Custom Contracting
Custom Contracting
BUILDING A HEALTHY PLACE IN OUR WORLD
About
Who we are
Plans may change.
Our commitment doesn't.
Our Brand Promise
We deliver innovative construction solutions to consistently exceed our clients’ expectations.
We respect and collaborate with our business and industry partners and treat them fairly and ethically.
We promote a culture of equity in our company
and our industry where all voices are heard.
We create opportunities for continual growth for
our team members.
We learn continuously and share our expertise
and earned experience with leaders of the future.
“From the responsibilities we accept to the results we deliver, Custom Contracting’s commitment remains constant, start to finish.”
- Leon LaJeunesse, Cofounder
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Custom Contracting brings to every client engagement deep knowledge and broad experience gained over nearly four decades of success in the construction industry. Combining that with our proven creativity and resourcefulness, we build environments that promote the wellbeing of those who reside and work within them and that further the mission and goals of those who own and manage them.
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Focusing on quality
Adhering always to industry best-practices, we work continuously to improve our processes and to keep pace not only with the rapid advances in construction and related industries, but also those in the specialized industries of the clients we serve.
Minimizing risk
To anticipate and mitigate the risks inherent in all construction projects, Custom Contracting strictly adheres to established codes, regulations, and standards. We help ensure compliance across the entire project team through active collaboration and open communication.
Protecting our environment
Custom Contracting remains on the leading edge of sustainable constructions principles, practices, and materials. We offer our clients environmentally friendly building solutions that align with their goals and help sustain a healthier world for all.
Delivering value
Custom Contracting has taken a leadership role in promoting the adoption of lean construction techniques to enhance collaboration, increase schedule certainty, optimize budgets, and create value for all parties on every project.
Keeping our promises
The Custom Contracting team evolves continuously on pace with our industry, always seeking new and better ways to do our jobs mindful always of the principles that underpin the promises we make to our clients, employees, trade partners, and community.
From our president
Building a healthy place in our world
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At Custom Contracting, we believe that our success stands firmly on the commitment of each of our team members to live up to our formally stated mission in everything we do for our clients, industry collaborators, and society
at large.
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That mission—to build a healthy place in our world—in all its multilayered meaning embodies our legacy, our culture, and our very reason for being. It’s why we do what we do.
From the company’s earliest days, we’ve understood how the work we do impacts the success of our clients and the quality of life for those who work and live within the environments we create. As the construction industry continues to evolve, Custom Contracting stands poised to lead across the dimensions that matter most to our clients and our company.
The quality of our work, our clients’ satisfaction, and the longevity of relationships with them offer proof of our dedication to the industry’s highest ethical standards and the application of state-of-the-art materials, methods, and technologies.
Just as critical is our commitment to equity within and outside our organization. We bring that to life by recognizing that every individual comes with a unique set of talents, capabilities, and circumstances and by enabling each with the tools and resources required to succeed and thrive.
Examples of that are the certifications of Custom Contracting as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, State of Illinois BEP, and the City of Chicago. These certifications broaden our business prospects with others who value equality and diversity, underscoring our company’s unwavering commitment to equity.
I have witnessed personally how well this works within our company and the impact it has for those who engage and interact with us outside our walls. It is essential to leadership and a prerequisite for fulfilling our mission.
In it together. Plans may change, our commitment doesn’t.
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Donna LaJeunesse
President, Custom Contracting
Our history
Bringing a vision to life
Custom Contracting came to life as a carpentry-focused business in 1987 in Lake Zurich, Illinois, The vision for the company arose from Leon and Carol LaJeunesse’s desire to build the best possible life for their young family, which had expanded to four—soon to be five—at the time of the company’s founding.
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Through referrals from industry representatives and satisfied customers, Custom Contracting quickly gained a solid reputation for high-quality work and the conscientiousness of its management. An early opportunity—working with design-build teams to construct cleanrooms for a global manufacturer—led to engagements to reduce energy costs on Illinois School District projects and major upgrades in several Chicagoland school districts.
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That mix of cutting-edge expertise and deep experience proved ideal qualifications for the highly specialized work that occupied healthcare construction projects require, which led to a major contract with one of Chicagoland’s largest healthcare systems. Today, Custom Contracting has master agreements with several of the area’s premier healthcare providers and continues to expand its business into other industries that require its brand of expertise, quality, and reliability.
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In 2023, Custom Contracting again demonstrated its forward-thinking corporate leadership when it achieved formal certifications as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, State of Illinois
BEP, and the City of Chicago, which confirm that the company is at least 51
percent owned, operated, and controlled by women. A rarity in the construction industry, WBE certification sets Custom Contracting apart and enhances its value to current and future clients.
News & more
In and around Custom Contracting
Dare to Dream Rainbow Revolution:
October 19, 2024. Eagle Brook Country Club, Geneva, Illinois.
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Dare to Dream is Youth Outlook's premier fundraising event. By supporting this vibrant celebration of love and liberation, you will not only champion
the cause of LGBTQ+ youth, but also connect with like-minded visionaries. Join us as we turn back the clock to a time of flower power, promoting peace and equality for all.
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4-course plated dinner, open bar, signature cocktail & mocktails, silent auction, annual awards, fund-a-need, music, and dancing.
This is an all ages event; those under 21 years old will be given a wristband to prohibit the serving of alcohol.
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Attire is Black Tie or Theme Optional: dress to the nines or throw it back to the 1960s! Break out your fanciest garb or your favorite hippie regalia.
Chicago Build 2024 Expo, Diversity in Construction,
October 22-23, 2024. McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois.
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Chicago Build is the largest construction & design show for the Midwest.
The show features 30,000+ AEC professionals, 400+ inspiring speakers across 12 conference tracks & AIA CES accredited workshops, 300+ exhibitors, live demos, networking parties, entertainment and much more!
Lean Construction Institute (LCI), Surfing the Wave of Lean Design and Construction, October 22-25, 2024, San Diego, California
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Gain new ideas and perspectives that will enrich your work and drive your Lean practice forward. Playing a vital role in the ever-evolving design and construction industry for 26 years, Congress is where your Lean community comes together for unparalleled knowledge-sharing across disciplines. Attendees come back year after year to reconnect while sharing experiences and successes—and return home with critical, actionable knowledge. Registration details will be available soon.
LANDMARK: The Legacy Project unGala 2024
November 14, 2024.
Sarabande Chicago 2726 West Roscoe Street, Chicago, IL .
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4-Hour Open Bar; Gourmet Buffet; Fine Table Dining; Multimedia Celebration of the History of Drag as an American Institution starring
the one and only Mrs. Kasha Davis, named as one of Out Magazine’s Out100 and featured on Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
Join Several Hundred Guests for LANDMARK 2024 [UN] GALA 2024
to celebrate the accomplishments of the Legacy Project...
AN EVENING TO REMEMBER!
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Custom Contracting is Certified as a Women's Business Enterprise
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By: Donna LaJeunesse, Majority-Owner and President,
Custom Contracting
I’m thrilled, honored, and personally proud to announce that the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) has certified Custom Contracting as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). WBENC is the nation's largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States. Read more
Custom Contracting 2.0: Next Generation Leadership,
Enduring Commitment
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By: Leon LaJeunesse, Cofounder and Former President,
Custom Contracting
True to our mission of building a healthy place in our world, Custom Contracting has taken yet another intentional step to propel our business forward. I’m pleased and excited to announce that Donna LaJeunesse, who took the reins as president this past August, obtained majority ownership of Custom Contracting effective January 1, 2023. Read more