Chicago

LCI Community of Practice

Chicago, IL

Welcome to the LCI Chicago Community of Practice (CoP) website! The LCI Chicago CoP hopes to continue to act as the premier forum where area Lean thought leaders, practitioners and enthusiasts openly share experiences, best practices and lessons learned; thus transforming the design and construction projects that are delivered throughout Chicago and the Midwest. LCI Chicago CoP core members strive to be the force that leads the design and construction industry to a new paradigm of high-performance collaboration.  If you are looking for a more active role in the Chicago CoP, have questions or suggestions, please contact us!

CoP Highlights

Bob Krier Award Night

Each year, the Chicago CoP recognizes an Individual, a Company or a Project Team that has moved the design and construction industry forward by advancing Lean as an Operating System at our annual Bob Krier Award Night. The award is based on implementation of Lean design, construction tools and techniques, innovation in implementing Lean tools and its impact on the community. We are excited to announce the opening of the nomination process for our 2023 award!  View the Bob Krier Award Selection Criteria and Award Process and submit your nomination today!  Save the date and watch your inbox for the details of this incredible event being planned for April 26, 2023.

Lean Construction Golf Outing

The LCI Chicago CoP Lean Construction Golf Outing to benefit the Bob Krier Scholarship was held on June 20, 2022. Foursomes included representatives from each of the four disciplines: Owner, Architect/Engineer, General Contractor, and Trade Partner. A special set of Lean Rules and Awards made this golf outing truly unique!

Check back for details about the 2023 event or sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest updates.

LCI Chicago Student CoP

The LCI Chicago Student Community of Practice is the mainstay for student organizations at Northwestern University, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Illinois State University, Bradley University, and Purdue University (in partnership with the LCI Central Indiana CoP) interested in the implementation and advancement of Lean in the greater Chicagoland area. The LCI Chicago CoP is focused on providing our Student Community of Practice with valuable learning, event, and networking opportunities to introduce students to Lean design and construction principles and to prepare students to become leaders in the industry.

Scholarship Opportunities

2022 Bob Krier and Tim Vander Molen Scholarship: This year, our Chicago CoP is pleased to announce that we will be awarding three (3) scholarships for higher education Design & Construction discipline students enrolled full-time in trade school, community college or university degree programs in Illinois or Indiana. Learn more about scholarship criteria and download the application HERE. Stay tuned for 2023 scholarship application information.

Student CoP Partners

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Leader Contact: Antoine Menassa
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Leader Contact: Edwin Fernandez
Illinois Institute of Technology
Leader Contact: Steve Nargang
Illinois Institute of Technology
Leader Contact: Hannah Lux
Illinois State University
Leader Contact: Jason Love
Northwestern University
Leader Contact: Ratna Kunwar
Bradley University
Leader Contact: Ryan Woosley
Purdue University (in partnership with Central Indiana CoP)
Leader Contact: Alex Vermillion

Scholarship Award Announcement

The Chicago CoP is pleased to announce the (3) recipients of our 2022 Bob Krier & Tim Vander Molen Scholarships. Congratulations!

Caleb Jacob – Illinois State University

Caleb is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management at Illinois State University. He is graduating May 2023. He is also the student lead for our Student Chapter at Illinois State University. Currently, he is an intern at River City Construction.

Deepak Verma Dantuluri – Purdue University

Deepak is pursuing his Master of Science in Construction Management Technology at Purdue University. He graduated in December 2022. He had a few internships experiences where he was part of an Integrated Project Delivery team and witnessed how Lean tools are applied to the project.

Marie Denis – Illinois State University

Marie is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Construction Management at Illinois State University. She will be graduating May 2024. She is a member of our Student Chapter at Illinois State University. She has a few internship experiences. Her passion in Sustainability and Lean is extraordinary.

Save the Date!

Mark your calendar for our upcoming Lean Coffee and Lean Tools in Real Life events in 2023! Event invitations will be sent four weeks ahead of the event. Once they are on the calendar you can view them on the Upcoming Local Events section below.

  • 2/23 - Lean 101 - Virtual

  • 3/30 - Intro to Takt - Virtual

  • 4/27 - Lean Coffee - City; location TBD

  • 5/25 - Lean Tools in Real Life: A3 Decision Making (15m) - Virtual

  • 6/29 - Lean Coffee - location TBD

  • 7/27 - Lean Tools in Real Life: Choosing by Advantage - Virtual

  • 8/31 - Lean Coffee - City; location TBD

  • 9/28 - Lean Tools in Real Life: Pull Planning (15m) - Virtual

  • 10/26 - Lean Coffee - Suburbs; location TBD

  • 11/30 - Lean Tools in Real Life: 8 Wastes (15m) - Virtual

  • 12/21 - Lean Coffee - Virtual

Core Members

Chicago CoP
2023 - 2024
  • Leader - Anthony Camasta, The Hill Group
  • Vice Leader - Jenny Han, The Boldt Company
  • Events Leader - Impact events - Christin Araullo, Vader National Group
  • Lean Coffee Leader - Brian Garcea, RG Construction
  • Academics Leader - Ratna Kunwar, Gilbane
  • Lean Learning Leader - Brad Wigh, The Boldt Company
  • Finance / Sponsorship Leader - Ken Bauwens, Jamerson & Bauwens Electrical Contractors, Inc.
  • Finance / Sponsorship Vice Leader - Christine Strom, Northwestern
  • Marquee Event Leader - Seah Hill, Glass Solutions, Inc.
  • Marquee Event Vice Leader - Mark Lomeda, Bulley & Andrews, LLC
  • Leader Emeritus - John Zachara, Integhrated Facilities Solutions, Inc.

Annual Sponsors

The Chicago CoP would like to thank our 2023 sustaining sponsors whose contribution help fund local events and workshops to promote awareness and adoption of Lean. If you are interested in sponsoring the LCI Chicago CoP, learn more about our sponsorship program HERE!

Chicago’s CoP Sustaining Sponsors (2023)

field crew huddle youtube channel cover image
Field Crew Huddle

Explore the Field Crew Huddle website to see how community of practice members are contributing to a platform for sharing methods, improvements and lessons learned on project sites or shops. Want to be featured? Now accepting submissions.

Learn More

Upcoming Local Events

26
Wed
Apr

4th Annual Bob Krier Award Night (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago
04
Thu
May

Lean Beer - In Person (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago
25
Thu
May

A Virtual Lean Coffee (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago
20
Tue
Jun

LEAN IN DESIGN FORUM 2023

Illinois - Chicago
29
Thu
Jun

Lean Coffee - In Person (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago
27
Thu
Jul

A Virtual Lean Coffee (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago
28
Thu
Sep

A Virtual Lean Coffee (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago
30
Thu
Nov

A Virtual Lean Coffee (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago
21
Thu
Dec

A Virtual Lean Coffee (Chicago CoP)

Illinois - Chicago

Upcoming National Events

06
Thu
Apr

WEBINAR: LCI Course - Effective Big Room

Virtual
20
Thu
Apr

WEBINAR: IPD for Small Projects

Virtual
03
Wed
May

WEBINAR: Demystifying the IPD Contract

Virtual
18
Thu
May

WEBINAR: 5S in Lean Construction

Virtual