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Skender Modular Factory

Skender Modular Factory

Skender is revolutionizing how the industry builds with a radically advanced, seamless approach to modular building. Fully run by the skilled craftsmanship of union labor, Skender’s soon-to-launch modular factory produces steel, multi-story, urban buildings for multifamily, hospitality and healthcare projects. Entirely new building possibilities are about to take shape in Skender’s 105,000-SF Chicago factory on the southwest side, right off of I-55.

Everything you thought you knew about modular is going to change. Faster, greener, safer, stronger, more cost effective, and unmatched in quality, Skender reinvents modular construction as only it can. A groundbreaking application of an integrated design, manufacturing and construction model, the Skender modular process combines the most cutting-edge manufacturing practices with data-driven technology, proprietary processes and unbound creative vision. It completely customizes the building experience, giving clients the choice of conventional on-site work, a fully executed off-site modular build, or any level of hybrid combination.

This is the future of the craft, miles away from how it’s always been done. Skender is the first fully integrated modular solution in the Midwest. Come see why Skender was just named one of the “world’s most innovative companies” by Fast Company.

Speakers and Panels

Mark Skender
Opening Remarks

Mark Skender

CEO

Skender

Mark Skender

Opening Remarks

Skender

Since joining the firm in 1989, Mark has played an integral role in the development of the company’s long-term vision, strategic direction, organizational design, and values. He oversees the firm’s operations and is responsible for innovating the way Skender delivers projects. As a pioneer in Chicago’s Lean construction movement, Mark helped create and implement Skender’s industry-leading approach to Lean project delivery. He is also the visionary behind Skender’s integration of design, manufacturing and construction, as well as the firm’s breakthrough modular offering, which earned Skender recognition in 2019 as one of the “world’s most innovative companies,” according to Fast Company. Mark is a board member of the Illinois Housing Council and sits on the board of trustees for Frances Xavier Warde Schools in Chicago. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Major Projects Changing the Region

Gary Pachucki

Gary Pachucki

Founder & President

IBT Group

Benjamin Brichta

Benjamin Brichta

Partner

The X Company

Peter Ousley

Peter Ousley

Business Development Director

d'Escoto

Tina Bird
Moderator

Tina Bird

Partner

Freeborn & Peters LLP

Gary Pachucki

Founder & President

IBT Group

Mr. Pachucki is Founder and Principal of the IBT Group LLC, which focuses on creative urban

developments in metropolitan areas. Current projects include 1200 Fulton, a full-block creative

office, retail and entertainment complex in the West Fulton Market area of Chicago.

Mr. Pachucki is responsible for strategic management of all development activities for IBT Group

including pipeline, acquisition, financing, planning, leasing and project execution. He has over

30 years of real estate experience and has been involved in the development of over ten million

of square feet of office, residential and retail space throughout the country during his career.

Prior to the formation of the IBT Group, Mr. Pachucki started and oversaw retail development in

the Midwest for Opus Group of Companies, a family owned real estate company which was one

of the largest privately held real estate companies in the country.

Prior to OPUS he spent several years with Balcor as Vice president where he was responsible for

an extensive national portfolio of 2,000,000 square feet of commercial space and 60,000

residential units. An architect by training, Mr. Pachucki spent several years with at the time the

largest architectural firm in Wisconsin, Mochon, Schutte, Hackworthy & Juerisson, where he was

involved in various aspects of the design process for institutional and commercial buildings

including airports, schools and residential projects.

Mr. Pachucki graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in

Architecture and also completed graduate level studies at the University of Wisconsin Graduate

School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Benjamin Brichta

Partner

The X Company

Bringing his architectural experience to his role at X, Ben oversees all aspects of project delivery. He has a particular passion for incorporating compelling public spaces and programming into the portfolio, focusing on the intersection of art, design, and technology.

You can typically find Ben in a hard hat on site, but when he’s not traveling you can find him at his L Logan Square apartment with his wife and pittie mix pup, Dosa.

