Chicago Firm Sets Out to Change Construction

Mark Skender, the company’s chief executive officer.

CHICAGO—Everyone who has been involved in a construction project knows how difficult it can be to get developers, subcontractors, suppliers and designers on the same page. But Skender, a construction firm with offices in Chicago and San Francisco, has decided to break with the past and transform itself into a vertically integrated company including construction, design and building component manufacturing functions.

The expansion includes the launch of a new Chicago-based advanced manufacturing subsidiary and the acquisition of the boutique design firm Ingenious Architecture. The company also recruited two industry leaders: architect Tim Swanson, and construction technologist Kevin Bredeson.