What We're Celebrating!
Three cheers for some stellar achievements!
Let's give some of our incredible colleagues a round of applause for all their hard work and accomplishments!
We love to see that Sarah Hitchcock has joined the board of Share Our Spare, a community resource of essentials, education, and advocacy for families living in poverty and the agencies that serve them.
We are so proud of Imani Dixon and Lesley Roth who were featured in AIA Chicago's Member Voices 01: In Celebration of Black History Month. You do amazing work and we love being your colleagues! Read the full article here.
Give Meghann Duran a hand for joining NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Organization) Arizona!
Amazing work, Valerie Michalek who is 2023 chair of the AIA NAC (National Associates Committee)! The group met in person for the first time since 2020 to set goals for 2023.
Best wishes to our recently wed colleagues at the Culver City office, Eden Axelrad, Cristal Hermosillo-Kaplan, Jose Padilla, and Maren Allen!
Three cheers for Chris Kupcho, the winner of the enterprise's CHI chili cook off!
We celebrate our team's work with NOMA and Project Pipeline
In honor of Black History Month, amplifying black and brown voices and talents in February and year-round is essential. We want to highlight NOMA and its Project Pipeline, which are critical for our industry. NOMA's mission is to build a robust national organization through strong local chapters and recruit members to minimize the effect of racism in our profession. Project Pipeline is an annual workshop that introduces students to architecture by using the city as the classroom and connecting young people to professionals in the AEC industry.
We're a proud sponsor and advocate of NOMA and Project Pipeline in its efforts to increase the longstanding lack of minority representation within the AEC industry. Last year our team spearheaded the first-ever in-person Project Pipeline workshop in St. Louis, MO. Additionally, members of our Chicago team lead I-NOMA's Project Pipeline Summer camp serving 100+ students over five days.
We also want to shout-out and celebrate LJC's team members who are actively involved with NOMA:
Richie Hands: National Chair of NOMA Project Pipeline
Imani Dixon: I-NOMA, Vice President
Nicolas Smith: STL NOMA, Project Pipeline Coordinator and Chapter Secretary
Nimah Mohiuddin: I-NOMA, Student Liaison, 2021-2022
It's the world premier of the 2022 LJC Our Voice videos!
We know you've all been waiting anxiously to see what we all had to say about LJC this past year. The wait is over! Watch the LJC Our Voice videos below.
Have a colleague you want to shout out, or an accomplishment of your own we can include in a future issue of the Plum Line? Email news@theljc.com!
What We're Up To
Take a look at what we've been getting up to this past month!
We swept the floor in chair hockey!
Our CHI team competed in the 15th Annual Aeron Hockey Tournament benefiting the Special Olympics of Illinois!
Our SUPER STL team competed in Capes for Kids!
Capes for Kids is a design competition where designers create capes for kids suffering from terminal diseases. All capes are donated to local Childrens' Hospitals after the event.
STL shared the love on Valentine's Day!
We hosted Iowa State students on a college tour!
We always love getting to talk with students about what their career in this incredible industry can be.
We toured the almost-complete Confidential Confectionary project at 24 E. Washington!
The project must remain in its foil wrapper until later this year, but when it's time to enjoy, what a treat it will be! Big thanks to Audrey DeLapp, Megan Schultz, Victor Jimenez, and Jessica Statz who led the tour of the chocolate factory!
Sarah Doriani helped judge the 10th Annual Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition!
We repped our signature PLUM PURPLE at career fairs all month!
Big thanks to all of our colleagues who help us keep recruiting the best and brightest!
Have you seen? the LJC Resource Channel is live on Teams!
This is a great resource of all things LJC, go explore!
Anything going on around the office that you'd like to see in a future issue of the Plum Line? Send it to news@theljc.com!
Who's Joined Us
Say "hello" to some new faces at LJC!
Who We Are
A monthly Q&A to help you get to know what some of your LJC colleagues are up to outside the office!
Three Cheers for Cliff Collins!
Office: St. Louis
Title/Role: Senior Associate
Focus Area: Architecture
School you graduated from: K-State (Go Wildcats!)
What is your most niche, non-work-related interest?
Collecting, restoring, and driving classic (1950s, 60s, 70s) Air-Cooled Volkswagens.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life, professionally, so far?
Designing/building my own modern-contemporary house on the same property where I grew up. Also, becoming a licensed architect.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life, NOT professionally, so far?
Being a good husband and step-father / grandfather.
Meet Abigail Scheel!
Office: Phoenix
Title/Role: Project Architect
Focus Area: Architecture
School you graduated from: University of Arizona
Professional Affiliations / Organizations: AIA member
What is your most niche, non-work-related interest?
I don’t know if it’s niche, but I picked up playing soccer as an adult a few years ago to try and meet people. I discovered that I really enjoy it and it’s really good exercise. I now play in an adult soccer league multiple days a week and I’m not half bad!
