Final Year Reflections: A Letter from the Lakeside Alliance Principals

Several years before breaking ground on the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park, Lakeside Alliance came together with a bold vision to ensure that the construction of the Center had an impact that extended far beyond the Center itself. As we continue to see spaces like the Oval Office replica, the Sky Room and other features of the campus take shape, that impact is coming into focus and we like what we see.

We were initially inspired by President Obama’s message that we all have the power to change our communities, industries and beyond. Together with our partners at the Obama Foundation, Lakeside Alliance reached out to workers and small business owners from surrounding communities to include them in this historic project. With grit and determination, they’ve given us their best.

But we didn’t stop there. We extended our approach to opening windows of opportunity to the vendors and other partners outside of the construction itself. Whether it’s the crew that maintains our on-site office space, the printer who makes our Lakeside Alliance safety vests or the food trucks we bring on site to provide lunch to workers, we are driven to help businesses of all shapes and sizes grow capacity and play a part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As Lakeside Alliance, we adopted a “one team, one sound” mentality from the outset. This is at the core of our success, promoting a culture of collaboration, belonging and respect everywhere from the field to the office. Just as we are intentional about the subcontractors, vendors and tradespeople we work with, we’re equally committed to fostering a team of executives, engineers, estimators, managers, administrators and others that reflect Chicago’s communities.

Now, as we enter the final full year of this historic build, we believe that we have created a model that can be replicated both locally and across the country to deliver complex projects. It isn’t hard when you’re living your values and being true to who you are. Whether it’s through programming at the Lakeside Alliance Resource Center, discussions at trade events or our call for subcontractors to make “Transformative Commitments” to expose young people to construction careers, we want business leaders across all industries to know that prioritizing equal access and casting a wide net to identify and hire the best and brightest talent is not only possible, but makes for stronger outcomes.

We’re not quite at the end of our journey, but we wanted to take this time to thank you for coming along for the ride. There are more milestones to achieve and celebrate before the Center opens its doors. We hope to see you there when it does.

Signed,

Ernest Brown, Principal, Brown & Momen

Kelly Powers Baria, Principal, Powers & Sons Construction

John Bonds, Principal, Safeway Construction

Kate Van Zeyl, Principal, Turner Construction

Jimmy Akintonde, Principal, UJAMAA Construction