We are deeply saddened to share the loss of long-time Primera executive, Michael E. Belczak, PE, CPD. Mike passed away on July 3, 2025 at the age of 56 after a quiet and courageous six-year battle with cancer.
Mike joined Primera in November of 1997 and most recently served as Sr. Vice President & Sr. Mechanical Engineering Director. His engineering expertise has been a pillar of our mechanical department and our Buildings division for nearly 30 years. His talents included mechanical systems engineering design, project management, and construction administration of mechanical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for a wide variety of building types. Throughout his career, he has had a profound impact on hospital and higher education campuses, elementary schools, federal buildings, as well as zoos and museums.
Mike worked tirelessly for Primera’s clients over the years. Some of his award-winning projects include the Center for Care and Discovery and the David M. Rubenstein Forum at The University of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University’s El Centro, North Park University’s Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, the historic restoration of the Chicago Vocational Career Academy, ComEd’s Chicago North headquarters, Lincoln Park Zoo’s Lion House Renovation, Maggie Daley Park, and the O’Hare Modernization Program. Additionally, he supported Chicago Public Schools throughout his entire career, most recently lending more than 13,000 hours of his talent improving and assessing more than 600 facilities through their Program Management Services team. He was passionate about creating the best learning environments for the students of Chicago.
To honor his legacy, Primera, through the Primera Foundation, will be establishing an annual scholarship in his name.
Mike studied engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and joined Primera a few years after graduation. Mike was an avid cyclist and liked to bike as often as possible, including commuting to and from the office every day, all year long, prior to the pandemic, and even cycling to and from his cancer treatments.
At Mike’s funeral mass, his brother-in-law honored Mike’s parents for instilling love, faith, and hard work – three things that guided him throughout his lifetime. Mike was an avid Chicago sports fan, and his brother-in-law closed his eulogy with simple advice for all of us to pursue greatness. The advice came from the iconic 90s ad campaign celebrating legendary Chicago Bulls all-star Michael Jordan. At its core, “Be Like Mike” wasn’t about drinking Gatorade or playing basketball. It was about striving for greatness, staying humble, and inspiring others.
Be Like Mike.
