Vice President and Senior Project Manager Bruce Sterling and President and Controller Debbie Sterling head up Sterling Renaissance, Inc., a general contracting and construction management services firm located in Lake Zurich, Illinois.

At Chicago’s The Kilpatrick Renaissance, Sterling Renaissance, Inc. used seven different types of masonry, stone and brick to create the look of row houses.

For the team at Sterling Renaissance, Inc., it’s not enough to make the client happy. They also go above and beyond for the people who use their buildings. During construction of a 98-unit property for senior adults called The Kilpatrick Renaissance, plans outlined that all windows in the handicap-accessible units must open and close with a force no greater than 5 pounds. “The product that meets these specifications is extremely expensive and unreliable, often breaking within a year. I was determined to find a more reliable system,” says Vice President and Senior Project Manager Bruce Sterling.

After extensive research, the company discovered an operating system in Canada, originally designed to open skylights. Bruce adapted the system and innovated an electric window operating system that opens a single-hung window up to 12 inches with the push of a button. He then personally installed the system in all of the affected units, a 20-hour process. “This building is designed for the elderly. We go to painstaking efforts to give the clients what they need and to make life easier for the people who ultimately use our buildings,” he says.

It’s this level of caring that has helped Sterling Renaissance grow, according to President and Controller Debbie Sterling. Headquartered in Lake Zurich, Illinois, the company provides general contracting and construction management services to residential, commercial and industrial clients throughout the Greater Chicago area, across southern Wisconsin and in eastern Iowa. Projects include new construction, renovations, remodeling, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, construction for multifamily residences, assisted living facilities, mixed-use developments, medical offices, day cares, religious, institutional, restaurants and hotels.

“Oftentimes, we’ll work with smaller developers or owners on a single project, like a day care,” Debbie says. “This may be the only building this person will ever build in his or her lifetime. The owner has a dream and no idea where to start. We help to shepherd the owner through the process, finding a good piece of land, selecting the architect, MEP engineer, structural engineer and other experts and negotiating with municipalities when it comes to zoning and permitting needs.”

That was the case when Pioneer Child Care came to Sterling Renaissance in 2017 with the dream of building a day care center in Lombard, Illinois. The day care was previously located on the site of a former school. The district was ready to abandon that piece of property, and the client was forced to find another space. Although the owners had found a site to build on, the design was cost prohibitive, according to Bruce. “We worked closely with them to find a more cost-effective option, eventually discovering an old furniture store that was just a mile from their current day care,” he says.

Sterling Renaissance remodeled the building, gutting everything except the roof structure, exterior walls and foundation, according to Bruce. “We then negotiated a parking lot variance with the county board. Ultimately, we saved money on the entire construction process and were able to refund the savings at the end of the job,” he says.

“This day care is important to both owners as they hope to one day pass it on to their children,” Debbie adds. “When they came to us for help, their dream was at risk due to cost. We stepped in and were able to keep this dream alive, providing a new home for their business.” She adds that there is one part of the construction process she is never happy with. “I’m sad when a project is over because the day-to-day interaction with the client ends. We form relationships with our customers, connecting with them every day. I’m always a little sad at the end of a project.”

Meeting a Community Need

That culture of caring makes Sterling Renaissance’s work on Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects especially rewarding for the team. “We help to create affordable housing for low-income residents, providing amenities they might not otherwise have,” Debbie says. “At the end of a job, we’ll attend the grand opening and meet residents, who are always so appreciative. It’s wonderful to be a part of these projects.”

“LIHTC projects require a great deal of attention to detail and communication with the subcontractors and other members of the team to make sure everyone understands the guidelines outlined in the government-mandated documentation. We have an eye for detail for this type of work and excel at it,” Bruce says.

The Kilpatrick Renaissance, completed in 2016, was actually an LIHTC project, according to Bruce. “We have done so many of these projects for this particular developer that when she called me in to tell me about the job, she asked me what type of building I wanted to construct,” he says. Bruce’s recommendation was centered on the timing of the project.

