LEE Companies Raises the Bar with Completion of the New FBO for the Gary Jet Center

Published
11/02/2017 by

LEE Companies, Gary, Indiana-Based Project and Construction Management firm, is proud to announce the Grand Opening of Gary Jet Center's new Corporate Flight Center. The Gary Jet Center has been providing premium services to their customers for over 25 years at the Gary Chicago International Airport.  This luxurious new facility represents their commitment to providing an unparalleled customer experience and completes a decade-long collaboration between LEE Companies and the Gary Jet Center, which has also produced over 80,000 sq. ft. of hangar space.

Customers and visitors of the Gary Jet Center will enter through the lobby, which boasts soaring views of the newly renovated runway. The windows are specially tempered to mitigate solar heat gain, which helps moderate cooling costs. The interior spaces are both grand and cozy, creating a warm, inviting environment for the distinguished clients of the Gary Jet Center.  In addition to the stylish main lobby, customers of the Gary Jet Center now have access to a business center, conference room, pilot lounge, coffee bar, kitchen/catering area, quiet room, as well as shower and locker facilities.

Wil Davis, CEO, had this to say: "We are excited to celebrate the grand opening of our new Corporate Flight Center with so many friends and colleagues. This event represents a new chapter for both Gary Jet Center and Gary, Indiana as we are now able to rewrite the narrative of private aviation in Northwest Indiana." Patrick Lee, President and Owner of LEE Companies, adds, "LEE Companies is honored to be a part of the campus development and largest private investment at the Gary Chicago International Airport culminating in this incredible state-of-the-art Corporate Flight Center, the jewel in the crown of the Gary Jet Center West Campus, establishing the Gary Jet Center as the preeminent FBO in the Midwest."

The 8,500-square-ft. Center, on track to be Certified LEED Gold, adjoins an existing 40,000-square-ft. LEED Gold Hangar, demonstrating a commitment to sustainable construction and operation while providing tenants of the Jet Center direct access to their aircraft. The construction of the project prioritized using locally sourced and aesthetically pleasing materials, ultimately allowing the construction team to transfer costs that typically go to shipping to sourcing of quality local materials.

This project is the fruition of a dedicated design and construction team led by LEE Companies and composed of Ghafari Associates, known around the world for creating state-of-the-art aviation facilities, and Partners by Design, Named Interior Design Firm of the Year at Crain's Chicago Business Commercial Real Estate Awards in 2015, 2014, 2011, 2010, and 2006, Partners by Design was also named Architect of the Year in 2013.