Navy Pier Inc., the non-profit operator of Chicago's Navy Pier, is seeking proposals from private developers to finance, construct and operate a 150- to 225-room hotel on the 30-acre property, currently Illinois' largest tourist attraction. As planned, the five-story hotel would be sited atop a two-story facility currently housing restaurant and entertainment uses. The hotel also would be sited adjacent to an existing 170,000-sq-ft exhibit hall. Pier officials at a community meeting last week indicated a hotel and other planned renovations would help transition the 98-year-old-property from a seasonal “carnival”-like attraction to a year-round venue more focused on landscaping and
The nation's mighty industrial engine is beginning to rev up. The problem is that much of the activity, construction included, is occurring outside the Midwest, putting a drag on regional recovery.
The forward shell and sections of the cutterhead were first to arrive. Later came motors, hydraulic cylinders and other parts that were scavenged from other tunneling machines around the world.
JohnsonAndrew J. Johnson has been named vice president and Jeffrey J. Krusinski executive vice president with Oak Brook, Ill.-based Krusinski Construction Co. Additionally, the firm has named Gina M. Krusinski vice president and Rick Drews senior project superintendent. Related Links: ENR Midwest People Showcase ENR People Showcase Jack Sbertoli has been named senior project manager with Skokie, Ill.-based developer and contractor Missner Group. A 10-year industry veteran with extensive engineering expertise, Sbertoli is managing projects from preconstruction to completion while coordinating among clients, architects and engineers. He previously was a project manager with Missner and holds a degree in civil
Misalignment of star markets plunged its regional revenue into a free-fall in the wake of the recession, but Southfield, Mich.-based contractor Barton Malow Co. has soared back on the strength of a better business model and organizational blueprint.
The Chicago Landmarks Commission on Thursday unanimously approved plans for $575 million in additions and renovations to 100-year-old Wrigley Field, home to Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. Plans include more outfield signage and commercial uses than a plan the commission approved in 2013. The Cubs submitted new plans to the city in May after breaking off negotiations with 15 neighborhood rooftop owners, who threatened to sue over signage included in the 2013 plan. While the earlier plan called for a pair of signs, including a jumbotron-like video board in left field, current plans feature as many seven, including a 3,990-sq-ft
Hudsonville, Mich.-based Lamar Construction, a 280-employee firm specializing in government, health-care and educational facilities, discontinued its construction operations in early July, resulting in 180 job losses. A company statement issued on July 9 cited “current economic conditions” for the closure, which included operations in Colorado and Kentucky. Lamar indicated it would continue operation of its structural-steel division. The company reported revenues of $151 million in 2013, $180.2 million in 2012 and $217.8 million in 2011. It ranks at No. 355 on ENR's list of the Top 400 Contractors, although that was a drop from its No. 308 position in the
Midwest construction backlogs inched upward in the first quarter, from 5.51 months to 6.16 months, but finished a distant fourth behind those of other U.S. regions, according to data compiled by Washington, D.C.-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Among other factors. ABC attributes the lag to “highly constrained public budgets” in major metro markets, including Chicago and Detroit. “When Chicago and Detroit continue to stumble, that limits how much the region can recover,” says ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Chicago continues to be burdened by high tax rates and underfunded pensions. Though it is attracting capital, Detroit has one of
A county corner has determined the June 13 death of a construction worker at the Deep Rock Tunnel Connector (DRTC) site in Indianapolis was the result of a head injury. Twenty-five-year-old William Simpson died of “massive crushing blunt force traumatic injury of the head,” Alfarena Ballew, chief deputy Marion County coroner indicated Monday. Although Ballew ruled the injury an accident, it remains unclear how the incident occurred. Simpson was killed more than 250 feet below grade while working on an overnight shift for the project, an eight-mile tube utility Citizens Energy Group (CEG) is constructing eliminate raw sewage overflows. Simpson,
Utility officials say it is unclear whether the death of a construction worker at the Deep Rock Tunnel-Connector (DRTC) site in Indianapolis was the result of an accident or a medical condition. Twenty-five-year-old William Isacc Simpson died more than 250 feet below grade early Friday morning while working on an overnight shift for the project, an eight-mile tube intended to help prevent raw sewage overflows when completed in 2017. Simpson, one of eight to 10 workers excavating the tunnel when the incident occurred, was employed by a joint venture of Walnut, Calif.-based J.F. Shea Construction Co. Inc. and Omaha, Neb.-based