Englewood Construction

As a National General Contractor, Englewood has a front-row seat to the opportunities and challenges facing the commercial construction industry. I recently sat down with Kim Sawyer and Tina McGrath, two of our experienced Business Development team leaders, to gain their perspective on what they’ve learned from talking to our existing and potential retail, restaurants, […]

Selecting the right national commercial construction general contractor is a critical decision that can significantly impact the success of your construction project. Over the past 20+ years, with 2500 completed commercial construction projects, Englewood has learned that it takes more than a great price to win a bid. Our national retail, restaurant, hospitality, senior living, […]

Selecting the right national commercial construction general contractor is a critical decision that can significantly impact the success of your construction project. Over the past 20+ years, with 2500 completed commercial construction projects, we have learned that it takes more than a great price to win a bid. Our national retail, restaurant, hospitality, senior living, […]

As anyone in the commercial construction industry knows, reliable, responsive, and skilled subcontractors are the lifeblood of our business.  Your reputation and finished product as a national general contractor are only as good as the performance of your local subcontractor partners.That’s why Englewood's leadership team has prioritized building, vetting, and nurturing a 20,000+ tier-one network of experienced and project-tested […]

Over the last few years, Englewood Construction has been involved in several flagship store and brand expansion projects with our national retail, fitness, and restaurant clients.  These types of commercial construction projects are very important to the growth of their brands and offer many opportunities for our national contracting team to apply our experience and […]

When most people hear the term adaptive reuse in commercial construction, they immediately think of repurposing a historical building like an old warehouse or industrial space or a building like Chicago’s Old Post Office into something new and useful.  As a national construction contractor, the Englewood Commercial Construction team has been involved in multiple adaptive reuse […]

As anyone who works in the commercial construction business knows, timing is everything. Inefficient sequencing of materials and equipment can have a significant impact on both time and money. Business as usual, is out the door as the supply chain has continued to provide challenges.  For example, Roofing HVAC used to be 12-`14 weeks out […]

It looks like there may be light at the end of the commercial construction tunnel. Driven by pent-up demand and the need to expand and grow, our national restaurant, service retail, and hospitality clients are building again to increase revenues. The headwinds of supply chain disruption, higher material costs, and personnel shortages are beginning to subside. Also, while […]

As a National General Contractor working across multiple verticals in the commercial construction space, we understand the challenges (COVID and Supply Chain) facing our retail, restaurant, hospitality, and senior housing clients. But we’ve also experienced a strong will to solve problems, adapt smarter ways of working, and find new opportunities. Here are just a few […]

Adaptive Reuse in commercial construction is nothing new. For years, smart Real Estate Developers and property owners have been repurposing everything from old warehouses and industrial properties to shopping malls, hospitals, and historical buildings into creative mixed-use residential and commercial spaces. Two recent examples in Chicago are the Green Exchange and the Regal Mile Movie Studio Complex: […]

With Baby Boomers aging, it is no surprise that Senior Housing construction and renovation are… well…BOOMING.  In recent years, we’ve been working with Senior Housing developers and operators to update existing facilities, add new amenities, and retool common areas to be more competitive with new-construction senior housing options. In addition, many national senior housing operators are in “acquisition” mode […]

If there were one word that summed up our experience from 2022 and our approach to the year ahead, it would flexibility. You succeed in a challenging environment by being adaptable to change, open-minded to new ideas, and focused on solutions.   As we mentioned in previous posts, last year presented various challenges for the commercial […]

Between 2018 and 2022, Englewood’s national construction work in the cannabis retail industry grew by 100% and we expect that trajectory to continue as more states legalize recreational marijuana use and cannabis firms expand into new markets. Like any CRE sector, the cannabis industry comes with its own set of nuances for planning and executing […]

Addressing Commercial Construction Supply Chain and Labor Issues It’s summertime, and the commercial construction season is “heating up.” The Englewood management team senses real momentum in the market: Our clients are active and back in the field addressing the backlog of projects that have been on hold. And we are making good things happen for […]

This column from Chuck Taylor, Englewood Construction’s director of operations, was originally published by GlobeSt.com. An adaptive reuse construction project, such as the conversion of this former grocery store into Englewood’s headquarters in Lemont, Ill., involves extra planning and special considerations. While it’s always thrilling to create a new building, some of the most rewarding […]

