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EXECUTIVES OF COLOR IN CONSTRUCTION AND COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE These leaders in construction and commercial real estate are helping bolster Chicago’s physical presence, particularly in long-neglected South and West Side neighborhoods. Several honorees’ companies belong to Lakeside Alliance, the construction firm that is building the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. Others have led multimilliondollar development initiatives in Bronzeville, Pullman and Austin; at major universities, including Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois; and for crucial projects at O’Hare International Airport and for the Chicago Transit Authority. For civic involvement, these professionals volunteer their time and talent for causes that advance affordable housing and promote education for young people of color, as well as encourage careers in construction, architecture and commercial real estate. Their efforts on and off the clock are creating jobs, excitement and a more vibrant and livable Chicago for all residents. By Lisa Bertagnoli, Kate Rockwood and Jennifer Thomas
JIMMY AKINTONDE President and CEO UJAMAA Construction
MAGGIE BECKLEY
LINDA F. CHAVEZ BACA
Development executive, healthcare Mortenson
Design principal JGMA
Jimmy Akintonde oversees all aspects of UJAMAA Construction’s business, pursuing expansion opportunities and managing a team of more than 100 employees. He is one of five principals for Lakeside Alliance, the builders of the Obama Presidential Center. Since founding UJAMAA in 2002, the firm has grown into a $70 million-plus enterprise. Akintonde has led UJAMAA through several significant projects at the University of Chicago, O’Hare International Airport, U.S. Cellular Field, Halsted Parkways and Kennedy-Jordan Manor. He is a trustee at his alma mater, Illinois Institute of Technology, and was appointed to Chicago’s Building Board of Appeals.
With a focus on expanding health care real estate development in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets, Maggie Beckley also drives the development of client relationships in other key markets. Prior to joining Mortenson, she was director of real estate at Advocate Aurora Health. There, she developed strategies, transaction services and qualitative analysis for more 30 million square feet, including 27 hospitals and 500 sites of care. She serves as a diversity, equity and inclusion champion for Mortenson’s development group; at Advocate Aurora, she was a core member of the supplier diversity implementation team. A graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana and Roosevelt University, she is treasurer of nonprofit Cuped and sponsorship chair of the Dr. Tylithia L. Burks Foundation.
Linda F. Chavez Baca has experience in every phase of the design and construction process on projects ranging from urban ground-up architecture and complex renovations to adaptive reuse. She served as the lead project architect on several education buildings and renovations locally at Northeastern University, Northwestern University, and most recently the Columbia College Chicago Student Center. Chavez Baca led the design efforts for JGMA’s finalist bid for a proposed Chicago casino and was the firm’s design leader for the new concourses at O’Hare International Airport, Epic Academy High School and the new innovation center for the University of Illinois Chicago. She has a bachelor’s degree from Tecnológico de Monterrey in Guadalajara and a master’s from Northwestern University.
DWAYNE BARLOW
CIERE BOATRIGHT
DOLLA DAWSON
President The BarTech Group
Vice president of real estate and community development CRG
CEO Milhouse Engineering & Construction
Dwayne Barlow is responsible for the day-to-day operations as well as business development for The BarTech Group, which recently was responsible for installing all-new electrified rail on portions of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line project. Barlow started as a meter reader at ComEd before eventually holding two concurrent chief-of-staff positions at the company. The BarTech Group works within predominantly Hispanic and African American communities to spur interest in electrical industry careers. Barlow serves on various national committees for the American Association of Blacks in Energy and the Exelon African American Members Association.
Ciere Boatright manages the development, planning and community engagement for key projects at CRG, while also leading innovation and inclusion efforts within its parent company, Clayco. She joined CRG in August 2021 after working for Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, where she was vice president of real estate and inclusion, managing transformative projects including the 180-acre Pullman Park development. Through Boatright’s management and project oversight, she has achieved 30% to 50% minority business enterprise contractor participation on projects. A graduate of Hamilton College and the University of Illinois Chicago, Boatright is a board member of Landmarks Illinois, the state’s leading organization for historic preservation. She recently joined the board of Link Unlimited Scholars, which promotes education equity.