What does a perfect weekend look like to you?
A perfect weekend for me is chilling at home spending time with my dog. I’m a bit of a homebody so I love naps and snuggles with my pup. A good movie and a glass of wine to finish off the evening.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life, professionally, so far?
I am really proud of getting my architecture license. It’s something that’s difficult and I’ve seen other friends and colleagues struggle with. Covid also started while I was in the middle of taking my exams which was stressful. My exams kept getting pushed out and rescheduled because of test center closures. I was worried I was going to lose momentum and not be able to finish. I ended up passing all 6 tests on the first try and beating the personal deadline I had set for myself. I’m proud of myself for going through the process and sticking with it.
What movie can you watch over and over again? What makes it so special?
There are a lot of movies that I can watch over and over again, but I am an action movie fan so one of my favorite movies to watch is Die Hard. It’s the perfect action flick with a little Christmas flare.
Introducing Nick Casaletto!
Office: Chicago
Title/Role: Sr. Associate, Enclosure Quality Manager
Focus Area: TAGer
School you graduated from: University of Illinois (undergrad), Boston Architectural College (grad)
Professional Affiliations / Organizations: AIA, BEC, CSI, ABBA, IMI
What is something about you that you think would surprise your co-workers?
My house leaks when it rains. Just kidding.
If you could speak another language, what would it be? Why?
Well… I used to speak Japanese and took it as a minor in undergrad in hopes to pursue my architecture graduate degree at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Unfortunately that exchange program was dissolved the year I was eligible and then fell out of touch with my proficiency. I’d really like to re-learn the language again and travel there.
What’s your most niche, non-work-related interest?
Combination of fishing, playing sports or board games, and smoking meats. I grew up fishing a lot and it’s become a respite for me when life seems to be moving too fast. I also grew up in a competitive household so anything from ping pong to hockey to Catan is always a blast. My wife and I got a smoker as an engagement gift and ever since I’ve been hooked on smoking meats and trying new recipes. We even started a small sauce business as a hobby with different BBQ sauces.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life, NOT professionally, so far?
Becoming a dad. My son is 3-1/2 and daughter is 6 months, and that’s just been a mountain of newness. It’s fun to watch them grow and learn, and building our own family traditions is special.
What We're Working On
Check out some of the latest and greatest milestones from this past month!
Wicker Park Dog Park Renovation
A pro-bono project for Wicker Park's most playful residents is underway!
The Roosevelt & Kostner project celebrated its groundbreaking!
The 21-acre development in North Lawndale is a collaboration with the City of Chicago's Invest South/West initiative.
The Bison Bridge project continues to get attention!
Check out the Landscape Forms Xtreme LA recap video below and read the full piece on their website here.
The Great Rivers Greenway "Pillars of the Valley" Unveiling took place in St. Louis!
Former residents of Mill Creek Valley came together to remember the historic Black neighborhood and experience the unveiling of the permanent art installation / memorial "Pillars of the Valley" by Damon Darvis at CITYPARK.
The Engineering Design and Innovation Building at Penn State University celebrated its ribbon cutting!
First Bank's new HQ has broken ground!
The project is slated for completion by Q1 2024.
Are you working on a project that has hit a milestone we should feature in a future issue of the Plum Line? Send it to news@theljc.com!
What We've Wrapped Up
Check out the photos of some of our recently-completed projects!
Spencer Fane, Professional Service Firm
Check out the video of the VividSeats project from BIG Construction!
Reverberation 2022 is ready for its close up
What We've Won
Of course, we don't do what we do to win awards, but being recognized for our accomplishments is always a reason to celebrate
2022-2023 Annual Awards Event | St. Louis ASLA Professional, Student and NonJuried Award Ceremony
POP Heights and Centene Campus projects were both honored.
Frank Hu was the recipient of the Emerging Professional Award!
Exciting news! LJC is a finalist for Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards, Interior Design Firm of the Year!
Winners to be announced March 9. See all the finalists on the award website here.
Who's Talking About Our Work?
Where some of our work has popped up in the news!
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What's on the Horizon?
Check out what to look forward to in March!
March 6: Women in Construction Week Kick-Off Happy Hour: STL, CHI, LA
March 7: Episode 1: Women to Watch Panel Series, virtual
March 7: STL Women Build Kick-Off Party
March 7: Shaping Your Career Now for the Future, LA
March 8: International Women's Day
March 8: Clayco NOW sponsored Jobsite Tours: STL, PHX, CHI, LA
March 9: Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards
March 9: Construction Forum Emerging Leaders Networking Event, STL
March 9: Sharing your Vision and Dreams, LA
March 17: St. Patrick's Day
See below for details on all Women in Construction Week events!
