May 2, 2016

We are proud to introduce the newest member of our executive team Michael J. Kaufman, PE our new Vice President of Business Development. Michael has nearly 20 years of executive level AEC industry experience and has successfully completed more than 100 facilities nationwide with a market value of over $1B. These projects have been completed within a wide variety of industrial markets, including distribution, warehousing, manufacturing and food processing, as well as commercial & medical office buildings and retail developments.

In Michael's role as Epstein's vice president of business development, he will be responsible for developing new project opportunities in the industrial marketplace, especially Design-Build endeavors for clients in the food, industrial process and manufacturing sectors.

Michael comes to us from Peak Construction Corporation where he was vice president, sales and marketing since July, 2011. At Peak, Michael helped increased revenues from $14M to $85M annually as well directing brand management and marketing strategies which culminated in Peak being recognized as NAIOP Chicago's General Contractor of the Year for 2012 and 2013. Some of the major projects Michael completed while at Peak included the $115M new corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility for Sunstar Americas, Inc. in Schaumburg, Illinois as well as $80M BRG Sports, Inc. manufacturing and distribution facility in Rantoul, Illinois.

Prior to Peak, Michael was a principal at Knightsbridge Design + Build, LLC from 2004 to July 2011 where he was responsible for directing the overall strategic and profitability goals for the firm. During his tenure at Knightsbridge, Michael helped deliver retail developments like the $12M Remington Crossings Shopping Center in Bolingbrook, Illinois as well as the $15M, three-story College of Electron Microscopy, a Class A research and teaching facility in Westmont, Illinois.

Michael's executive career also includes nearly nine years with the Kiferbaum Construction Company, where he was a vice president responsible for $40M of annual revenue generated through new business as well as maintenance of existing client relationships. A few of Michael's significant accomplishments at Kiferbaum included a $20M building program for Medline Industries, Inc., a $55M expansion at Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago, Illinois and two food processing plants for Redi-Cut Foods, Inc. in Franklin Park, Illinois and Kansas City, Missouri.

Besides Michael's 20 years of executive leadership experience, he also has an additional 10 years of AEC project and construction management experience, including nearly 4 years with Epstein from 1992 to 1995. During Michael's first tenure with Epstein he served as our construction manager working on a $110M nationwide distribution center building program for Albertson's, Inc. and a $38M grocery distribution center for Rykoff-Sexton in La Mirada, California.

Michael, a graduate of Iowa State University, is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Illinois and is also a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, NAIOP, and AIRE, the Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers. Additionally, Michael has a Master's of Business Administration from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

To reach Michael directly, please contact him at (312) 429-8197 or via e-mail at mkaufman@epsteinglobal.com.