Peter Ousley

Business Development Director

d'Escoto

Mr. Ousley is the lead representative and a point of contact for the professional service clients of d’Escoto Inc. He directs the principals responsible for project organization, operations, logistics and compliance. Mr. Ousley works to coordinate overall planning and implementation of all contract requirements. Additionally, Mr. Ousley leads the effort to develop business opportunities managing relationships among subcontractors, partners, and clients on behalf of d’Escoto.

Prior to joining d’Escoto, Mr. Ousley served as a Vice President and Public Sector Lead for Lendlease in Chicago. As Chief Operating Officer of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), he was responsible for overseeing the operation of the nation's second largest public transit system; serving Chicago and 40 neighboring communities. Mr. Ousley served as the First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Buildings and Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Aviation, where he managed more than 400 employees responsible for enforcing the Chicago Building Code and the real estate portfolio for both municipal airports, respectively.

To engage his civic obligations Mr. Ousley serves as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago. “Chicago Politics” is the focus of a course he has refined and enjoys leading each year as he works to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Tina Bird

Moderator

Freeborn & Peters LLP

Tina Bird is a Partner in the Real Estate Practice Group and her practice is nationwide, including contract drafting and negotiation, arbitrations, civil trials, mediations, claim preparation and mid-project analysis.

Tina represents material suppliers, subcontractors, contractors, construction managers, design-builders, architects, owners and sureties in every aspect of their business.

Before joining Freeborn, Tina was a Partner at Clark Hill PLC in the Firm's Construction, Business and Corporate Transactions, Litigation and Real Estate departments.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

Defended a construction company against breach of warranty claims as to construction of a subdivision of single-family homes.

Represented and was successful on behalf of many subcontractors in asserting mechanic’s lien claims on both public and private projects, and general contractors on private projects including the preparation of the actual liens and the prosecution of the lien litigation itself.

Represented large developers in breach of contract claims including projects in Maryland and Florida.

Negotiated multi-million dollar contracts for the construction of the Trump Tower and McCormick Place Expansion projects.

Successfully prosecuted multi-million dollar contractor claim concerning construction of the Cleveland Browns stadium.

Successfully appealed a trial court decision resulting in the creation of mechanic’s lien rights for trucking and hauling of construction material.

Represented large national developer in securing disputed zoning rights for construction of a multi-million dollar shopping center.

Construction Finance

How to Handle Rising Construction Costs & Labor Shortages

Shaylyn Cullen

Shaylyn Cullen

President

Cullen Construction Management

John McLinden

John McLinden

Managing Partner

Hubbard Street Group

Eli Ungar

Eli Ungar

Founder & Principal

Antheus Capital

Robin Ellerthorpe
Moderator

Robin Ellerthorpe

Strategic Account Executive

Invicara

Shaylyn Cullen

President

Cullen Construction Management

Shaylyn Cullen is the Founder and President of Cullen Construction Management. Over her 20-year career as a General Contractor and Owners Representative, Shaylyn has led projects ranging from apartments to office buildings, interior buildouts to airport renovations, LEED certified Outdoor Classrooms, Luxury High Rise residences as well as Cargo and Logistics facilities. These experiences have focused on all aspects of building from conceptual cost planning through final turnover. Her sharp focus on cost control provides clients a full service of design and change management which ensures that quality and costs are maintained. Shaylyn graduated from Marquette University with a B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and DePaul University with a Master’s in Business Administration. She spent 10 years at Lend

Lease, where she developed her preconstruction skills while also spending time in the field. Cullen CM is a City of Chicago certified Women’s Business Enterprise as well as a State of Illinois BEP Certified firm. Cullen works with clients of all types to fill any gaps in the development and construction process. They provide top level expertise to guide each stage of the project with respect to design, budget, constructability, schedule and quality. The Cullen team delivers creative and sensible solutions to any situation.

