Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class in its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Last year — despite the challenges it brought — was no exception. Here’s a look at one of our newest Hall of Fame members, Mark Augustyn, chief operating officer of Principle Construction Corp. in Rosemont, Illinois.
As a young boy, Mark Augustyn loved to design houses and build stuff. He loved knowing how things worked, and the family garage was a perpetual workshop. Soon after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with his master’s degree in architecture, he realized he could pursue both his construction and design passions in one occupation.
Augustyn, chief operating officer and treasurer of Principle Construction Corp., has worked in construction for more than 36 years. In February of 1999, he co-founded Principle Construction Corp., a design/build general contractor, with his business partner, James Brucato.
Augustyn has been responsible for the design and completion of office, retail, manufacturing, distribution, food processing and laboratory projects in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. To date, Principle has completed more than $500 million in construction projects for more than 300 clients.
Augustyn’s joy has always been coupling his design skills with constructability to match a client’s budget. Listening to a client’s needs, visualizing the options available, knowing how much it will cost and knowing it would perform as expected at the onset is what drives him.
He believes that the reason Principle is so successful is because of the firm’s ability to design and build a building that satisfies clients’ needs, meets their budget and ultimately functions in a way that enhances clients’ business operations. Augustyn recognized that one of his greatest business challenges was earning a client’s trust.
Maintaining integrity and a dedication to honoring commitments has been a life and business standard. He is committed to achieving or exceeding expectations. “If it’s worth doing … it’s worth overdoing” is a favorite mantra, all while maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life.
An avid outdoorsman, Augustyn enjoys fishing, boating, hunting, hiking, camping, golf and nearly any other outdoor activity. Fortunately, his family shares in his passion for outdoor activities.
He is also an active member of the Chicago area commercial real estate community, and a member of several industry organizations including the Chicago Building Congress, AIRE, NAIOP, SIOR, U.S. Green Building Council and the American Institute of Architects. Augustyn is also an active member of St. Mary of Vernon, where he serves on the Building Committee and as a eucharistic minister, as well as The Archdiocese of Chicago, where he and his wife serve as FOCCUS facilitators and as a weekly volunteer for PADS of Lake County.
