“Our operations group is a separate cost center,” says Tranter, “but for projects like Children's, we can usually be assured of at least getting a phone call” when new work is up for consideration.

Though conventional design and construction services have landed Hill work on some of Chicago's most iconic buildings, including the Field Museum, John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Art Institute of Chicago, it is the firm's growing array of specialty services that is driving much of Hill's growth these days.

“Four or five years ago, I would have told you we're a Chicago firm, but BIM has given us the smarts and the parts to begin branching into other regions,” says Bob Krier, Hill president.

Hill currently is at work on a data center in Salt Lake City for which it is modeling and prefabricating large ductwork in Chicago. It's much the same story with Karle Hospital, a 9-story bed tower in Urbana, Ill., for which Hill is modeling and prefabricating VAV reheating boxes, among other items.

“A component like the VAV box typically requires the assembly of 34 parts, but here we're delivering it as a single, monolithic unit,” says Krier. “We built it virtually with a database that accounts for the thickness of items such as gaskets between flanges. If the parts don't match up dimensionally, your assembly isn't going to do you much good.”

Hill's proficiency with BIM and system prefabrication has made it the contractor of choice for such projects as the new Rivers Casino in suburban Des Plaines, Ill., a $450-million facility that earned $17 million in its first two weeks of operation. “Every hour a casino is delayed is an hour the casino isn't making money,” says Krier.

The firm operates across a full spectrum of project types, from pharmaceutical and educational facilities to offices, hotels and residential towers. The dynamics are fluid, so employees are likely to encounter a variety of project types over the course of their careers. “We have no 'groups' and never will,” says Krier. “If there's a need to take on health-care work, we become health-care experts.”

Today, the firm bundles its services to provide a one-stop shop for pre- and post-occupancy needs. The first such project it undertook was 111 S. Wacker, a 52-story speculative office building in Chicago for which Hill provided design, construction, commissioning, test-and-balance and operations services. Chicago developer John Buck Co. was so pleased with the results that it hired Hill to perform the same suite of mechanical services on its next project, 155 S. Wacker, another speculative high-rise.