Naperville, Ill. (September 14, 2010)—Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) has selected Ryan Companies US, Inc. to build its new 147,000-square-foot Food Distribution and Community Nutrition Center at 273 Dearborn Ct., Geneva, Ill. The facility is anticipated to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Construction officially began Sept. 8, with the new facility to be completed by second quarter 2011. Upon completion of this new facility, NIFB will relocate and expand its operations. Currently the organization is located in a 120,000-square-foot facility in St. Charles, Ill.

This marks the second project now under construction in the Fox Valley/Kane County area by Ryan. It also expands the portfolio of area projects completed or under construction by Ryan. In late May the company began construction on a 31,400-square-foot Mercedes-Benz dealership and showroom in St. Charles, Ill., for the Resnick Automotive Group.

NIFB is a non-profit organization that provides food to people in need through its 520 partner agencies in 13 counties – Boone, DuPage, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago. NIFB acquires, gathers, handles, and distributes donated, government and purchased food to more than 60,000 different people each week through local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth activity centers and other food assistance sites. In fiscal year 2010 NIFB distributed over 35.1 million pounds of food.

“We are pleased to have selected Ryan Companies as our construction management partner,” H. Dennis Smith, president and CEO of Northern Illinois Food Bank, said.  “They have demonstrated a keen sense of understanding and a commitment to help NIFB maximize our investment in a new Food Distribution and Community Nutrition Center, planning the best possible facility to help us achieve our mission of a hunger-free northern Illinois. We are excited as we embark on this chapter for our organization.”

The 11-acre site on which the new facility will be built is situated north of Illinois State Route 38, between Kirk and Kautz Roads, within the Geneva Business Park. Additionally, it is immediately west of the DuPage Airport, and just south and west of Pheasant Run.

The new refrigerated food warehouse and distribution facility being constructed by Ryan will feature 47,000 square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of dry storage, 20,000 square feet of freezer/cooler space and 20,000 square feet of volunteer circulation area. The space will include both a commercial and production kitchen where foods are packaged and prepared, as raw ingredients and pre-packaged meals. Given the design of the building, including 32-foot clear ceiling heights in the storage areas, NIFB will effectively double its size.

“With these various components, this is not just a food distribution center,” Steve Golumbeck, senior project manager, Ryan Companies US, Inc., said.  “This will be a meeting place, a training facility and an event location. The goal of NIFB is to give people a hand, not just a handout.”

In working toward LEED Gold, NIFB will incorporate a wide variety of design and construction elements into the new building, including a white roof, air-cooled heat pumps, high-performance glass and an energy efficient envelope, among other things.

The Food Bank has recently launched a Capital Campaign to build the new Food Distribution and Community Nutrition Center to enable them to handle more food more efficiently to meet the increasing demand. Northern Illinois Food Bank has been recognized by the Feeding America network of food banks as the 2010 Member Food Bank of the Year.

In addition to Ryan, other members of the project team include Rockford Associates, Inc., architect; Larson Engineering, Inc., civil, structural and mechanical engineer; and Owner Services Group, Inc., owner’s representative.

About Ryan Companies US, Inc.
Ryan Companies US, Inc., a nationally recognized design-builder, developer and real estate manager, has specialized in providing fully integrated solutions for more than 70 years. Ryan is ranked 76th in Engineering News-Record’s (ENR’s) list of Top 400 Contractors. In its first 10 years of operation, Ryan’s Midwest Division (based in Chicago) has completed over $1 Billion in projects for customers such as Deere & Company, Isle of Capri, Target Corporation, Dominick’s, C. H. Robinson and Froedtert & Community Health.  In addition to its Chicago office, Ryan has offices in Minneapolis, San Diego, Tampa, Phoenix and Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa.