After a turbulent 2020, 2021 is promising to be a year of rebuilding and growth in the commercial real estate industry. Confidence is rising in the market and companies are eager to return to normalcy, challenging the construction industry to meet demands after a year of idled progress. The good news is that there are reasons to be optimistic for the future of construction, but not without lingering questions. How fast are costs escalating? What sectors are hot?
Here’s what you can expect in the marketplace in Q2 in a quick and easy read.
The Federal Savings Bank chose to build their new 50,000 sf headquarters in The Fields building in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, after relocating from the West Loop. This buildout was the first of its kind in the historic building that boasts 17’ deck heights and massive floorplates, just a couple attributes that nod to the building’s history as the EW Olsen Rug factory. The HQ includes a reception and boardroom area, private offices, huddle rooms, lounges, a large pantry and all-hands assembly area, a training room and a telepresence room. The ACCEND team delivered the first generation space alongside building common corridors and restroom amenity spaces.
The Skyline family of companies is excited to announce the opening of a new office in San Diego, CA, a major step in the company’s nationwide expansion plan. With this new location, we will service clients throughout Southern California including Orange County, the Inland Empire and San Diego, complementing the company’s existing locations in Seattle, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area.
We are proud to announce ACCEND has been crowned the Industry Innovator of 2020! After seeing the challenges that COVID created in the workplace, our team worked hard to establish protocols and technologies to keep the construction industry thriving. Learn how ACCEND has changed the industry, allowing for businesses to adapt to the new norm.
Skyline Construction Enterprises, Inc. announced today the acquisition of Seattle-based UNIMARK Construction Group LLC and its sister company Servicemark LLC, a major step in the commercial real estate and construction holding company’s nationwide expansion plan. With this acquisition, the Skyline family of companies is able to offer growth and expansion opportunities throughout Seattle, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Few cities in the world are as synonymous with building and architecture as Chicago. We invented the skyscraper, built some of the world’s largest buildings, reversed the flow of the Chicago River to protect our drinking water supply, and more, leaving generations to marvel at the city’s drive to push the limits of design and engineering. Much has been made of Chicago’s dire pension debt, population drain and concerning economic outlook, and real estate investors are right to be cautious. One recent industry survey of real estate investors ranked Chicago near the top of a global list of cities where investors planned to scale back their funding exposure in 2020.
Despite Chicago’s well-documented challenges, the city’s commercial development market is robust and thriving thanks to advantages other large cities lack. Anyone who has worked as a builder in large cities outside of Chicago, as I have, understands the limits of the dollar. Congestion in and around major cities on the East Coast and the political and planning roadblocks that come with it are barriers to smart, efficient building and test a developer’s patience at every turn. The same can be said for large and densely populated cities on the West Coast…
San Francisco, CA-based Skyline Construction is expanding into the Chicago market with the launch of ACCEND Construction, which will have a significant component of employee ownership.
ACCEND is a general contracting firm with a fresh philosophy and approach to commercial construction led by Andy MacGregor, an industry veteran who has headed some of Chicago’s largest projects in this space.
By utilizing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, ACCEND says it is one of very few general contractors to offer every employee the opportunity to be an owner.
MacGregor brings 20 years of experience in the Chicago construction market to ACCEND. He led teams to build some of the region’s largest, most complex and creative tech spaces including 1871, Facebook, Google and Motorola Mobility’s world headquarters at the Merchandise Mart, one of the largest interior spaces ever built in the city….
ACCEND Construction LLC has opened its doors for business in Chicago. The general contracting firm is led by Andy MacGregor, president, an industry veteran who has headed some of Chicago’s largest projects in this space. The company will use an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), making it one of the few general contractors to offer every single employee the opportunity to be an owner.
MacGregor brings 20 years of experience in the Chicago construction market to ACCEND. He led teams to build some of the region’s largest, most complex and creative tech spaces including 1871, Facebook, Google and Motorola Mobility’s world headquarters at the Merchandise Mart, which is one of the largest interior spaces ever built in the city. In addition, he led teams to build notable projects for JP Morgan Chase, Dentons and Fletcher Jones, among others. MacGregor was motivated to branch out on his own to build the company he always envisioned and shake up the industry’s status quo, which has typically rewarded firm partners, not the entire organization…