Dolla Dawson is responsible for aligning the Milhouse family of companies’ strategic vision and steering its core business functions, including accounting, administrative services, asset management, information technology, legal services, marketing and project development. When she joined Milhouse in 2007, it had 30 team members; today, with more than 400, it is the largest African American-owned engineering firm in the world. A graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago (finance) and Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, she sponsors the Pink Hard Hats program, providing girls with mentoring and job shadowing experiences. She also serves on two boards: Milhouse Charities, which educates underrepresented youth in STEM disciplines, and The Goat Foundation, which introduces student athletes to various career paths.
MATTHEW BEAUDET
ERNEST BROWN
HERB DAWSON
Commissioner City of Chicago Department of Buildings
President Brown & Momen
Project executive W.E. O’Neil Construction
Matthew Beaudet manages day-to-day operations of the nation’s third-largest local buildings department, a 265-employee operation with a $34 million budget that issues 40,000 building permits, conducts 200,000 inspections and regulates 30,000 trade licensees annually. He has implemented process innovations to increase productivity and accountability, reduced the overall time to obtain commercial and residential building permits by 25%, and increased permit annual issuance by 30%. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago and the former John Marshall Law School, he is the first Native American to serve as a city commissioner. Beaudet also serves as a member of the State of Illinois’ Native American Employment Plan Council and is a past commissioner of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Character & Fitness.
As founder of Brown & Momen, Ernest Brown oversees all operations at the general contracting and construction management firm’s two offices. Current projects include the University of Illinois’ Outpatient Surgery Center & Specialty Clinics, Sheba Medical Center’s Bronzeville innovation center, O’Hare International Airport’s expansion project, and the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation in Chicago’s Austin community. Brown is one of five principals with Lakeside Alliance, the builders of the Obama Presidential Center. He’s served as president of the African American Home Builders Association and Black Contractors United, and currently serves as DEI chairman for the Chicago Area General Contractors Association.
A 30-year veteran of the construction industry, Herb Dawson serves on W.E. O’Neil’s most complex projects, including the University of Chicago’s William Eckhardt Research Center ($200 million), the Block 37 development above the CTA’s Red and Blue Line subway stops ($375 million), and American Airlines’ newest airplane hangar at O’Hare ($135 million). He also manages client relationships within the infrastructure market. Current projects include the University of Illinois Chicago’s Computer Design, Research and Learning Center as well as the maintenance facility for the Illinois Tollway in Aurora. Dawson co-chairs W.E. O’Neil’s DEI Committee and is an executive board member of Hard Hats with Heart in Chicago, which focuses on creating safe work environments on job sites.
METHODOLOGY: The individuals featured did not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from the nomination materials submitted. This list is not comprehensive. It includes only individuals for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after a review by editors. To qualify for the list, nominees must identify as a person of color and work at companies with minimum annual revenues ($1 million for architecture, $15 million for construction and engineering, and projects costing $10 million and up for commercial real estate). Candidates must also demonstrate leadership, outside of their own firms, in their professions and via community involvement.
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24 MAY 2, 2022 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
RANDAL DAWSON
EDUARDO DESANTIAGO
GREGORY A. FAULKNER
RYAN GREEN
CHARLTON HAMER
Executive vice president CBRE
Vice president, engineering director Primera Engineers
Randal Dawson is a co-national litigation practice leader and leads the Midwest consulting practice for CBRE’s Valuation & Advisory Services Group. An expert in real estate valuations, tax appeals and counseling, he has litigated insurance claims, shareholder disputes, bankruptcy, divorce and IRS tax disputes. He holds the CRE designation from The Counselors of Real Estate, the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute and the FRICS designation from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He is a member of the Business Leadership Council, Urban Land Institute and CBRE’s National Black Excellence Employee Business Resource Group Executive Committee. Dawson also serves on the National Association of Industrial & Office Professionals’ board of directors for the Chicago area.
Eduardo DeSantiago leads a 15-person team of engineers and oversees the analysis, design and inspection of building, utility and industrial structures. He is responsible for executive management, strategic planning and project management and serves as Primera’s structural engineering expert. Over the past 18 months, DeSantiago’s work has included upgrades for utilities in the energy sector, which is foundational to the Build Back Better Act. He also focuses on combatting climate change via the electric vehicle market. The first Chicano awarded a doctorate (Ph.D. and Master of Science, structural engineering) from the department of engineering at Stanford University, he spent more than a decade teaching graduate and undergraduate courses before entering the private sector.
Vice president of business development Trice Construction
Chief investment and administrative officer DL3 Realty
Senior vice president, Habitat Affordable Group The Habitat Company
Gregory A. Faulkner is responsible for overseeing the company’s strategic objectives, sales, marketing and business development, one of the fastest-growing minority- and woman-owned self-performing utility contractors in the Midwest. He is also the director of DEI for Concrete Collective, a joint venture that is the cast-in-place concrete subcontractor for the Obama Presidential Center, where he’s responsible for the procurement of goods, services, a diverse workforce and subcontracting opportunities. A graduate of the University of Illinois and Keller Graduate School of Management, Faulkner also serves as a director for the North Lawndale Employment Network, a workforce placement agency. Faulkner is also the managing broker of The Faulkner Group-Re/Max Premier, a boutique commercial and residential real estate team.
Ryan Green oversees DL3 Realty’s strategic partnerships and initiatives, asset management and facilities, operations, legal affairs, government relations, community affairs and marketing. A graduate of Emory University and The University of Chicago Law School, he is responsible for shaping business strategy through pipeline management, deal sourcing and investor relations. In recent years, Green had leadership roles in the refinance and subsequent sale of
Charlton Hamer provides oversight for the development and property management operations of 9,000 units in Chicago, Illinois and Missouri. A graduate of the University of Illinois (Master of Urban Planning & Policy) and the University of Illinois Chicago, he has participated in $400 million worth of transactions in all asset classes. He initiated the P3 Markets/Habitat joint venture for the $100 million 43 Green development—the first mixed-income, equitable transitoriented development, or eTOD, in Bronzeville. He is a member of the Real Estate Executive Council and is involved in its mentorship program. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, the city of Chicago’s Five-Year Housing Plan and the Chicago Continuum of Care. He is a past member of the city’s ARO Inclusionary Housing Task Force 2020.
an office/community center that brought 500 jobs; the lease of the former Target in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood to Discover as a tenant, bringing 1,000 jobs; and the acquisition and lease-up of a shopping and professional office center in Jackson Park. He also volunteers with Center on Halsted’s Youth Housing Committee to establish housing for transgender youth.
Sterling Bay
Visit us at sterlingbay.com
Congratulations Dr. Suzet McKinney Sterling Bay congratulates its very own Dr. Suzet McKinney on being recognized as a Notable Executive of Color in Commercial Real Estate. We celebrate Dr. McKinney’s commitment to creating a bright future for Chicago and her advocacy for creating equitable opportunities across our industry.
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CONGRATULATIONS DWAYNE BARLOW
Dwayne Barlow
Canino Electric Company Congratulations to Powering Chicago member Dwayne Barlow and The Bartech Group for being recognized in this year’s Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Executives of Color in Construction and Commercial Real Estate.
LEARN MORE AT POWERINGCHICAGO.COM
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27 M
AISHA JOHNSON
ERICA KIRKWOOD
MICHAEL LUCAS
GLORIA MATERRE
MICHELLE MCCLENDON
SUZ
Director of accounting Focus
Vice president and general counsel GMA Construction Group
Managing director EnTrust Realty Advisors
Senior project executive Gilbane Building
Princ Sterl
Aisha Johnson was named director of accounting at Focus in February 2022 after joining the company in 2017. In her role, she develops the company’s financial strategy and directs the fiscal functions of the firm, including financial reporting and forecasting. Since the start of the pandemic, Johnson has led several initiatives to automate processes and improve Focus’ ability to work remotely. That includes verifying a new software integration that connects real-time construction schedules and contracts with real-time financial data. Johnson, a certified public accountant, is a member of Focus’ Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion committee and a founding member and current treasurer of Professional Women in Construction Chicago, an organization that supports, advances and connects women while promoting diversity within the architecture, engineering and construction industry.
Erica Kirkwood provides legal and business counsel on business development, real estate development, mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, contracts, litigation, risk management and compliance. She managed the formation of GMA’s real estate development company, GRE Ventures, and leads efforts to expand GMA’s operations to East Africa. She also managed the company’s expansion into Virginia, and in March 2021, GMA broke ground on the single largest public housing construction contract awarded to an African American firm in Charlottesville. Kirkwood has negotiated construction contracts including the National Public Housing Museum, Pullman National Monument Visitor Center and the Northwestern University Black House project. She serves on the executive boards of the Jack & Jill Chicago Chapter and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association Scholarship Fund.
