Archive for the ‘General Corporate’ Category

CEO James Leopardo Inducted Into Midwest Real Estate News’ Hall of Fame

Monday, January 10th, 2011

CHICAGO, Illinois (January 10, 2011) – Leopardo is thrilled to announce that CEO James (Jim) Leopardo was inducted into Midwest Real Estate News‘ first ever Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame, which was published in the December 2010/January 2011 issue.

The inaugural Hall of Fame class features 60 commercial real estate veterans from 14 states.

One industry peer was quoted as saying, “Jim’s company reflects everything about this business that Jim believes is important: integrity, exceeding expectations and flexibility. It doesn’t surprise me that Leopardo has remained such an important player in the construction world.”

A pioneer in the construction industry, Jim provides a focused business approach and a deep commitment to quality, innovation and leadership. His drive, pledge to client service, and standards for excellence are the staples the company was founded on more than three decades ago.

Jim served on the Board at YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago and received the Volunteer of the Year and Family of the Year Awards. He also served on the Board at JFK Health World, a non-profit children’s health education museum. An alumni member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO), he served as the organization’s Chicago Chapter Chairman, Chapter Treasurer, Day Chair, Education and Membership Chairman.

Leopardo’s community-centric approach to business helped his company win the 2010 Communitas Leadership Award for Corporate Responsibility and Community Service, which recognized Leopardo for unselfishly giving of itself and its resources to benefit other communities.

Since 2004, he has been an active member of the World President’s Organization (WPO). Jim received the Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst and Young in 1990 and has twice been a featured speaker at Harvard Business School’s Annual Entrepreneurship Conference.

Tags: Commercial Real Estate, Hall of Fame, James Leopardo, Jim Leopardo, Leopardo Companies, Leopardo Construction, Midwest Real Estate News
Posted in Awards + Recognition, General Corporate

Leopardo Starts Work on New Scottish Rite Headquarters

Monday, October 25th, 2010

BLOOMINGDALE, Illinois (October 25, 2010) – Leopardo recently began work on the new 61,000-square-foot headquarters for the Scottish Rite Cathedral Association’s Valley of Chicago. The Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago is one of the appendant bodies of Freemasonry that a Master Mason may join for further exposure to the principles of Freemasonry, the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world with more than two million members in North America.

The new two-story Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago, located at the corner of Lake Street and Medinah Road, will feature a museum and library, traditional lodge hall, kitchen facilities, dining room for 290 people, bar and game room, grand hall, administrative offices, and theater with seating for 270.

“The history of the Scottish Rite will be evident in the interior by integrating symbology, patterns, artwork, and historic items from the former Scottish Rite Cathedral on North Dearborn Street in Chicago,” said Valley of Chicago Executive Secretary and Chief Operating Officer Gregory Klemm. “By integrating these historic elements in a creative way, the building will convey a sense of mystery and discovery to visitors as they explore the new spaces and discover familiar elements from the Scottish Rite’s history.”

Designed to tell the story of Freemasonry’s symbolic origins through the future of society, the interior and exterior will feature traditional Masonic structures executed in a timeless and contemporary composition that incorporates traditional masonry materials like stone and brick as well as modern construction systems like precast concrete. The heavily wooded 16-acre site will be nicely landscaped for stunning views, and include a parking lot to accommodate approximately 190 vehicles.

“Given the Scottish Rite’s great history in artisanry, architecture and construction, we are honored to be building such a prestigious and significant facility for the fraternal organization,” said Leopardo Senior Vice President Michael Behm, AIA.

Leopardo was selected as construction manager and general contractor, and is working hand-in-hand with Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates (tvsdesign) as the architect and Core Project Management Group as the owner’s representative. The Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago will be finished by the end of 2011.

Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago - Preceptory

Tags: Bloomingdale, Freemason, Freemasonry, Scottish Rite, Valley of Chicago
Posted in Community, General Corporate, Interiors, Office + Industrial

Crain’s Chicago Business Highlights Leopardo’s Strength in the Marketplace via Video

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

CHICAGO AND HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (August 4, 2010) — Crain’s Chicago Business today highlighted Leopardo’s strength in the marketplace, featuring Leopardo in Chicago Business Today, the publication’s daily news video. Watch the three-minute video below or click this link.

According to Crain’s description of the video, “the latest forecast shows construction activity is slower than initially expected this year. But at least one local contractor [Leopardo] says the market is improving.”

“Leopardo is breaking ground on several new projects this year. The company has hired about 10 people recently,” said Chicago Business Today Host Lisa Leiter.

In recent months, Leopardo has been awarded about 20 projects totaling approximately $70 million worth of construction.

