News

The CTA Washington Wabash station in the Chicago Loop area opened this morning, after a 2-year construction process. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the station “a new gold standard for what a new “L” station should look like” at the ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the station. The station serves the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple lines, and replaces the Madison/Wabash station, which was demolished at the start of this project; and the Randolph/Wabash station, which will be demolished now ...

The Paschen Scholars program, in affiliation with George Westinghouse High School, recently completed its second year of onsite construction internships. The program, which grants construction internships to up to 6 freshmen per school year, now has 11 student participants who visit work sites, hear perspectives from various people in the construction industry, and participate in workshops and activities to develop teamwork and creative skills. Jobsites visited included the AMC building project at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, the Western/Belmont Avenue reconstruction, ...

Construction Interns from Chicago Public Schools and Westinghouse College Prep High School visited the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) on June 27th 2017 to learn about airport construction operations at O’Hare and Midway International Airports. The day began with a summary of work at both airports, including an overview of the O’Hare Modernization Program, the day to day operations, and key “fun facts” for the students about airport operations. The students were then escorted to the airfield, where they visited …

The Western/Belmont Avenue Viaduct demolition and intersection reconstruction project was officially deemed completed on July 24 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel attended and made remarks about the project. The viaduct, he said, was “an eyesore” that needed to be removed due to its age and condition. It was built in the mid-1960s to accommodate traffic for Riverview Park, which stood at the site until 1967. F.H. Paschen demolished the structure over one weekend in March 2016, which …

The 2016 and 2017 Paschen Scholars traveled to S.T.A.T.E. Testing’s laboratory last week to learn about materials testing. Students toured the laboratory and participated in demonstrations about aggregate and soil testing, gradation, and participated in a proctor test. Students took a closer look at the ingredients in concrete and asphalt mixtures, learned about new performance testing technologies like the Hamburg wheel track test and the disk-shaped compact tension test (DCT), and the asphalt analyzer, and observed the testing of a …

Our new website is designed to introduce our talented team, showcase some of our most recent projects, and highlight the tenacity, versatility, ingenuity, and pride with which we approach our work. Chuck Freiheit, Chief Operating Officer, described the objective this way: “What we want everyone to understand is that we deliver a lot more than simply ‘on time and on budget’: We bring a determination to overcome every obstacle that stands in the way of success; we have the ability ...

F.H. Paschen and George Westinghouse College Prep School inducted the next five students into the Paschen Scholars program on May 26, in a Hard Hat Ceremony at the F.H. Paschen headquarters in Chicago. The five chosen students represented the top 18% percent of the freshman class, and included those who expressed an interest in construction. They join the six students chosen in the inaugural 2016 program. The students each participated in interviews and activities to determine their abilities, creativity, and ...

F.H. Paschen began 2017 with significant construction award wins, reflecting a strong start to the year. In March, we were recognized as "Contractor of the Year" for 2016 by the African American Contractors Association (AACA). The award was presented to President/CEO Jim Blair at the 24th Annual AACA Membership Awards, held March 15 at the South Shore Cultural Center. On May 5, The March of Dimes presented F.H. Paschen with the 2017 Construction & Transportation Award. The award was given ...

F.H. Paschen ended 2016 on a high note, and continued that streak into 2017, with awards for three of our banner projects. In November, F.H. Paschen was selected as Transit Contractor of the Year by the Chicago Department of Transportation for our work as contractor on the Union Station Transit Center. The Center, which opened in July of 2016, handles over 3,400 CTA commuters and services six CTA bus routes. In December, the Washington-Wabash CTA Elevated Station Design was selected ...

On August 19, Paschen and SYTE Corporation, a small general contractor in the Chicago area, announced that the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) in Washington, D.C., formally approved our joint application for a Mentor/Protégé Agreement in the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program between F.H. Paschen and SYTE Corporation. This approval is in effect for a 1-year period. It is annually reviewed by the SBA for adherence to Agreement provisions and may be renewed for a maximum of 6 years. ...

The Union Station Transit Center, built on a surface parking lot on Jackson Boulevard between Canal and Clinton Streets, was designed for commuters to connect to buses and trains while easing traffic congestion around Union Station. The station opens on Sunday, September 4, and a Grand Opening ceremony was held on Tuesday, August 30. Dignitaries such as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and US Senator Dick Durbin were in attendance. The Transit Center will provide boarding for CTA bus routes No. ...

Paschen representatives were in attendance at the American Public Works Association (APWA) Public Works Expo, in Minneapolis, MN, where we received National Awards for two projects. The Thornton Composite Reservoir, completed in July 2015, received the Project of the Year, Environment, $75 Million or More award; and the Cermak-McCormick Place Elevated Green Line, completed in February 2015, received the Project of the Year, National Structures, $25-$75 Million award. Tim Bea, Project Manager for the Thornton Reservoir project, and Jeremy Seyller, ...

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies recently announced their selections for the 2016 American Architecture Awards, and The UNO Galewood Elementary School, located at 2050 N. Natchez Ave., was chosen as one of the award recipients. Awards will be given at the Chicago Athenaeum Awards Gala Dinner Ceremony on October 3. Galewood Elementary, built for the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), was a fast-track, design-build project which was ...

