{"id":6813,"date":"2013-05-28T05:00:18","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T12:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=6813"},"modified":"2021-02-03T16:19:53","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T00:19:53","slug":"serving-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/serving-in-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Urban<\/a>With a unique mixed portfolio and a passion for giving back to the community, Howard R. Conant Jr.\u2019s Urban Innovations<\/a> (UI) stands out in Chicago.<\/p>\n

The property management and construction services firm, established 35 years ago, manages 750,000 square feet of commercial property and 3,700 senior affordable housing units.\u00a0 UI\u2019s \u00a0construction division manages both affordable and commercial construction projects as well as third party projects.<\/p>\n

Since its origins as a founding developer of Chicago\u2019s River North neighborhood, Urban Innovations has placed an emphasis on contributing to the greater Chicago community. This legacy of service is influenced by Mr. Conant\u2019s personal history and business philosophy. He commented: \u201cWe live in a world where businesses wield tremendous power.\u00a0 From homelessness to education to healthcare to crime prevention to sustainability, addressing critical problems will require more resources than nonprofits and government can provide.\u00a0 We will solve these problems only when for-profit businesses make solving these problems a business enterprise.\u00a0 At Urban Innovations, we believe that doing good things for the community is very smart business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Conant\u2019s philosophy is demonstrated by the work he performs in the community. He currently serves on the boards of the Lawson House YMCA, Archeworks and Writers Theater, is an active supporter of Human Rights Watch, and participates in mission work with his church. He\u2019s especially passionate about affordable housing and works alongside Urban Innovation employees during the company\u2019s annual service days.<\/p>\n

\"HConantLARGE\"<\/a>Mr. Conant learned and embraced service and giving back to the community at an early age. Mr. Conant\u2019s parents, Howard Sr. and Doris, incorporated advocacy and civic service into their own lives, and were noted supporters of Dr. Martin Luther King\u2019s fight for civil rights in the 1960s. When Dr. King marched in Alabama, young Howard missed school to participate with his mother. He describes the day as a pivotal moment in his life. \u201cThat instilled a lifelong commitment, for him, of giving back,\u201d explained Jo Anne Gottfried, Vice President, Marketing, for Urban Innovations.<\/p>\n

Howard Conant Sr. passed away in 2011. Doris Conant continues her work as a Chicago philanthropist through the Conant Family Foundation. Her passion for fighting back against poverty and homelessness, especially among mothers and children, was a major motivator behind Urban Innovations\u2019 development work in River North. \u201cShe recognized that this was an area of town that needed to be rejuvenated. That was a conscious decision on her part,\u201d Ms. Gottfried said.<\/p>\n

Fast forward 35 years, and River North is no longer a dangerous part of town behind the Chicago Merchandise Mart. Instead, it\u2019s a vital and coveted walkable urban neighborhood, with restaurants, bars, art galleries, loft and apartment living, as well as commercial buildings. The bulk of Urban Innovations\u2019 commercial portfolio is located within this area, and the company maintains an active role in the River North Business Association, which promotes local businesses and sponsors events.<\/p>\n

Demonstrating UI\u2019s commitment to service, each year, Urban Innovations participates in numerous community service opportunities that bring together their Chicago-based employee team. \u201cThis is a group of people that is really willing to pitch in. There is no job too big or too small for anybody on our team,\u201d Ms. Gottfried said.<\/p>\n

Through the Chicago Cares Business Shares Project, Urban Innovations completes an annual project that involves manual labor on behalf of a school or other public service facility. With the participation of employees from the company\u2019s construction division, real renovation work can be completed even in just one day. And, there\u2019s a job for everyone, whether it is building a planter box, painting a fence or participating in less strenuous tasks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do a really good job of keeping everybody involved. The upside for the company is the president standing next to the building engineer using the same paint bucket. That\u2019s an opportunity you just don\u2019t get all the time, and a conversation you don\u2019t have all the time. It\u2019s a good equalizer,\u201d Ms. Gottfried noted.<\/p>\n

\"Urban<\/a>This year, the team worked on several projects at the John C. Haines elementary school in Chicago\u2019s Chinatown neighborhood. They built planter boxes and benches, improved the landscaping on the outside of the school, painted an exterior wall and created new signage for the entry to the school.\u00a0 The participants were treated to several performances by the students before the day of work began. In 2012, instead of participating in Chicago Cares, they donated, built, and planted exterior landscaping for a housing project of the Inspiration Corporation, which serves those affected by homelessness and poverty. The non-profit had hired Urban Innovations to renovate a 6 flat for their constituency, but their budget was exhausted before the final exterior touches could be completed.<\/p>\n

Because the company\u2019s residential portfolio is made up completely of affordable housing, Urban Innovations employees on-site are contributing to the well-being of the less fortunate every day at work, Gottfried noted. She was recently pleased to learn that the Chicago Cares program, through their volunteer corps, will be able to offer on-site programming for seniors in some of the Urban Innovations properties, creating a perfect circle of contributive benefits.<\/p>\n

Even Urban Innovations\u2019 senior residents, particularly those at the Centennial Apartments in Mt. Prospect, have gotten into the spirit of community giving.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey decided to start fundraising for their local firemen, to thank them for all the work that they do, and their prompt and frequent response to their building and how nice and helpful they are,\u201d said Ms. Gottfried. On fixed and very limited incomes, the residents nevertheless pooled their dollars to donate to the Mt. Prospect Fire Department. When the corporate office found out about the effort, they decided to match every dollar the residents contributed. So far, Urban Innovations and the residents have contributed $15,000. The money is used to buy fire and EMS rig equipment that isn\u2019t funded in the fire department budget.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all part of the overall vision at Urban Innovations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most satisfying part is to know that we have made a difference. The people of UI are consummate professionals, the best in the business. We led redevelopment of River North into a vibrant neighborhood. We continue to earn loyalty from our commercial tenants by providing exceptional service regardless of circumstance. And we continue to innovate. Today we are redefining the affordable senior housing business–renovating buildings and upgrading services for senior residents that would otherwise be left behind,\u201d Mr. Conant said.<\/p>\n

Yardi <\/a>commends Urban Innovations, a Yardi client, for their exceptional efforts on behalf of their communities and \u00a0non-profit causes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a unique mixed portfolio and a passion for giving back to the community, Howard R. Conant Jr.\u2019s Urban Innovations (UI) stands out in Chicago. The property management and construction services firm, established 35 years ago, manages 750,000 square feet of commercial property and 3,700 senior affordable housing units.\u00a0 UI\u2019s \u00a0construction division manages both affordable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":413,"featured_media":6817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3354],"tags":[212,552,116],"class_list":["post-6813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","category-team-yardi","tag-chicago","tag-urban-innovations","tag-yardi-client-profile"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With a unique mixed portfolio and a passion for giving back to the community, Howard R. 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