Minnesota Icons 2024: Ken Styrlund

JE Dunn Construction

Ken Styrlund, senior vice president of JE Dunn Construction, soon to retire after nearly 50 years in the industry, remembers when his interest in the field began: “As a young boy sitting on my grandparents’ porch, I was fascinated by watching trucks and cranes at work building a bank near their house,” he said. Then in high school, Styrlund took drafting courses and started learning about architecture and the building industry.

At the University of Minnesota, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, and became interested in structures and finishes used in ancient methods of building — knowledge that served him well for decades in supervising distinctive restoration and renovation projects, among them:

• The historic and complex renovations of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Children’s Theatre Company.
• The conversion of a 90-year-old industrial building into artist lofts and apartments now known as Lowertown Commons in St. Paul.
• Major projects at several University of Minnesota campuses, including the interior of Northrop Memorial Auditorium at the U of M Twin Cities — a project that involved the creation of two balconies where there had been one: “We had to demolish from the inside; it was like building a ship inside a bottle.”

Add to those, many Target stores and distribution centers, including a 1.1 million-square-foot center situated between Milwaukee and Madison. His newest project: steel and mass timber work for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, set to open in 2026. The library is unique in design because it honors Roosevelt’s value of respecting the terrain and sustainability.

Styrlund attributes his success as a leader to mentors he has had over the years: “They gave me chances and they taught me. I work well with others. I’m a continuous learner, a problem solver instead of a problem bringer.” He appreciates his education so much so that for 20 years he has served as an adjunct instructor at the U of M. And he’s very pleased to have hired some former students.

Styrlund is a World War II buff and loves to tell the story of J.E. Dunn, who founded the company 100 years ago: The company got a defense contract in World War II that yielded a profit of $200,000. “Mr. Dunn didn’t feel right about that,” Styrlund said, “so he gave the money back to the government.”