History

Since our founding in 1939, Wight & Company has grown into one of the top-ranked design firms in the nation and it has attracted national attention as a leader in integrated project delivery.

Wight & Company began as a surveying firm in Downers Grove, Illinois. After enjoying two decades of success planning and designing many suburban municipalities and roadways, the firm added a full range of architectural capabilities to its list of services. By the 1980s, Wight was growing so prosperously, it further diversified its services by adding environmental consulting and building construction, becoming a fully integrated firm. Returning to the days of the ‘Master Builder,’ Wight embraced the design/build delivery model as a response to the conflicts inherent in the Owner-Architect-Contractor approach. As an integrated solutions firm, Wight provides numerous advantages to clients, including a single point of contact, reduced schedules, guaranteed costs, and increased quality in design and value. Today Wight employs over 165 specialists whose first priority is to delight the client by providing personal, responsive service on each and every project.

The following celebrates some of Wight & Company’s significant achievements throughout the decades:

1939

Raulin B. Wight, a young surveyor with what was then called The Illinois Department of the Highway, makes the leap from employee to entrepreneur. He founds Wight & Company as a surveying firm in Downers Grove at the now historic Tivoli Theater Building.

1940s

Raulin Wight closes up shop while he serves in the U.S. military as a civil engineer until the end of WWII. After the war, Colonel Wight adds civil engineering to the list of services of the newly reopened Wight & Company.

1950s

The Colonel assists Paul Butler in master planning Oak Brook, Ill.

1960s

Sonny Wight joins the family firm, bringing the insight of a second generation and his training as an architect.

1970s

The College of DuPage seeks Wight’s expertise for projects to service its growing student body.

1980s

Illinois Tollway Authority directs Wight & Company to stake out the new "north-south" tollway, I-355.

Wight & Company’s Environmental Services spring to life in response to client needs. Wight becomes instrumental in crafting safe asbestos removal legislation.

The McAnnich Arts Center, a Wight project, is opened at the College of DuPage, now the nation’s largest community college.

1994

Upon a request from Laurel Motors for a design/build project, Wight & Company launches its construction line of business.

1999

Wight provides architecture and civil engineering services to the U.S. Department of the Navy for the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at the Great Lakes Naval Station. It becomes one of the first LEED Certified building in the U.S. and the first in Illinois under the USGBC pilot program.

2000s

Wight & Company opens an office in Chicago, Illinois.

The President awards Wight & Company a "Closing the Circle" White House award for sustainable design initiatives on behalf of the U.S. Department of Navy.

Wight & Company design and constructs their new office building in Darien, Illinois. The building is LEED Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2006.

Bolingbrook High School, the largest design-build project Wight & Company has completed to date, is opened on-time for the first day of school. The facility becomes the first LEED Certified school in Illinois in 2006.

Wight University is established to provide formal in-house classes for staff training and professional development.

The Evelyn Pease Tyner Interpretive Center in Glenview, Ill., designed and engineered by Wight & Company, is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Platinum building.

Wight & Company finishes the Atlantic Fleet Drill Hall and Battle Stations 21 projects for the U.S. Navy at Great Lakes Naval Station. These projects represent the third and fourth design/build projects with the U.S. Department of Navy.

The Veteran’s Memorial Tollway, I-355 from I-55 to I-80, is dedicated on Veteran’s Day. Wight performed construction engineering for the I-55/I-355 interchange near the Darien office.

2008

Wight & Company wins significant awards for design, engineering and construction of public projects:

US Navy - Battle Stations 21 - Great Lakes Naval Station, IL
2008 Design-Build Institute of America Best Overall Project
2008 Best Public Sector Building

Chicago Cultural Center Preston Bradley Hall Tiffany Dome
2008 Midwest Construction Project of the Year, Renovation/Restoration, Small Project
2008 Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation

Lemont High School - Lemont, IL
2008 Midwest Construction Project of the Year, PK-12 Education

DuPage County Division of Transportation - Army Trail Road, Rubberized Asphalt ("Green Pavement") Pilot Project
2008 ACEC Illinois, Engineering Excellence Award – Special Achievement

Elmhurst College, West Hall - Elmhurst, IL
2008 ACEC Illinois, Engineering Excellence Award – Merit Award for Sustainable Site Design

Bensenville School District 2, Blackhawk Middle School Cafeteria Renovation - Bensenville, IL
2008 Project of Distinction, School Planning & Management’s Education Design Showcase

Illinois Tollway - I-88 Pavement Rubberization (US 30 to IL 251)
2008 Merit Award, American Council of Engineering Companies, Illinois

Village of New Lenox - Village Hall
2008 Award of Excellence, Architectural Woodwork Institute
2008 Project of the Year, Structures | American Public Works Association, SW Branch of Illinois
2007 Award of Merit | Public Works, Midwest Construction

Village of Glenview - Evelyn Pease Tyner Interpretive Center
2008 Special Achievement Award, Special Projects, American Council of Engineering Companies, Illinois

2009

Wight & Company celebrates its 70-year anniversary: 1939 - 2009

Wight Construction commemorates its 15-year anniversary: 1994-2009

Wight & Company marks the 10-year anniversary of its first LEED certified project and continues to grow its portfolio of LEED projects and LEED APs.