FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2024
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BOWA Construction
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BOWA Construction successfully leads the completion of the Northeast Cargo Campus at O’Hare International Airport, a testament to our commitment to quality and excellence.
With expanded capacity, O’Hare has become the top U.S. cargo airport by trade value. It is the first facility in the nation to be constructed by an African-American-owned firm.
Chicago, IL – August 29– Yesterday, BOWA Construction, WFS, Realterm, and the Chicago Department of Aviation celebrated the successful completion of the Northeast Cargo Campus at O’Hare International Airport. This project, the first facility of this size to be built by an African-American-owned general contractor, BOWA Construction, marks a significant milestone and a momentous occasion that Mayor Johnson and Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee celebrated with pride.
The event’s highlight was the remarks from BOWA CEO and President Nosa Ehimwenman. Nosa mentioned the project’s challenges and how his team, in collaboration with our diverse partners, stepped up to the exchange and completion of the facility: “The scale and complexity of this facility challenged us to push our boundaries, innovate, and work intentionally with the diverse partners we chose for this project.”
The third and final phase of the Northeast Cargo campus, developed by Realterm, opened for cargo operations last year, with some final punch list items completed this year. The project added 130,000 square feet and two aircraft parking positions to the cargo area. The Phase III ramp can accommodate up to a dozen jumbo freighters daily and process more than 100,000 metric tonnes of cargo annually. The building’s roof also features more than 2,500 solar panels that generate an estimated 1.25 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The first two phases were finished in 2016 and 2017.
Phase III of the Realterm Northeast Cargo campus project achieved a participation rate of 55% for minority- and women-owned businesses, with more than $23 million of the project’s $43 million cost spent with diverse firms. The project created 340 full-time construction jobs and another 180 full-time permanent jobs at the completed facility, significantly contributing to the local economy and employment sector.
BOWA was intentional in the work done to identify and hire the right partners, realizing this was only possible without the partnership because of the committed collaboration of all the minority and women-owned subcontractors. This celebration is a win for them as well. Their contribution was significant, and their commitment was instrumental in the success of this project. “This was not just a significant feat for our organization but for all the other project partners; we are grateful for their commitment in getting us to the finish line,” says Tim Scholten, SVP of BOWA Construction.
