Since the day Primera opened its doors, fostering community has been a symbol of who we are and what our purpose is. 31 years later, 2018 was no different. We fulfill our purpose of connecting with others and improving lives via the investment of time, energy and resources into our local communities. Throughout the year, we had the good fortune of being able to help others and serve this greater purpose. Take a look at what we’ve been up to:

1. Polar Plunge – On March 4^th, the Primera Penguins joined the ComEd Coolers in the annual Polar Plunge benefitting the Special Olympics Chicago program. Together, the collective team raised a total of $333,000.
2. Adopt a Highway/Trail Clean-up – Throughout the year, our employees from our Chicagoland office cleaned our sponsored section of the Illinois Prairie Path through the DuPage County Department of Transportation.
3. March for Babies – On April 22^nd, employees from our Mid-Atlantic offices participated in the March for Babies benefitting the March of Dimes organization that helps improve the health of mothers and babies. See more here.
4. J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge – On May 24^th, Primera employees joined over 27,000 other runners from 692 companies in the annual J.P.Morgan Corporate Challenge in Chicago’s Grant Park. The race supports Chicago Cares – the largest volunteer organization in the city. Read more here.
5. Rebuilding Together Give Back day at El Valor – On June 23^rd,  to celebrate the end of our 30^th anniversary celebration, Primera employees volunteered for our annual Rebuilding Together Give Back Day to help refresh the El Valor Carlos Cantu Children and Family Center in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. The company also sponsored a clothing and book drive for the organization. Read more here.
6. Rotary Club of Chicago –Throughout the Summer, Primera welcomed interns from the Rotary Club of Chicago’s JOB1 Summer Internship Program. The program prepares Chicago Public Schools high school students for the workplace by providing job readiness training. In addition, Primera co-Founder Dr. Pedro Cevallos-Candau was also installed as the new Governor of Rotary International. Read more here.
7. Canstruction Chicago – On August 15^th, volunteers from Primera, Pepper Construction, Stantec, Hitchcock Design Group, and OFS Brands participated in Canstruction’s Build Night to support the Chicago Food Depository’s largest one-day food drive of the year. Read more here.
8. Madero Middle School Mentoring – In October, Primera kicked off its 22^nd year partnership with Francisco Madero Middle School in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Since 1996, Primera has hosted a group of eighth graders four times each school year to mentor and introduce the students to architecture and engineering as potential future career fields. Read more here.
9. Feed My Starving Children – On November 10^th, Primera employees volunteered their time at the Feed My Starving Children food packing day. Several folks from our Chicago and Lisle offices spent the day at the organization’s Aurora and Schaumburg locations to help pack food for the hungry children of the world.
10. North Aurora Mothers Club/Adopt-a-Family – On December 13^th, Primera employees gathered to wrap gifts that were collected for one very deserving family through the North Aurora Mothers Club’s Operation Christmas campaign.

Since its inception, Primera Engineers has invested nearly $1.5m and over 8,000 volunteer hours in helping our communities grow and prosper. From mentoring students to serving on nonprofit boards, our employees are known for being people-focused people. Connecting with our communities and our environment is paramount to our culture.

Founded in 1987, Primera is a full-service, woman-owned engineering design and consulting firm dedicated to developing meaningful client relationships that allow us to provide best-in-class client service. Primera offers a wide range of business consulting and professional services in the buildings, transportation and utility environments, including: mechanical, electrical, plumbing (M/E/P), civil, structural and telecommunications engineering, as well as commissioning, energy, architecture, sustainability, life safety, lighting, project and construction management.