Chicago’s McHugh Construction made three new hires: Eric Engstrom as project executive, Grant Peoples as director of risk management and Amit Patel as project manager.
The three hires come as McHugh advances a diverse portfolio of projects, including preconstruction of 1325 West Fulton Street, the first residential tower in a full-block mixed-use development in Chicago’s West Loop; the office-to-residential conversion of 65 E. Wacker Place in downtown Chicago; West Garage, the first phase of The 1901 Project near the United Center featuring retail, parking and a rooftop park; Southbridge 1C, a mixed-income apartment development in the South Loop; and the renovation and expansion of Dobson Ice Arena in Vail, Colo.
As project executive, Engstrom will lead delivery of commercial developments for McHugh. A 20-year industry veteran, Engstrom most recently was at Sterling Bay, where he oversaw the design and construction of more than 2 million square feet of office, mixed-use and multifamily projects, including the 553,000-square-foot 333 N. Green office building. Prior to that, he spent 14 years at Lendlease, rising to project executive and overseeing high-profile projects including 151 N. Franklin and River Point Tower. He began his career at Sargent & Lundy and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.
In his role as director of risk management, Peoples will oversee strategic risk planning and claims management to help protect McHugh’s projects, teams and operations. An attorney with more than 10 years of experience, he most recently served as engineering and construction corporate counsel for Sargent & Lundy. Prior to that, he spent seven years as risk counsel at The Walsh Group, where he developed contract risk mitigation strategies to protect project profitability. Peoples earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago.
As project manager, Patel will oversee project execution and field coordination for McHugh. Over the past eight years, he has served as a project manager for Blackwood Group and Chicago Commercial Construction. His experience includes the 25-unit Hamlin Avenue Apartments, renovation of the 500-unit Albany Gaines Apartments and multiple projects for Chicago Public Schools. Patel earned a bachelor’s degree in construction management with a minor in business administration from Bradley University.