Since their program began at Paschen on July 6, the six Paschen Scholars from Westinghouse Academy attended trainings and seminars, and learned about construction and engineering from Paschen employees and management. This past Friday, they completed their first year of time with Paschen. They will return for the next two summers to continue their education as Paschen Scholars. In their first week, the Scholars met representatives from each department and participated in onboarding training, or “Boot Camp.” The Scholars spilt ...

Our 2nd Friday in the Field occurred on July 22. Participants included our six Paschen Scholars, interns, and new hires, and all had a wonderful day visiting sites and learning about what Paschen does from those who are doing it in the field. The group started by visiting the I-90 Jane Addams Tollway jobs, where the participants saw Paschen and Stalworth teams in action and learned about the jobs being done there. After lunch in the afternoon, the group visited ...

Paschen kicked off the summer with the first Friday in the Field on June 24th. Interns, new hires, and other Paschen employees had the opportunity to visit the Union Station Transit Center, East River Road Bridge, and I-90 Eastbound Roadway & Bridge Widening projects. The first stop was at the Union Station Transit Center project. Assistant Project Manager Gregg Brynda and Project Superintendent Bill Martin gave a tour of the jobsite and talked about scheduling and some of the obstacles ...

F.H. Paschen and George Westinghouse College Prep School inducted the first six students into the Paschen Scholars program on Monday, June 6, in a Hard Hat Ceremony at the F.H. Paschen headquarters in Chicago. The six chosen students represented the top 18% percent of the freshman class, and included those who expressed an interest in construction. They each participated in interviews and activities to determine their abilities, creativity, and engineering aptitude. The Scholars will participate in the three-year program, and ...

F.H. Paschen (Paschen) is proud to be the 2016 recipient of the General Contractor of the Year Award from the Federation of Women Contractors (FWC), the fourth time that Paschen has received this recognition. The award was presented on June 1, 2016 at the FWC Women Rock Awards ceremony, held at the House of Blues in Chicago. The FWC is the oldest and most recognized leader among women-owned construction businesses in the Chicagoland area. It is committed to the advancement ...

F.H. Paschen held its Spring Safety Kick-off Picnic on May 19, 2016 at the Paschen Headquarters in Chicago. The event focused on safety awareness for Paschen and Stalworth trade workers and onsite field crew members. Food was provided by Frannie’s Beef and Catering, and Central Contractors held a product presentation on crane safety; while O’Learys Equipment rental and supply and Fallsafe held product demonstrations on fall protection. Many prizes were awarded in a raffle, and three lucky winners received the ...

Paschen is one of over 30 companies in the construction industry participating in the ComEd CONSTRUCT program. CONSTRUCT offers more than 60 students the training, information, and guidance needed to compete for entry-level jobs with good compensation in construction-related fields. On March 18th, Paschen attended Company Overview Day, which gave CONSTRUCT students a brief summary of Paschen’s business, the types of work we do, and information on possible available positions. On April 8th, we participated in the Career Awareness Fair ...

As part of our ongoing relationship with George Westinghouse College Prep School, F.H. Paschen recently organized two events to involve students at Westinghouse who are interested in the construction industry. PASCHEN SCHOLARS On April 26, F.H. Paschen kicked off our Paschen Scholars program. Students who participated represented the top 18% percent of the freshman class, and included those who expressed an interest in construction. Twelve students participated in a group interview to determine how they worked together, then they were then ...

Paschen is proud to participate in National Safety Stand-Down Week, which is held each year by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to raise awareness of preventing fall hazards in construction. Incidents caused by falls from elevation are the leading cause of fatalities for construction workers. Paschen coordinated toolbox talks at all of our active job sites during the week of May 2-6. Each talk included case studies, examples, and important reminders on how to prevent falls. To learn more ...

F.H. Paschen (Paschen) is pleased to announce that The American Public Works Association (APWA) has selected the Thornton Composite Reservoir as a recipient in the Environment more than $75 million category of the National APWA Public Works Projects of the Year for 2016. As General Contractor for the job, Paschen built a 208 foot wide by 116 foot tall roller compacted concrete (RCC) gap dam and a 9,425-foot-long double-row grout curtain (groundwater protection system) extending around the entire perimeter of ...

F.H. Paschen (Paschen) is pleased to announce that The American Public Works Association (APWA) has selected the Cermak-McCormick Place Elevated Green Line Station as a co-recipient in the National Structures $25 million to $75 million category of the APWA Public Works Projects of the Year for 2016. As General Contractor for the job, Paschen built the new Cermak Road Elevated Station on the CTA Green Line. Work on the project included the construction of a new rail station with an ...

On March 18, representatives from F.H. Paschen were in attendance at The American Public Works Association (APWA)Awards Luncheon. Paschen was honored with three APWA Project of the Year Awards, as well as one Project Excellence Award: The Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line Station received the Project of the Year Award for Structures $25-$75 Million. The Rollins Road Grade Separation project received the Project of the Year Award in the Transportation $25-$75 Million category. The Thornton Composite Reservoir received the Project of ...