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Chicago & Midwest  + Downtown  + Healthcare  |  December 14, 2021
Paul Bubny
By: Paul Bubny

Construction JV Will Focus on Chicago’s Biotech Sector

Capitalizing on Chicago’s rapidly expanding biotech industry, San Francisco-based GCI General Contractors and Chicago-based BIG Construction have launched a joint venture, Helix Construction. The arrival of Helix comes as the city and region see urging demand for lab space and the potential to become a key biotech hub. 

“Chicago is experiencing impressive growth in the biotech industry,” says Tony Iannessa, co-founder of Helix and CEO of BIG Construction. “As of last year, companies were seeking 658,000 square feet of lab space in the Chicago area, up from 175,000 square feet the previous year, and we expect that growth to continue exponentially.  

“As Helix, we are incredibly excited to meet this growing demand by advancing the availability of new and retrofitted spaces in the Chicago region,” he continued. 

Helix has aggressive growth plans for the Chicago area, beginning with a $25-million new R&D facility for a research institution in Lake County. 

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).
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