Director, business development and investor relations McLaurin Development Partners
Along with serving as the principal attorney for Chicago-based Materre & Associates, Gloria Materre serves as managing director for EnTrust Realty Advisors. In that role, she leads business development, cultivates client relationships and oversees assignment execution and recruiting for the company. Prior to building her own practice, Materre taught legal writing at John Marshall Law School and was a partner at Dinsmore & Shohl. Past roles also include serving as Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s deputy chief of staff and as executive director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. Materre is a board member of Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity and Ruth Page Center for the Arts.
As operational lead for Gilbane’s K-12 and public-sector market, Michelle McClendon has led several key projects, including the Neal Math & Science Academy redevelopment project and Proviso Township High School District 209’s facility master plan implementation. She also spearheaded the company’s summer internship program. An 18-year construction veteran, McClendon advocates for minority voices as a speaker for Polished Pebbles and She Builds. Along with her twin sister, she also founded the Myesha & Michelle McClendon Scholarship Fund for African American women who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in engineering. McClendon is a board member at The Essence of Ivy & Pearls Foundation, Illinois Green Alliance and the Illinois International Port District.
Suze Bay i mad com
Michael Lucas finds diverse sources of development capital, including from minority and women investors who have not had regular access to institutional-quality options. As a commercial real estate bidder, he works with high-net-worth individuals, family offices and impact investors to assemble a capital stack for large-scale developments. These include the $3.8 billion, 100-acre Bronzeville Lakefront development that hopes to revive Chicago’s “Black Metropolis” and provide as many as 75,000 jobs. He was also instrumental in a successful bid for Chicago multifamily properties in the Better Housing Foundation bankruptcy. Lucas’ retail projects, including a Pete’s Fresh Market in Bronzeville, provide business development anchors. Financing also enables McLaurin to hire minority- and women-owned architecture, engineering and construction firms for repeat engagements.
Barack Ferrazzano Congratulates g
Ankit Patel of
Ventas, Inc. For Being Recognized Among Amo Crain’s Chicago Business' Notable Executives of Color in Construction & Commercial Real Estate Barack Ferrazzano Kirsc Kirschbaum chbaum & Nagelberg LLP | T. T 312.984.3100 | bfkn.com
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27 MAY 2, 2022 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • MAY 2, 2022 27
SUZET MCKINNEY
WILBUR C. MILHOUSE III
JUAN MORENO
OTTO NICHOLS III
JOANN ORNELAS-BAUER
Principal and director of life sciences Sterling Bay
Chairman and CEO Milhouse Engineering & Construction
Founder and president JGMA
Executive vice president Clayco
CEO Dynamic Utility Solutions
As founder and president of JGMA, Juan Moreno has continued to expand his architecture firm, which has nearly doubled in size in the past 18 months. The firm is leading the design for one of the finalists for the Chicago casino bids, Rivers Casino at The 78, and is nearing completion on a 24,000-seat arena project in Colombia. JGMA is also working on the new $60 million headquarters for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in Springfield. Moreno, a former commissioner on the Chicago Landmarks Commission, is on the boards of the National Museum of Mexican Art and the Chicago Architecture Center. He was also recently named to the city’s Committee on Design, a group of design professionals elevating the presence of architecture in Chicago.
Otto Nichols III leads Clayco’s large-scale projects from conceptual design to turnover and has overseen $1.7 billion in new construction projects across various markets. That includes executive oversight on the O’Hare 21 suite of projects, which includes a new Terminal 5 garage, elevated parking structure and the 4 Right/22 Left runway rehabilitation. Nichols is also providing owner’s representation and program management services for the Obama Presidential Center. Nichols prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion opportunities and has awarded over $450 million in contracts to minority and female contractors. He also co-founded Clayco’s Juneteenth Fund, which has raised more than $250,000 since 2020 to support nonprofits that are focused on equality and fighting injustice. Nichols is a member of the Urban Land Institute and Pedal the Cause.
Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, Joann Ornelas-Bauer has grown her electric utility contracting company by more than 40% since the start of the pandemic. She and her staff also have boosted the company’s safety and quality performance and scalability by improving back-office and support processes. Ornelas-Bauer, who has more than 20 years of experience in the electric utility industry, has built a diverse company of 100 employees in less than six years. She is a member of Hispanic American Construction Industry Association and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Suzet McKinney joined Sterling Bay in February 2021 and has made it her goal to expand the company’s national life sciences footprint and to raise Chicago to a Tier 1 life sciences market. In her prior role as executive director and CEO of the Illinois Medical District, she jump-started that effort by attracting new life sciences projects to the city. Her work with Sterling Bay includes overseeing the groundbreaking of Ally, a 320,000-square-foot life sciences center. An expert in
emergency preparedness and response, McKinney was tapped by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2020 to lead operations on five alternative care facilities for potential COVID-19 patient overflow. She is a board member of Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Science & Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Wilbur C. Milhouse III oversees the growth and vision of Milhouse Engineering & Construction, the country’s largest minorityowned engineering firm, which he founded in 2001. In the past 18 months alone, the company’s headcount has increased by 49%. The company also completed multiple high-profile projects, including providing project management and engineering services for the $17 million ground-up construction of the Walmart Supercenter in Pullman. In July 2021, Milhouse founded a new company, Milhouse Forestry, a vegetation management firm that provides line clearance for utility companies. Last year, the nonprofit that he founded, Milhouse Charities, provided 821 service-hours to the community. He created the charity to support the education, exposure and advancement of youth and minorities in science, technology, engineering and math.
2022
EXECUTIVES OF COLOR IN CONSTRUCTION AND COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
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28 MAY 2, 2022 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
ANKIT PATEL
MAMON POWERS JR.
SWAPNA SATHYAN
Senior vice president, corporate finance Ventas
CEO and chairman Powers & Sons Construction
Director of strategy and consulting Blue Cottage of CannonDesign
Mamon Powers Jr. oversees all company operations across the Chicago area and Indiana. He is also one of five principals with Lakeside Alliance, builders of the Obama Presidential Center, which broke ground in September. Powers is working on the 45,000-square-foot Friend Health headquarters in Woodlawn, which aligns with his passion for expanding equitable access to health care on the South Side. Powers, a registered professional engineer, is on the Purdue University board of directors. In February, he and his wife, Cynthia, endowed the Quentin P. Smith Sr. Endowed Aviation Scholarship to Indiana State University to support minority students pursuing careers in the architecture, engineering and construction industry.
In the past year, Swapna Sathyan has worked with organizations such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and MD Anderson Cancer Center that are reshaping the future of work, culture and leadership. In her role, Sathyan helps organizations align their space, operational and people strategies to meet their business goals. As a member of CannonDesign’s board of directors, she has helped champion numerous diversity, equity and inclusion practices. That includes hiring a director of DEI and forming employee resource groups for women and the LGBTQ+ community. She is also a champion for CannonDesign’s Open Hand Studio, a pro-bono effort that donates design services to organizations that empower their communities. Past projects include work with Jamaa Birth Village, the YMCA and the Cook County Bond Court.
As the leader of the corporate finance team, Ankit Patel is responsible for budgeting and forecasting, the quarterly earnings process and investor relations. He has played a pivotal role at Ventas since the start of the pandemic, including transforming the company’s reporting capabilities and implementing a new end-to-end data process for capital expenditures (over $1 billion annually). He also guided Ventas through the challenges
of forecasting business performance during a highly unpredictable period. Patel, who took on the senior vice president role in 2019, is on the Internal Affairs Committee of EverThrive Illinois, a nonprofit that advocates for access to high-quality health care for women, children and families in Illinois.
DAMONA STRAUTMANIS Vice president, project and development services JLL
As a commercial real estate development manager, project executive and team leader, Damona Strautmanis has recently led projects that encompassed more than 1.5 million square feet and were worth more than $500 million. Notable projects include the construction of the 490,000-square-foot GW University Science & Engineering Hall and a $450 million mixed-use project of 490,000 square feet of street-facing retail and restaurant space. Strautmanis is a leader in the JLL Black Professionals Network and helped create a minority new-hire mentorship program. She is on the board of Chicago African Americans in Commercial Real Estate and was on the steering committee for the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 2021 Commercial Real Estate Awards.