Last month, I had the opportunity to check in with an Illinois Real Estate Journal reporter for a feature on the latest trends in senior housing. It’s an extremely timely topic for commercial construction firms since, as we noted in our post last year on Commercial Construction Trends and Predictions for 2022, senior housing construction […]

Commercial Construction is beginning to take off. Take a look at some projects we are kicking off or just finished. Olive Garden, Delafield, WI One sector of Englewood Construction’s disciplines hit the hardest during the pandemic was the restaurant and food service industry. We are so fortunate to have so many restaurants under way nationally with […]

Everyone in the commercial construction industry understands the pandemic’s disruptive impact on market certainty, labor, and of course, the much written about supply chain. We all have stories about projects getting canceled, put on hold, or started in fits and bits due to these ongoing challenges. While we didn’t have a crystal ball in 2020, […]

Earlier this spring, I had the opportunity to talk with Restaurant Development + Design Magazine for an article on “How to Find the Perfect Construction Partner” that just published in the July/August issue. The final piece is a great resource that’s relevant to pretty much every commercial real estate sector – not just restaurant development […]

For anyone that owns or operates a commercial property, there are bound to be unanticipated repairs or surprise construction issues that pop up. But every once in a while, the truly unexpected strikes. And so far in 2020, we’ve already experienced two nationwide instances where CRE owners are dealing with situations they probably never imagined. […]

A version of this post was published in Illinois Real Estate Journal as a bylined article from Englewood Construction. According to Englewood Construction, prepping commercial facilities to reopen should include reviewing mechanical systems and rescheduling missed preventative maintenance appointments (*photo taken pre-pandemic). Across the country, states are in various phases of reentry and preparing their […]

This is undoubtedly an unprecedented time in our country as efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) are impacting all of us on both personal and professional levels. We are in uncharted territory, but amid this “new normal” Englewood Construction remains open and committed to serving our clients — while also following guidelines […]

CRE developers and owners are continuing to think creatively about filling vacant shopping mall space, and recently the idea of bringing in “ghost kitchens” to fill obsolete retail square footage has started to gain traction. The Wall Street Journal recently covered this trend in an article noting a major mall owner is partnering with a […]

It has become a bit of a tradition that we start off the year for Hard Hat Chat with a look at the commercial real estate trends we think will impact our work in the months ahead. As we kick off 2020, we have a lot of optimism about our industry and the sectors we’re […]

With the countdown on to 2020 – and the start of a brand-new decade right around the corner – it’s time for our annual look back at the commercial construction industry “highs” and “lows” from 2019. From positive trends and new business opportunities to ongoing challenges that impact how we do business, here are five […]

With our firm’s long track record in retail construction, we’ve witnessed firsthand the ebb and flow of activity across this sector over the years. So when I came across an article recently asking if  “flagship stores are losing their shine”, it gave me pause. It’s true the retail mix among flagship stores in prime locations […]

In 2009, amid the business challenges of the Great Recession, our company made the decision to start a blog as an outlet to share commercial construction trends, insights, news, and observations on a variety of topics. If you had told me then that we’d still be publishing Hard Hat Chat a decade later – and […]

A version of this post was published in Illinois Real Estate Journal as a byline article from Englewood Construction. Earlier this summer, Englewood Construction’s home state of Illinois passed a bill making it the 11th state in the U.S. to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. Given that our firm already has experience working with […]

Last month, our Englewood Construction business development team had a great trip to Las Vegas for RECon, the global retail real estate convention hosted annually by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). It’s always valuable to attend this conference, not only as an opportunity to network with new and existing contacts, but also to gauge activity […]

Any long-time readers of Hard Hat Chat have probably picked up on the fact that I’m a big fan of the negotiated bid.  Our firm takes pride in being a true partner to our clients, and we believe a great way to elevate that client relationship is to work on a negotiated basis – a […]

Most people think of commercial construction as a physical, “bricks and sticks” industry. But if you ask me, commercial construction is first and foremost about relationships. After all, the strongest foundation you can give any commercial construction project is a solid partnership between the client and the commercial contractor. That’s why at Englewood Construction, we […]

One of the biggest challenges for commercial construction firms today is the tighter project timelines that have become the norm at every phase of a project – from shorter deadlines for submitting initial bids and budgets, to quicker resolution on addendums and change orders, to compressed schedules for construction and delivery. Today, we push to […]

