Nicholas & Associates, a full-service contractor providing clients comprehensive general contracting, construction management and design/build services with offices in Illinois and Wisconsin, has announced the grand opening of its first office in Florida at 109 N. Brush St. in downtown Tampa. Founded in 1978, the family-owned firm also serves as the construction management arm of Wingspan Development Group, the developer of two Class A rental buildings in Tampa’s North Hyde Park neighborhood – NICHE at North Hyde Park, a 251-unit building, and Jade at North Hyde Park, which is currently leasing its 192 luxury apartments.
Nicholas and Wingspan will use the Tampa office to serve their existing local clients and further expand their work in Central Florida. With a history of successful PK-12 education developments in the greater Chicago and Milwaukee areas, Nicholas also plans to bring its construction management, design/build and general contracting services to Florida’s PK-12 education market. Besides NICHE and Jade, Nicholas and Wingspan already have five additional sites in various stages of analysis, negotiation or purchase in Florida.
“Our new Tampa office will make it much easier for us to deliver our typical high-quality construction management services to our current roster of projects in Florida, while giving us an ideal location for further expansion,” said Anthony Hansen, director of marketing for Nicholas and its affiliated businesses, including Wingspan. “Tampa’s pace of job and population growth – the area saw a surge in relocations due to the pandemic and shows no signs of slowing – make it one of the hottest markets in the country right now for education, residential and commercial development.
“But it’s not the only market outside the Midwest where we see opportunity for our services,” continued Hansen. “We also see growth potential across the South and West, too. Nicholas is a very well-respected name in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas, and we want to bring the same quality and attentiveness to service that helped us build our reputation in the Midwest, to new markets.”
Hansen and seven other team members have relocated to Tampa to staff the new office. Nicholas & Associates expects to rapidly expand in the market and add more staff — just as it has in its Chicago office, where it has doubled staff from 60 to 140 since 2019 and completed over $1.5 billion in projects since 2015. Nicholas has modeled the interiors of its Tampa office, located in a former 1920s glass factory, to match the modern architecture and aesthetic of its Mount Prospect, Ill. headquarters.
Founded in 2016, Wingspan has undergone rapid growth, initially focusing on suburban Chicago multifamily developments and then expanding into Wisconsin and Florida multifamily and mixed-use projects.
Tampa led the entire state of Florida in private sector job growth in 2022, adding 68,300 new jobs. Total non-farm employment grew by 5.3% last year. And according to a cost-of-living index created by the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, Tampa is projected to be more affordable than many other large metro areas including Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas and Austin.
The Tampa metro area remains a popular relocation destination for companies, and the Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater area added 40,000 people between 2020 and 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. More job opportunities combined with the appeal of Tampa-St. Petersburg is expected to continue to attract new residents. Hansen noted these numbers will exponentially drive the need for additional construction in the areas of education and housing.
For more information about Nicholas & Associates, visit nicholasquality.com, and for more information about Wingspan Development Group, visit Wingspan Development Group.
About Nicholas & Associates:
Founded in 1978, Nicholas & Associates is a comprehensive construction management firm providing design/build and general contracting services for projects in the recreation, education, municipal and mixed-use sectors. The family-run firm transforms visions to built environments with a personal approach, making it “distinctly different and deliberately personal.” Nicholas & Associates has offices in the Chicagoland area, Milwaukee and Tampa, with a growing national portfolio of projects. To learn more, visit nicholasquality.com.
About Wingspan Development Group:
Wingspan Development Group is a nimble national developer focusing on multifamily, attached single-family, student housing and mixed-use developments. With in-house land acquisition, development and construction capabilities, Wingspan prides itself on its relationships and partners in key submarkets that allow the firm to move quickly in closing deals and completing best-in-class projects on time and within budget. Specializing in Class A multifamily developments, Wingspan has a number of rental and mixed-use projects in various stages of development in the Milwaukee, Chicagoland, Orlando and Tampa areas.
Nicholas & Associates, a family-owned, comprehensive construction management firm headquartered in suburban Chicago, is expanding its presence and recently opened an office at 109 N. Brush St. in downtown Tampa.