STEVE THOMAS
DA
President 5T Development Partners
Mana bKL A
As president of 5T Development Partners, Steve Thomas oversees the acquisition, development and property management of more than 1,300 affordable housing units in Chicago’s low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Recent projects include delivering 43 high-quality, naturally occurring affordable housing units to residents and preserving 35 property rental assistance units. Thomas, an engineer by training, previously was a restaurant operator and owner. His work
As m Arch help direc
with restaurant employees led him to want to provide low-wage workers with affordable housing. Thomas is also co-founder of the South Side Community Investors Association, a nonprofit that promotes the responsible ownership, management, development and expansion of real estate on the South Side.
with She i al Or Arch the p for w estat the L prog
2022
LEADERS IN SUSTAINABILITY Crain’s 2022 Notable Leaders in Sustainability, a special editorial feature within Crain’s June 27 print issue and online, will profile top Chicago area leaders in sustainability. This special section will recognize individuals for their success and accomplishments during the last 18 months.
NOMINATE NOW! Deadline is Friday, May 6 Nominate at
ChicagoBusiness.com/NotableSustainability
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DANIELLE TILLMAN
LEON WALKER
HANSEL WHITEURST
ARTHUR ZAYAS MILLER
JAMES ZHENG
Managing principal bKL Architecture
Managing partner DL3 Realty
Vice president Berglund Construction
President and CEO MZI Group
Co-CEO and president Goettsch Partners
As managing principal at bKL Architecture, Danielle Tillman helps guide the firm’s strategic direction, design efforts and client relations. Promoted to the role in November 2020, she has worked on many notable recent projects, including the renovation of the Whitney M. Young Jr. Branch Library and select projects in China. In 2021, she received the American Institute of Architects’ Young Architect Award. As one of a small number of Black female architects, Tillman is an advocate for diversity within her firm and the industry. She is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and CREW Chicago, the premier business network for women in commercial real estate. She is also a mentor with the LINK Unlimited Scholars program.
Leon Walker builds and maintains relationships with investors, lenders, civic leaders and community stakeholders. Walker has executed over $100 million of community developments in the past 18 months, including the redevelopment of two former Target stores into a Blue Cross & Blue Shield call center in Morgan Park. Walker and DL3 Realty regularly exceed minimum requirements for minority and women business enterprises, and during
As vice president, Hansel Whiteurst provides general and operational oversight of Berglund’s Illinois Building Division, which also includes out-ofstate projects. Since joining the company in October 2020, Whiteurst has worked on building a culture of accountability, collaboration and problem solving. He has been involved in multiple high-profile projects including major Chicago developments such as Wintrust Arena at McCormick Square—a 300,000 square-foot, 10,500-seat event center—and the Centennial Vision for Navy Pier. Whiteurst is active in Berglund’s Workplace Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Group and is a member of the Business Leadership Council, whose mission is to advance Black businesses and leaders. Whiteurst is also a member of the Urban Land Institute.
Arthur Zayas Miller provides strategic, financial and operational leadership for MZI Group. In recent months, Zayas Miller has grown MZI Group into a turnkey electric vehicle infrastructure contractor partnering with utilities, municipalities, commercial real estate and, most recently, one of the largest beverage brands in the world, to create smart infrastructure. Zayas Miller, a U.S. Army veteran, founded the company in 1999 and has overseen major growth, including adding a telecom division in 2018. He is a board member of the National Latino Education Institute, Chicago United, the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Loyola University Health System and the National Association of Veteran Owned Businesses.
James Zheng oversees Goettsch Partners’ business strategy and daily operations. During the pandemic, Zheng not only led the firm but directed—and won—projects throughout Asia with almost zero travel. Notable projects include the Guangxi China Resources Tower, an 85-story, 2.9 million-square-foot mixed-use tower in Nanning, and the China Resources Qianhai Center, in Shenzhen, a five-building, 5.1 million-square-foot mixed-use complex. In the past five years, Zheng has helped expand the company’s work to span five continents and 18 countries. He has also helped advance staff diversity. In 2017, 31% of the firm’s employees were minorities; now that number is 52%. Zheng is a member of the Chicago Architecture Center, the American Institute of Architects, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s advisory group.
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negotiations with a national anchor tenant, Walker procured shelf space for more than 40 local minority business enterprises. He also is the founder of the Chicago Emerging Minority Developer Initiative to increase the number of minority developers in Chicago. Walker is a board member of Chicago Loop Alliance, The Civic Federation and the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
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