John McLinden

Managing Partner

Hubbard Street Group

John brings 30 years of real estate experience to Hubbard Street Group. Over his career, he has developed over $3 billion of institutional-grade commercial, residential and hotel properties across the country. John focuses his attention on HSG’s new development and investment activity in Chicago and other major markets.

John received a BBA and MBA from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

John loves traveling the world with his wife, friends and growing family. He enjoys road biking, skiing, golfing, hiking out west and good wine and food.

Robin Ellerthorpe

Moderator

Invicara

At Invicara, Robin helps clients assess how building information can help transform their businesses. With more than 25 years of industry experience, he combines his knowledge of architecture, finance, computer application development, organizational design, and strategic planning to help clients lower their total cost of construction and operations.

Robin is a registered architect, an AIA Fellow and a member of CoreNet Global. His research efforts on space occupancy resulted in a U.S. patent for measuring space utilization using remote wireless sensors tied to business intelligence tools for analytics. This technology earned Herman Miller a CoreNet Global H. Bruce Russell Award for innovation.

Robin holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a

Bachelor of Science in architectural building construction engineering technology from the

Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Fireside Chat With Commissioner Judy Frydland

Judy Frydland

Judy Frydland

Commissioner, Chicago Department of Buildings

City of Chicago

Jenny Han

Jenny Han

Director of Healthcare Design

Skender

Heather Morrison

Heather Morrison

Founder & President

MAP Strategies

Judy Frydland

Commissioner, Chicago Department of Buildings

City of Chicago

Judy Frydland serves as the Commissioner of the Department of Buildings for the City of Chicago.

The Department of Buildings is a 285‐person department with an annual budget of $37 million. The DOB enhances safety and quality of life for residents and visitors of the City of Chicago through permitting, inspections, trade licensing, and enforcement of the Chicago Building Code.

Since Commissioner Frydland’s appointment in 2015, the Department has implemented several reforms that have streamlined the permit process for all building projects, from single-family home renovations to large-scale developments, making it quicker and more efficient to obtain a permit than ever before. In 2017, the Buildings Department issued a record 48,408 permits. Under her leadership, the Department is modernizing City code to align with national and international standards. In fall 2017, Chicago became one of the first major cities to align with the National Electrical Code. The updated code improves safety requirements, advances sustainability, brings additional energy efficiency to Chicago’s booming building industry and can lower costs on electric bills for residents and businesses.

Prior to joining the Department of Buildings, Ms. Frydland spent 25 years in the Chicago Law Department working with various city departments, community groups and other stakeholders on the enforcement of building code, municipal health and business license regulations. In her role as Deputy Corporation Counsel for Building and Licensing Enforcement, Ms. Frydland enforced the city’s vacant building ordinance and implemented strategies aimed to preserve the city’s housing stock, closed down and revoked licenses for problem businesses engaging in criminal activity, actively preserved occupied residential buildings through circuit court litigation and city programs, aggressively prosecuted illegal signs and dangerous and hazardous rooftop water tanks, as well as enforced the Life Safety Evaluation (LSE) requirements for pre-1975 high-rise buildings.

Commissioner Frydland is the recipient of the 2018 “Labor Person of the Year” award from IBEW Local 134 and the 2018 “Building Industry Woman of the Year in Construction” award from the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago.

Ms. Frydland graduated from I.I.T. Chicago Kent College of Law, was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1990 and is a current member of the Chicago Bar Association. Ms. Frydland earned her law degree while working as a social worker and assistant administrator in a nursing home. Ms. Frydland also has a Master’s Degree in Community Health Care Planning and Administration.

Jenny Han

Director of Healthcare Design

Skender

A licensed architect with 25 years of experience, Jenny oversees Skender’s modular

architecture and design for healthcare projects. In her role as director of healthcare design, she

manages day-to-day design administration, including staffing, budgeting and planning.

