in the Wisconsin Dells) realized a solution had to be provided for workers (year-round)," he said. "So the J1 program, for example, is an exchange program, it's not a worker program. The J1 students do come to the Dells. We build dormitory style, seasonal workforce housing for visa holders ... Wisconsin Dells, Lake Delton now has 10 (complexes). We own and operate six of them on a single campus. The other four we built for private operations."
The six resident buildings, Bullock noted, hold 1,421 students when full. He described the buildings themselves as "college dorms on steroids."
Committee member Krystal Westfahl compared the complexes to hostels.
"Our focus, and this is based on what the U.S. Department of State runs, (they) run a lot of these visa programs ... they view this as a cultural exchange," Bullock said. "So the experience these individuals have is a top priority. We're creating ambassadors is what they say. So when we design this housing and operate this housing we have to be very particular that we're creating that overall very positive experience for these guests."
With International Residence Halls building and operating the complexes, Bullock said one of its main concerns is hiring security for students.
He added that to bring the U.S. experience to students, the company also engages with the community and works with local organizations.
"Like many employers, they don't want to be in the housing game," Bullock said. "So we provide that to them and everybody in the community. And the good thing is our smallest company who needs one bed has the same service as our largest customer, which is Mt. Olympus, but it's the same everything. It's the same security, it's the same amenities, it's the same Wi-Fi ... it's a way to serve the community fully and equally."
International Residence Hall operates around the country. Bullock said operations in other states just started "a few years ago" because it took some time to "dial-in" with how the company manages the housing complexes.
Bullock also pointed out that the Wisconsin Dells is the number one host of J1 visa students in the country because of what it can offer for housing, hosting a total of 5,300 students.
"Why is that possible or how is that possible that our small little 5,000 person community can do that?" he asked. "Because we have the housing and we know how to run it. And we satisfy the needs of the U.S. Department of State ... so we have become the nation's leader, in fact I believe we are the only company doing this around the country, in housing international visa holding guests."
One other thing Bullock noted was his relationship to Minocqua and the Lakeland area in particular. When he was growing up, his family would spend time on Blue Lake, he noted.
"So I'm a little familiar with your community and I have a little place in my heart for that because we still do go up," he said. "But that is why we came to this conversation, not only because it seems like you have a need we can meet but also there is a bit of a special place in our hearts for your area."
Committee chairman Scott Meitus wondered if International Residence Hall conducts community evaluations to determine what specific facility needs there are, including how many visa students are needed and if it would be economically viable. He asked if the town needs to present the company with an evaluation.
Bullock said the company tries to "make it as easy as possible" for the town.
"We do everything," he said. "We come to the community, we engage with the sponsors, we will hold town halls. We have a form that we would send out to employers that says two things. It asks number one, what is your current need for J1 students. And then number two, if housing wasn't an issue, then what would your appetite be for J1 visas ... because oftentimes we get two very different answers."
Bullock referred to International Residence Hall as a "full turnkey" company, doing everything from community evaluations, feasibility and design to construction and operation.
"Now that doesn't mean we won't come to you and ask for things," he said.
"You know, maybe we want some tax abatement for a little while or maybe there's a piece of land that the municipality has to make the numbers work. Because the other side of this is when we come to your community ... our commitment back to you is ... we're not going to come to your community and charge $250 a bed, because nobody will come."
Weekly rent for International Residence Hall complexes range from $100 to $150 per bed per week. The visa students will typically pay that expense, according to Bullock, but sometimes employers will compensate that cost partially or fully.
Westfahl said one of the requirements for a J1 visa housing complex is it would need to be built within certain limits of the town of Minocqua and not too far away from its businesses.
She asked what the footprint for a complex could look like.
Bullock explained that the standard building the company offers is a three-story building that is 12,442 square feet per floor, which can house 304 people. However, he stressed that the company can custom fit building size to a community's needs.
Meitus said an acre could be more than enough needed for a building footprint of just under 12,500 square feet.
He asked how the process starts with regard to beginning a project within a community.
"What we do is we would take a site visit up there, and maybe there's one or more sites we take a look at, we would evaluate the sites based on location, service to employers etc.," Bullock said. "Once we hone in on a location, then we engage the engineering firm and they would do a site layout and they would show what the possible maximum density of that site could be ... so we would ask to maybe ask for a piece of property with the capability for growth ... so once the land is identified we would do a sample layout ... and then once we kind of have agreement on that, then we would go through the process of putting the budget together (and so on)."
"That's great," Meitus said after meeting with Bullock. "Let's get them up here."
The committee also discussed potentially taking a "field trip" to the Wisconsin Dells to tour some of the complexes Holtz Companies has built, though it wasn't formally agreed upon.
"But like (Bullock) said, I didn't realize (Holtz) had this connection to Minocqua, and he was very interested in helping us succeed," Westfahl said. "So that makes me feel all the good feelings."
"So like I said if we can do this without any real cost, I mean even if it's a tax abatement, I mean that's fairly easy," Meitus said. "That would really help (and) it would help kick off this whole process."
Overall, the consensus among the committee members was that the opportunity presented by Bullock is a "no-brainer."
At one point, committee member Erika Petersen said it "sounded too good to be true."
Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].
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