CORE TEAM

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Even as a kid in Union, Iowa, Mike Muhlena loved building things. His first job after high school, working for a concrete construction company, sparked what has turned out to be a lifelong interest in structural and architectural concrete.

After earning a college degree in Construction Technology, in 1993 Mike was recruited to the International Engineering and Technical Services division of Western Forms (Kansas City, Missouri). For the next five years, he worked on projects throughout the world, from Mexico and South America to Southeast Asia.

Mike’s credentials and design skills eventually took him to the San Francisco Bay area, where he expanded his experience in large-scale commercial concrete construction. By 2001, he was back in the Midwest, opening a branch office for RJS & Associates, specializing in cast-in-place concrete foundations and structures.

Thirteen years later, having built with a solid reputation in the Des Moines area and a strong connection with two like-minded local contractors, Mike co-founded Core Construction Services.

Mike and his wife Kelly have two kids in high school. In addition to cheering his kids on in their sports, Mike enjoys traveling, gardening and a good microbrew beer.

Mike Muhlena

PARTNER

Mike Ogle

A construction project manager with a focus on concrete construction and general contracting, Mike Ogle has been in and around jobsites in the Des Moines area for his entire life. Both his father and grandfather were carpenters with Local 106, and Mike learned the trade from them, spending school breaks at his father’s jobsites and weekends honing his skills — and his work ethic — on their side jobs.

He knows how valuable that early experience was. “Working with my grandpa and dad taught me a lot about hard work. If you say you are going to do something, you do everything possible to follow through with it.”

After high school, Mike joined the Carpenters Local and spent the next 10 years building proficiency in general carpentry, concrete formwork and site management on a variety of commercial, industrial and residential projects. In 2015, he joined forces with Core Construction Services, where he is committed to implementing solutions that improve productivity, reduce costs and achieve client goals.

The highlight of Mike’s life is family time with wife Katie, daughter Ana and their dogs Honey and Yogi. He enjoys cooking, especially mastering the art of the barbecue.

PARTNER

Jesse Miller

PARTNER

Jesse Miller comes from a long line of tradesmen. After toying with the idea of becoming an architect, he took a summer job on a construction site in 1998 and never looked back.

The past 20-plus years have given him thorough working knowledge of modern construction practices, along with plenty of experience in formwork and all types of commercial carpentry, from scaffolding and wood framing to fine trim work. As a general superintendent on a wide range of high-profile projects across Iowa, Jesse’s ability to coordinate complex tasks, timelines and trades has stood him in good stead.

Jesse and his wife Marie lead busy lives with their dogs and a thriving coffee business. Together they restored and retrofitted an old Volkswagen bus, turning it into a mobile coffee shop, from which Marie now serves coffees and specialty drinks around Central Iowa.