Whole Foods Market Distribution Center

Located in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago, the historical home of Pullman railcars, the Whole Foods distribution facility represents the continued investment in the redevelopment and rebuilding of this once forgotten area on the South Side of Chicago. In partnership with the Chicago Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) and the local alderman, Ryan has completed the next project in what promises to be a large scale transformation.

The redevelopment of Pullman is designed to foster economic development and significant job creation for surrounding residents, and as a result, inclusion goals set by Whole Foods and the 9th Ward Alderman for the project were ambitious. To meet them, Ryan worked with a local consultant to identify qualified subs and then solicited bids to obtain the necessary workforce for the construction of the facility.

While heavy rains early in the project threatened the schedule, we were able to make up a significant amount of time and turn the project over with time to spare. The new Whole Foods Market distribution warehouse is a one-story facility featuring top of the line dock equipment, a banana and avocado ripening room, 15 offices, 23 work stations, an outdoor covered patio and additional leased office space. Given its history as the site of railcar manufacturing, and later a steel mill, the site was also a chemically contaminated brownfield in need of remediation. Following a strategic clean-up plan, including the planting of 277 trees on the property, the project obtained Greenfluence certification for its sustainable initiatives.