Previously, Jenny led on-site design teams for capital projects at Rush University Medical

Center, where she supervised program management and design for a wide variety of campus-

wide initiatives, including interior renovations, master planning and programming, and

budgeting and forecasting. Since 1999, Jenny has mentored high school-aged immigrant and

refugee women with the Young Women Warriors (YWW) mentorship program. She has been a

board member since 2007 for the YWW’s parent organization, the Chinese Mutual Aid

Association, of which she is currently board chair. She also volunteers on the board of directors

for the Hanul Family Alliance. Jenny earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University

and a Master of Arts in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago.

Heather Morrison

Founder & President

MAP Strategies

Heather Morrison is the Founder and CEO of Morrison Architectural Planning Strategies, LLC, and

MAP Studio LLC, a WBE-licensed architecture firm. She is an architectural strategist and project

manager with a twenty-five year record of successfully managing large-scale architecture and

construction projects.

After working in the field of architecture for several years, and especially while project managing with

ZGF Architects for the Lurie Children's Hospital, she often observed significant inefficiencies in how

entitlement processes for permitting, code review, and licensing were managed. Changes in the

design often have to occur after the fact within this process, exacerbating inefficiencies. Heather

found a hole in the market, which quickly became a passion for helping all sides of a development

team streamline the compliance process.

Heather started MAP Strategies (MAPS) to bring accountability to her clients, and the discipline to be

informed, organized, and prepared for the governmental regulatory process. Similar to the law,

building codes exist to systematize how architects design buildings for the safety of the public.

As a compliance partner, Heather and her team focus on editing architectural designs during

pre-construction and strategically plan the path for permitting and licensing, creating better design

outcomes while saving time, money, and resources.

Heather’s then-startup began in 2014 in the West Loop with the dream of turning compliance on its

head. Fortunately, notable developers gave her a chance early on to prove MAPS’s value–and she

and her team delivered. These early successes and a reputation for high-level service paved the way

for consistent growth in the years to follow.

Notable developments overseen by Heather and her team include: 400 North Lakeshore Drive,

Lincoln Yards, 727 West Madison, the Tribune Tower renovation, and 900 West Randolph, the tallest

building in Chicago’s West Loop.

Beyond Heather’s professional achievements, she is passionate about her civic engagement and

contributions. After a long battle with cancer, her father Michael Morrison, a prominent real estate

attorney in Chicago, passed away in 2010. To honor his legacy and commitment to giving back and

lifting up underserved populations in Chicago, Heather gathered together a fundraising committee

which eventually raised over 100 thousand dollars to endow a scholarship in Michael’s name at the

Chicago Jesuit Academy, a full-scholarship college preparatory middle school located on Chicago’s

west side. Distinguished by small classes, an extended academic day, and a longer school year, CJA

makes it possible for young men from modest economic backgrounds to find their way to outstanding

high schools and colleges which they would otherwise not be able to attend.

January 11, 2023

Heather and her team regularly volunteer as pro-bono consultants, performing zoning assessments,

code consulting, permit management and other entitlement services for affordable housing

developments.

Summary

1. How will the increase in the cost of building materials impact construction around the city?  2. How can environmental hazards, like protected species on the job site and major disasters, affect construction and development? 3. How will new technology and construction methods change the industry?  4. What strategies can developers take on to keep construction costs down, such as modular construction or innovative technology?? 5. How will rising interest impact lending for construction in the Chicago? 6. After 70 years, Chicago is finally getting new building code, how will that impact construction around the city?

Agenda

Time Activity
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
Coffee, Breakfast, & Networking!
2:00 PM
2:40 PM
Major Projects Changing The Region
2:40 PM
3:20 PM
Construction Finance

How to Handle Rising Construction Costs & Labor Shortages

3:20 PM
3:45 PM
Fireside Chat With Judy Frydland
3:45 PM
4:00 PM
Coffee & More Networking!