After nearly 10 years of publishing Hard Hat Chat (more to come on our blog’s 10th anniversary later this year), we know there’s never a shortage of fresh topics and trends to discuss in the commercial construction industry. At the same time, some subjects seem to come up again and again, whether on this blog, […]

After a busy and eventful year in commercial construction, we always find it valuable to reflect back on the last 12 months and review the positives and negatives that impacted our business – including those that are specific to our company as well as the commercial construction industry as a whole – as we prepare […]

It has been another successful year for Englewood Construction, and with the calendar flipping over to December we’re excited to see what 2019 will bring. Here are our predictions of the four commercial construction industry trends we expect will shape our work in different sectors – and the construction landscape overall – in the year […]

Earlier this month, the Englewood Construction team was honored to be recognized as one of the Best Restaurant Contractors in Chicago by Chicago Architects. Given how much restaurant work we do and how important those clients – from national restaurant chains and food service groups to independent eateries – are to our business, it was […]

For the most part, a commercial construction firm’s job is pretty straightforward. But because we have such a broad range of expertise and the know-how to weigh in or provide services for so many aspects of the construction process, there are times our clients don’t even realize they could and should be calling us for […]

Budget is always a major consideration for our commercial construction clients, and as a general contractor we devote significant time to the budgeting process. While we do our best to provide budget estimates that are as accurate as possible, there are inevitably times when projects bids come in higher than the client expected, or that […]

It’s already been a busy year for Englewood’s Restaurant Construction division, with a wide variety of projects ranging from ground-up new construction and interior renovations to commercial kitchen work. As such, here are four commercial construction trends our team has observed and anticipates we’ll see shaping more restaurant and food service construction projects in the […]

Earlier this year, one of our favorite clients, American Girl, announced plans to take its brand on the road via an American Girl musical debuting with a nationwide tour this fall. At Englewood Construction, we’re proud to say we’ve already been “on tour” with American Girl for the last 10 years, working with the popular […]

Earlier this month, the Englewood team headed to Las Vegas for RECon, the global retail real estate convention hosted annually by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Attending this major event is always a terrific opportunity for us as a national commercial construction firm to meet with our national retail developer clients, network with […]

One of the things we’ve been most proud of at Englewood Construction over the last several years is the growth of our Facilities Management Group. This division started as a way for us to extend our relationship with clients to include planned, preventative and emergency commercial facility maintenance; while it certainly wasn’t typical, then or […]

Something we’re hearing a lot about in our industry right now is the growing trend and popularity of prefab and modular commercial construction solutions. Much of this conversation is driven by the fact that in a business where actual building techniques haven’t changed much in decades, there’s a real hunger for new strategies to improve […]

As noted in January’s Hard Hat Chat post about commercial real estate trends shaping Englewood’s work in the year ahead, we expect 2018 will maintain the same strong momentum we’ve recently experienced working with owners and operators to update existing senior communities. What’s driving the uptick in renovation and remodeling activity in this sector? For […]

Happy New Year to all of our Hard Hat Chat readers! As we flip the calendar over to 2018 this month, it’s a great time to share some of the commercial construction trends we predict will shape our work in the year ahead. #1: Grocery Sector Ripe for Change The grocery sector has been keeping […]

As we close in on the final days of 2017, it’s time once again for our annual commercial construction blog post reflecting back on the positives – and the negatives – that have impacted our business and the industry as a whole over the last 12 months. Here’s a rundown of our top commercial construction […]

When it comes to choosing a site for a commercial construction or CRE project, finding the perfect match between a brand or concept and an available space is one of the most important steps in the planning process. And for business owners and developers looking for guidance as they vet different options, there’s no better […]

Earlier this fall, the entire country watched as hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria caused widespread destruction across Texas, Florida, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. As I followed the media coverage leading up to and following these storms, my thoughts of course turned to the rebuilding process and post-hurricane construction work ahead for these communities. As […]

When I think back on the most interesting construction projects and challenges I’ve handled in my career as a national commercial contractor, without a doubt some of the most memorable have been in landmark-status buildings. In fact, we’re in the middle of one of those projects right now as Englewood Construction relocates American Girl’s flagship […]

Compared with a few short years ago, commercial construction moves at an incredibly fast pace today. Due to a variety of factors – from smaller profit margins following the economic downturn, to the sense of immediacy that’s so pervasive in the modern business world – everyone from our clients on down to our subcontractors are […]