Unearthed: Lamp Incorporated Marketing Video from the 1950s

We take great pride in where we are going and where we began. Lamp Incorporated was founded in 1932. Twenty years later, Lamp had this marketing video created that shines a spotlight on the excellent work of the Lamp team.

The video – using a trustworthy 1950’s voiceover and light-hearted background soundtrack – covers some of the excellent work of the Lamp team. Check out the video for yourself, and see that Lamp has not only always offered a diverse resume; but, for over 60 years, we have helped to build the Elgin-area legacy that we are still “proud to be a part of shaping.”

Enjoy!

Boys and Girls Club Sing Carols at Lamp Incorporated

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This holiday season, we were lucky to be visited by one of our favorite local organizations, the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin, who we are proud to support! The group sang carols and put on a joy-filled, jazzy, well-planned performance. It brightened our holiday, and we hope it brightens yours!

This year as a company, we sponsored four families from the Elgin Boys and Girls Club. We purchased gifts, food and gas gift cards to be sure they have a fabulous Christmas season.

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The Boys and Girls Club of Elgin offers 9 sites serving over 2,000 local youth. The organization offers a place after school where children can go for homework help, a warm meal, and fun. Their goal is to enable young people to realize their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Would you like to learn more about Lamp’s involvement in the community? Join our eList.

Lamp Incorporated: Since 1932, Our History around the Time of the Last Cubs World Series

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Since the Cubs, our hometown team, have made it to the World Series, all anyone in our town can talk about is 1945—the last time they were in a World Series. The Cubs have never been in a World Series that aired on television. There were no lights in the stadium. A World Series ticket cost $6-7, the equivalent of $80-95 today. This made us want to look back at the beginnings of Lamp—a 13-year-old business the last time the Cubs were in the World Series.

Clifford Lamp started Lamp Construction in Elgin, IL, in 1932. As you can see from the below picture, at that time Phone Numbers were listed as SH.J-9325. Try dialing that into your cell!

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Our focus at the time was largely home building. From 1942-1945, Lamp was involved in major expansions at Elgin Case Factory, who built equipment during World War II. Around the time that construction was complete, the Cubs were taking the field at their most recent World Series.

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Then in 1946, England was in a rebuilding phase and needed help. Lamp Construction built prefab homes that were shipped to England to help the war-torn country rebuild.

In the 1950s, Lamp started building more commercial buildings. And in 1958 (around the time Ernie Banks was earning his Gold Glove), we built the Muirhead Home, a Frank Lloyd Wright Designed house.

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We became Lamp Incorporated in 1972 (around the time the Cubs picked up the nickname “Loveable Losers” and also during the Ron Santo years), with the acquisition of Schmidtke and Associates, Architects. With this shift we were able to meet the growing needs of clients to provide design/build services.

screen-shot-2016-10-25-at-2-48-19-pmIn 1992 (around the years of Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace) we completed our first Construction Management Project at Dundee Township Park District’s Dolphin Cove Aquatic Park.

And in 2012 (which we will call a rebuilding year for the Cubs…) we managed and built the Elgin Community College Health Life Sciences Center

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And now here we are in 2016, a Cubs World Series year! In 2016, Lamp conquered and completed 15 months of multiple renovations and additions to Johnsburg School District 12 scoring a home run with the students, staff, and community.

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We are proud of our long history—as proud as we are of the 2016 Cubs! Hey Chicago, what do you say?

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Rachel Lamp, Assistant Project Manager, and Steven Lamp, Secretary/Treasurer sporting their Cubs gear.

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Featured Project: Watch the East Dundee Fire Department Built from Start to Finish

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In 2013-2014, Lamp Incorporated acted as Construction Manager on the East Dundee Fire Station. The new fire station is 17,900 square feet. It includes a single-story station with a mezzanine in the Apparatus Bay, a residence area for employees, administrative offices for staff, and a training room, exercise room, and associated work rooms.

Construction began on the East Dundee Fire Station with excavation in August of 2013 and roof trusses scheduled for fall. The first snowfall of the second snowiest winter ever came on December 9th and continued through the end of March for a season total of 80”. The Lamp Incorporated Superintendent worked six weekends in a row, just for snowfall maintenance. Additionally, it was also the coldest winter since 1872, making temporary heat a priority and getting the building sealed up for the winter. Work forces and hours were increased in order to enclose the building and continue on schedule for the winter.

We were pleased to come in significantly under budget on the project. It was budgeted at $4,633,996 and the final cost was $4,358,042. The architect was Jason Estes of FGM Architects.

Check out a video slideshow of construction as it progressed:

When it was complete, Village President Lael Miller said, “It’s incredible. It’s a beautiful building, and I’m sure those guys will be happy in it for the next 50 to 75 years. It’s a huge asset to all the residents of East Dundee and our entire fire service district.”

The beautiful building can be seen below.

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Are you interested in working with Lamp Incorporated on an upcoming project? Contact us today!

Our President Meets with Governor Rauner

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Ian Lamp, the President here at Lamp Inc., talked with Governor Rauner at the Illinois Construction Industry Committee (ICIC) Legislative Reception.

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The ICIC is an organization of more than 13 construction associations. They speak as one on construction issues to the legislature and administration. Ian Lamp is the President of the ICIC.

Mr. Lamp is also the President of Fox Valley Associated General Contractors (AGC). (We know, he is quite impressive.) The Fox Valley AGC stays active in legislative and other government affairs. They provide leadership and assistance to the areas of: labor relations, legislation and government affairs, educational programs and training programs in construction. Fox Valley AGC also creates networking and social activities throughout the year for it’s members, like the ICIC Legislative Reception.

