Ahead of the Curve
For more than 122 years, James McHugh Construction Co. has kept
moving forward, rolling with the times while building a strong, diverse
business that employees and clients alike can count on
In an industry like construction where things seem to
change and evolve every day, keeping your business current
and relevant – not to mention, welcoming to new
clients – can be tough. So, how do you do it? How do you distinguish
yourself from the rest and make sure you can move with
the times year to year?
A great example of achieving success when it comes
to staying current is James McHugh Construction Co.
of Chicago, Ill. Not only have they been in business
for more than 122 years, but McHugh has also built its
reputation on high-quality work and focused client care.
It’s these and many more attributes that help keep this
sought-after construction company ahead of the curve –
and maybe even ahead of their time.
Longstanding history
McHugh is a family-owned business and has been ever since its
inception in 1897 by founder James D. McHugh. From the very
beginning, the company established itself as a leader in general
contracting with, at the time, a reputation for specialized
masonry work. These days, McHugh is known for their highquality
workmanship on high-rise buildings and condos as well
as one-of-a-kind structures like Chicago Navy Pier’s Centennial
Wheel and the historic Blackstone Hotel.
But you don’t stay in business for over a century by
doing business in only one city.
Steve Wiley is a senior vice president at McHugh and
leads the Civil Construction group.
“We self-perform pile driving, which consists of H-pile,
pipe pile and sheet pile on infrastructure projects such
as deep foundations for bridges and retaining walls. We
perform railroad bridge replacement and new railroad
bridge construction; when we do bridge construction,
we’re typically doing 100 percent of the work ourselves.
With respect to our building projects we self-perform
our own concrete for high-rise structures, which is a
specialty of ours. (But) we are a true general contractor.”
While much of their work occurs within the city limits
of Chicago, “we’ve constructed high-rise projects in a
number of other cities around the country,” said Wiley.
“We generally follow our developer clients wherever they
need us to go.”
Demonstrating such a commitment to their clients
also demonstrates commitment to their staff, half of
whom have been with the company for more than 10
years thanks to steady – and interesting – work.
“McHugh is a family-owned business, there’s a culture
of it being more like a family. We value our employees,
and everyone has exposure to some really cool projects,”
said Wiley.
Playing the long game
It’s the interesting, one-of-a-kind projects that help maintain
McHugh’s success. If you consider their portfolio of work, it’s
easy to see why clients keep coming back and why new clients
seek them out.
“The Aqua tower in Chicago was built back in 2007,”
said Wiley. “It was designed by renowned architect
Jeanne Gang and is a very unique building. Before taking
over our Civil group, I was in charge of pre-construction
for the company and worked on the Aqua project in a
pre-construction capacity. It’s a very interesting project.
The most visually apparent features are the undulating
balcony slabs that move in and out, creating a
really unique shape to the building. Those balconies
are all part of the concrete structure, which McHugh
performed. They’re formed edges and each one has a
unique geometry. It wasn’t randomly placed; it was all
constructed to the specific design to achieve the stunning
visual effect that it has.”
By Jess Campbell
108 | EDITION 3 2019 www.piledrivers.org
/www.piledrivers.org