“Winters in Chicago are brutal. Because this project would close in the fall, I chose a precast concrete structure that could be manufactured in a heated plant,” he says. The 80,000-square-foot, four-story building was then erected in just 25 days in the middle of winter. “If we had chosen to go with a steel structure, the process likely would have taken three times longer.”

Because the building was designed in a C shape, Bruce’s team could begin work on the western side of the building while the east side was still being erected. To give the concrete a polished finish, Sterling Renaissance applied seven different types of masonry, stone and brick, creating the look of row houses. “Completing the project so quickly saved the developer money by reducing the number of months she needed for her loan,” Bruce says.

“The end result is attractive, functional, market-rate housing for low-income seniors and veterans,” Debbie adds. “It was a very rewarding project to be a part of.”

Help from Lady Luck

Bruce got his start in the construction industry working alongside his dad, Conrad, who served as a general contractor in the commercial sector. “My father had a degree in architecture. I also wanted to go into architecture, but my dad talked me out of it,” Bruce says. Instead, Bruce earned a degree in structural engineering. The two then formed Sterling General Corporation in 1976, and Bruce and Debbie went on to form Sterling Renaissance in 2009.

Bruce notes that luck guided the duo in the company’s first year. “Soon after we started the business, we rented office space in a one-story office building in Skokie, Illinois. A week after moving in, we received a call from the property developer who owned the building, asking if we would be interested in managing construction of a 50,000-square-foot office building,” he says. That project turned into a more than 1 million-square-foot office building account.

The company went on to serve as general contractor on other projects for the developer, including transforming five lumberyards into shopping centers. “These lumberyards were once owned by the developer’s family,” Bruce explains.

Another lucky meeting served as yet another pivotal moment in the company’s history. “This same developer introduced us to an attorney, who partnered with an LIHTC project developer. We were asked to take on their project, and since then, we’ve managed over $110 million worth of LIHTC construction projects for that client alone,” Bruce says.

Attention to Detail

What separates Sterling Renaissance from its competitors is the company’s attention to detail, according to Project Administrator Danielle Nyden. “We analyze drawings more closely than others I’ve worked with, and in all my years in the industry, I’ve never seen such a detailed scope of work for projects,” she says.

“Our scope of work lays out exactly who does what in a project, and we make sure we’re not leaving out any details that could increase costs later,” Bruce says. “This thorough scope review is intentional and meant to be all inclusive, thereby providing full cost disclosure at the conclusion of the bidding stage for the client’s benefit.”

“We treat the client’s money like our own and work hard to manage costs,” Debbie adds. To help manage and even reduce costs, the company provides extensive value engineering services. When renovating a 5,000-square-foot building at 721 Dundee Avenue in Elgin, Illinois, Sterling Renaissance was able to reduce costs by half through value engineering.

“We did a full gut of the building, adding new windows, a roof, plumbing and electrical,” Bruce says. When a winding staircase was identified as being out of code and a new staircase beyond the client’s budget, Bruce innovated a new design that met code and looked significantly better than the original, according to Debbie.

Collaborating for Success

Debbie and Bruce foster a culture of collaboration at Sterling Renaissance. “We promote an interactive approach between all project disciplines and share ideas without concern for credit,” Debbie says. In providing quality construction services, the company operates with the highest level of integrity, she adds. “We are fair-minded, and we truly value our subs and suppliers.”

“In my six years with Sterling Renaissance, I’ve always felt truly appreciated by Bruce and Debbie. Even when it’s a hard day, they’ll do something to make the day easier, like bring in lunch or breakfast for the team,” Danielle says.

And when work is over for the day, it’s family first. “I go home at the end of the day and don’t have to worry about follow-on work or being on call all night,” she adds.

“Work/life balance is a top priority for us,” Debbie says. “We don’t call people at night, and we encourage family time and for employees to spend time volunteering in areas where they’re passionate, like animal rescue. At Sterling Renaissance, we’re passionate about our work, and we’re passionate about the people we work with and the communities we serve."