Building Fires and Boiling Water: The Generosity and Expertise Powering Calvin's Infrastructure Renewal
When most people think about supporting a university, they imagine scholarships, new buildings, or classroom technology. Very few think about boilers—the unseen giants that quietly provide the heat keeping students, faculty, and staff comfortable throughout the year. But for John Wiesehan, an accomplished engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of Protherm Corporation, helping Calvin University modernize its heating infrastructure was the perfect fit.
At 74 years old, Wiesehan still brings the same energy and expertise that built Protherm into a national leader in steam generation, heat transfer, and energy conservation systems for industrial manufacturing plants. And in Calvin’s case, his generosity is helping rebuild two critical boilers at the university’s Science Building power plant—equipment that literally keeps the campus running.
“These boilers run 24/7, 365 days a year,” said Brett Hoogewind, Calvin’s associate director of facilities for mechanical, energy management, and sustainability. “If we lost one—or both—it would be devastating. They’ve been in service for decades, and many of the parts are obsolete. John saw that and offered to help.”
What makes Wiesehan’s contribution remarkable isn’t just his financial support, but the depth of his personal involvement. After touring Calvin’s mechanical rooms and campus infrastructure, Wiesehan offered to design, fund, and help install custom-engineered components for the boilers—including new burners and controls that will make the system more efficient and easier to maintain.
Making a significant investment
“He designed everything,” Hoogewind said. “The burners were custom-made specifically for our system. He’s not just donating equipment—he’s donating his expertise, training our team, and walking us through every detail of the installation.”
The project, which began earlier this fall, will extend the life of Calvin’s boilers by decades, reducing natural gas and water use while improving reliability and safety. The new system includes advanced controls capable of self-diagnosing problems—saving time, money, and energy.
“If we had to replace the boilers entirely, we’d be looking at more than half a million dollars,” said Hoogewind. “John’s work is saving the university hundreds of thousands of dollars and setting us up for another 30 years of reliable heat and hot water.”
The why behind the work
Wiesehan’s connection to Calvin runs through his son, Chris, a Calvin graduate who spoke highly of his time at the university. That connection—and a shared Christian commitment—motivated Wiesehan to give back in a uniquely practical way.
“He’s one of those rare people who wants to help with the things no one else sees,” Hoogewind said. “He believes in the mission of Calvin and wants to make sure our facilities match the excellence happening in the classroom.”
Beyond the boilers, Wiesehan has already expressed interest in helping with future projects, including potential plans for a new power plant.
“John is an engineer at heart,” said Hoogewind. “He’s always thinking ahead. After we gave him a tour of our infrastructure, he called me one Friday night and said, “looks like you need help with the elevators and the boilers. I’ll take the boilers.”
Creating opportunities for students
The project also provides learning opportunities for Calvin’s engineering students. The facilities team has invited student groups to observe and learn from the renovation process - offering a real-world look at applied engineering, HVAC design, and sustainability.
“Our students are passionate about energy conservation,” Hoogewind said. “This project lets them see how it happens behind the scenes - how thoughtful design and maintenance can make a huge difference.”
Serving with excellence, supporting sustainability
Providing quality service has been John’s philosophy. “Building fires and boiling water sounds like an ordinary mission and it is. But we succeed when we do ordinary things extraordinarily well. We provide our customers with energy-efficient durable operator-friendly equipment and control systems. We commission and service the equipment. We train our customers to operate it, provide their spare parts and give them our cell numbers to call any time. When the next project comes up, there isn’t much competition.”
As Calvin continues to invest in campus sustainability - from solar panels to geothermal systems - the boiler rebuild represents a less visible but equally important step toward long-term energy efficiency and reliability.
“This is a huge step forward,” Hoogewind said. “We’ll use less natural gas, less water, and have systems that are easier to maintain. But most importantly, it shows what can happen when generosity meets expertise. John’s gift is keeping Calvin warm and helping us build a more sustainable future.”