A Look Back: ECC Visual Performing Arts Center Built to Impress

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In the early 90s, Lamp constructed the Elgin Community College Visual and Performing Arts Center, which is a project we are still proud of today. This projected $40 million project not only turned out beautifully, but we were happy to come in approximately 20 percent under budget, saving around $8 million from the estimated cost.

Paul Dawson, ECC’s Managing Director of Construction Projects, said of Lamp, “They are the most honest contractor that I’ve ever dealt with. I think ‘transparency’ is the word that I like to use for them.”

Check out the building and hear it straight from him:

Here are a few photos of the completed project, which has stood the test of time, and has been put to good use over the past 20+ years!

Would you like to work with Lamp on your next large construction project? Contact us today!

Looking Forward to the IAPD/IPRA Conference, January 28-30

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Representatives from LAMP are excited to attend the IAPD/IPRA conference from January 28-30, 2016. The conference is the premier state conference for parks and recreation, forest preserves, and conservation agencies in Illinois. The conference offers workshops, educational sessions, and exhibitors where we can expand our knowledge of the best practices, products, and services in the parks and recreation industry.

Lamp has a long history of working in this industry. A few notable projects include:

Village of Algonquin Cornish Park

Park improvements including fountain, clock tower, pedestrian bridge, shelter, gazebo, playground, and outcroppings.

Huntley Park District Community Center Addition and Renovation

Renovated 71,280 SF of existing high school into childcare, fitness center, community rooms, and recreation staff offices. 18,800 SF addition to include auditorium and new main building entrance.

Pinecrest Golf Course Clubhouse Replacement

New 15,000 SF single story clubhouse with walk out basement. New clubhouse includes a larger pro shop, kitchen, bar, and dining area. New rooms include basement cart storage, golf bag storage, club repair, employee lounge, and ground level turn station. Site work includes revised parking lot, city water service, and exterior pavilion.

Dundee Township Park District Picnic Pavilion and Site Work

New park pavilion with all-season restrooms and kitchen. New shelter includes stone fire place with timber frame structure. Concrete slab on grade and well for water. Site work includes gravel parking lot and asphalt paving for handicap parking and ramp to shelter.

See more of our Parks and Recreation work here.

We look forward to staying on the cutting edge of the needs and desires of Parks and Recreation at the IAPD/IPRA Conference!

Would you like to know more about working with Lamp on a Parks and Recreation construction project? Contact us today.

Lamp Staff Provides Holiday Gifts to Two Families

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Gallup’s recent poll reveals the average American family plans to spend $908 on Christmas gifts this year. While most relish in the holiday spirit, there are many who dread the cheer and festivities. In Elgin and specifically in Lamp Inc’s immediate neighborhood, the poverty rate is upwards of 60%. Holiday presents are a luxury many of our neighbors just cannot afford. That’s when it hit us; the staff at Lamp decided to take this opportunity and make the holidays bright for several local families in Elgin.

In partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin, our staff adopted two families who were struggling significantly this holiday. In total, 17 people will receive a gift this holiday, plus each family will receive a $250 Jewel gift card to cover grocery costs. This spirit of giving really united our team and so we decided not to stop there—an additional 20 families will also receive $100 Jewel gift cards so that they too can enjoy a holiday meal.

We’re tremendously proud of our staff and owe them a big THANK YOU for rallying around people in need in our community.

This holiday, we encourage you to share the giving feeling . Contact the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin to see how you can help!

Lamp Incorporated Announces Ian Lamp as New President and Other Staff Changes

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LEED Certification is a relatively new construction term. While most people have heard of LEED, especially in the construction industry, it’s worth reviewing the basics, since it is redefining the way we think about the places we live, work and learn. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. As an internationally recognized mark of excellence, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

While “Green” can be thrown around, “LEED Certified” cannot. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that the buildings we construct are built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. For a building to achieve LEED certification, a number of important items must be satisfied, and the building must earn points that assign it to a level of certification.

Check out this video explaining LEED certification:

We have worked to achieve LEED certification on a number of buildings, including the Elgin Community College Health and Career Center, Fox River Valley Water Reclamation District, the FRWRD Administration Building, and many more. We are familiar with and enjoy working to achieve LEED certification on projects where that is a client’s goal.

At Lamp, we believe building green is an opportunity for us to use our resources efficiently and effectively while creating healthier buildings. We use green building practices in order to provide clients financial savings, improved employee health and productivity, and resource efficiency. A few green building practices we employ include:

  • Recycling practices to reduce waste deposited into landfills by utilizing separate dumpsters for cardboard/paper, metal, concrete/masonry, and wood from construction debris
  • Indoor Air Quality Management program
  • Waste Management program

Contact us to learn more about how we can work with you achieve LEED Certification on your next project.

A Look Back: When Lamp Built Frank Lloyd Wright’s Muirhead Home

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Muirhead FarmhouseIn 1948, Robert and Elizabeth Muirhead were looking to build a new farmhouse in Hampshire, Illinois. Robert was a mechanical engineer, and was interested in design. He admired Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, and so he sought him out to design a home. Wright asked Robert and Elizabeth how they would use the home, and what they would like included. He then visited the location to choose the spot the house should be built, and designed the beautiful Muirhead Farmhouse. It is the only known farmhouse Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed.

We are so proud to have been the general contractor hired to complete the construction of this incredible building. It is an honor to be a part of Frank Lloyd Wright’s incredible legacy.

The home is 3,200 square feet, built in the Usonian style. The home was completed in 1953. The home remains in the Muirhead family, who offer one-hour tours by appointment for $15 per person, or $10 for groups of 6 or more. The home was recommended to be established as a national landmark by the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council in July 2015.

Would you like to work with a Frank Lloyd Wright Contractor? Get in touch with us today.