Posted in Awards + Recognition, Education, General Corporate, Healthcare, Hospitality + Hotel, Interiors, Municipal + Recreation, Office + Industrial, Personnel, Retail, Video

Leopardo Ranks Among Top U.S. Contractors

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (June 8, 2010) — Leopardo recently ranked No. 242 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) list of the top 400 general contractors in the United States. The list, which was published in the magazine’s May 17, 2010 issue, was based on 2009 revenues. Last year, Leopardo posted revenues of nearly $247 million. In April, Midwest Construction magazine ranked Leopardo No. 25 on its list of the region’s top 100 contractors.

Tags: ENR 400
Posted in Awards + Recognition, General Corporate

Leopardo Wins Public Works Project of the Year

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (March 25, 2010) – The Village of Mount Prospect, SRBL Architects and Leopardo were awarded Project of the Year – in the projects under $5 million category – at today’s Best of the Best in Public Works awards luncheon of the American Public Works Association (APWA) Chicago Metro Chapter.

The Project of the Year Award was in recognition of the Mount Prospect Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which was one of three projects Leopardo built simultaneously on three different sites in Mount Prospect. The projects were 1) the new 24,000-square-foot fire station No. 14, which is seeking LEED Gold certification; 2) the EOC, which was designed in accordance with Miami-Dade building codes; and 3) two new additions to the existing public works building, a renovation of existing office space and a new storage facility. Combined, the three projects totaled 35,000 square feet and $11.85 million. Leopardo served as construction manager with SRBL as the architect.

This is the fourth “project of the year” award Leopardo has won in recent weeks. Leopardo’s Children’s Specialty Care Clinic at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital won Project of the Year by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA). The Aurora Police Headquarters won Build to Suit Project of the Year at the Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards, and Project of the Year by the Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO).

Posted in Awards + Recognition, Community, General Corporate, Municipal + Recreation

Leopardo Ranks Among Nation’s Top 20 Healthcare Contractors

Monday, March 15th, 2010

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (March 15, 2010) – Modern Healthcare magazine, the nation’s leading source of healthcare business news, recently ranked Leopardo as No. 18 on its list of the top healthcare general contractors in the United States. Companies are ranked by 2009 dollar volume.

Leopardo’s specialized Healthcare group is the trusted builder for more than 35 Chicago-area hospitals and constructs approximately 75 projects per year. The scope of work includes hospital additions, renovations, ambulatory surgical centers, medical office buildings and clinics, imaging centers and senior living facilities. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Awards + Recognition, General Corporate, Healthcare

Leopardo Wins Build To Suit Project of the Year

Friday, March 12th, 2010

icoy09 CHICAGO, Illinois (March 12, 2010) – Leopardo was awarded the Build to Suit Project of the Year Award last night at the 22nd Annual Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards Dinner, known as the Oscars of the industry. The event raised $850,000 for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

The Build to Suit Award was in recognition of Leopardo’s Aurora Police Headquarters project, a LEED Gold police campus consisting of 1) a 154,000-square-foot headquarters, court and 911 emergency call center building, 2) a 41,000-square-foot training and support building that houses a lead-free tactical firearms proficiency range, evidence storage, forensic examination laboratories and a secure garage, and 3) a 204,000-square-foot, 500-car parking garage Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Aurora Police Headquarters, LEED
Posted in Awards + Recognition, Community, General Corporate, Municipal + Recreation

Leopardo Wins Corporate Social Responsibility Award

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (March 2, 2010) – Leopardo was recently honored as a recipient of the 2010 Communitas Leadership Award for corporate social responsibility and community service.

The Communitas Award recognizes exceptional businesses, organizations and individuals that are unselfishly giving of themselves and their resources, and those that are changing how they do business to benefit their communities.

According to the judges from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), Leopardo clearly exhibited the spirit of communitas, a Latin word that means people coming together for the good of a community. Leopardo was the only Illinois recipient and the only general contractor to win.

Posted in Awards + Recognition, General Corporate, Office + Industrial, Personnel, Retail, Sustainaiblity + LEED

Leopardo Wins Two Safety Awards

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (February 22, 2010) – Leopardo was recently recognized with two prestigious construction safety awards.

The Fox Valley Associated General Contractors (FVAGC) honored Leopardo with the 2009 Safety Award for excellence in the 250,000 man-hours and above category. This award was based on an evaluation of Leopardo’s safety record against other contractors of similar size and construction type across Illinois’ Fox Valley.

The Construction Safety Association of America presented Leopardo Safety Director Jim McInerney with the Robert M. Farrell Memorial Safety Award in appreciation and recognition of his contributions to the science and art of safety.

In 2009, Leopardo was among only a handful of contractors nationwide to partner with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in order to achieve the highest levels of safety on a specific project. Leopardo also enhances its cutting-edge safety program by incorporating handheld devices with software to collect, analyze and disseminate job site safety information, which enables Leopardo to take preventative actions before at-risk behaviors or conditions become incidents. The results are reduced risks, fewer incidents, increased communication and competency, and continuous improvement.

Posted in Awards + Recognition, General Corporate, Safety