Building a Legacy
As the Obama Presidential Center opens its doors to visitors from around the world, we reflect on a journey that began nearly a decade ago with a bold idea: that this historic project honoring our nation’s first Black president could be built differently.
Lakeside Alliance formed out of a desire to change the way business was done in Chicago's construction industry. For generations, minority-owned firms were often forced to compete against one another for a fraction of the work on major projects, limiting opportunities and growth.
In 2015, when it was announced that the Obama Presidential Center would be built on the South Side of Chicago, four Black-owned construction firms – Brown & Momen, Powers & Sons Construction, Safeway Construction, and UJAMAA – chose a different path. Rather than competing against one another, we came together. Alongside Turner Construction, we formed Lakeside Alliance and pursued this opportunity as partners, each with an equal voice and stake in the project's success.
Together with the Obama Foundation, we embraced a vision that matched the significance of the project itself. We established ambitious goals for diverse business participation and local workforce hours, because we believed that this project demanded more.
We are proud that we have consistently met these goals – thousands of workers, contractors, apprentices and community members contributed to bringing this vision to life. Diverse businesses of all sizes worked on the project, allowing them to develop relationships and better compete for future work on major projects moving forward.
Along the way, Lakeside Alliance and our partners created opportunities far beyond the construction site. Throughout the project, we welcomed young people to the site to get hands-on experience in the building trades and to learn about the wide range of career opportunities available in the industry. Through our Learning with Lakeside Alliance programming, we reached hundreds of students – including some who ultimately found their way onto the project through internships and jobs.
We challenged our subcontractors to think the same way. Through transformative commitments, we asked them to think beyond their scope and contribute to meaningful, visible change in the industry. From empowering local businesses to grow capacity, to supporting career development programs and exposing young people to career opportunities, to transforming a local school’s auditorium, we are incredibly grateful to how our partners answered the call.
Our impact we’ve made extends far beyond this project, and that was ultimately our goal. Today, we are seeing other major projects adopt approaches that prioritize meaningful participation and opportunity. The precedent has been established, the expectations have changed, and we believe there is no going back.
As we bring our work on the Obama Presidential Center to a close, we do so with immense pride in the campus that now sits in Jackson Park. When we hear the children playing on the playground, when we see visitors touring the museum, when we watch families check out books at the Chicago Public Library branch, we will think of the workers, businesses and team members who brought this project to life.
Through partnership, persistence and a shared commitment to doing things differently with intention, we helped prove that another way is possible. The Obama Presidential Center will stand for generations. It is our fervent hope that the effects of the opportunity, inclusion and collaboration that helped build it will equally endure.
Thank you to everyone who made this historic journey possible. Together, we built more than a presidential center. We built a legacy.
