The beautiful city of Lincoln has grown and evolved throughout the years to be what it is today. Innovation, creativity, and connection have been at the core of Lincoln’s development, whether it is in local business or housing, interior or exterior. When local professionals come together to bring your building to higher and higher standards, you can take pride in knowing that the community worked with each other to bring you to the standards of this wonderful city. Lincoln infrastructure has never been so streamlined, and it is only becoming more so with the help of the local businesses that are focused on building Lincoln to an even brighter future.
Over the next three to five years, the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development’s (selectlincoln.org) priority is to grow industries where Lincoln already has a competitive advantage while preparing for the next generation of innovation. They’re focused on attracting investment, supporting expansion, and building the workforce and infrastructure needed for long-term economic growth.
Lincoln’s economy is diverse, but LPED is seeing strong growth in advanced manufacturing, agriculture innovation, technology, and professional services. Businesses are investing in new equipment, expanding facilities, launching new products, and adding employees because they see long-term opportunities in Lincoln. In July, LPED officially launched AgWorks Corridor (agworkscorridor.com), a collaboration with Select Great Omaha, to capitalize on the region’s agricultural strength.
At the same time, industrial development continues to be one of the strongest areas of demand in Lincoln. There is sustained interest from manufacturers, logistics, and distribution companies, and businesses looking for modern industrial space. The demand is there, but it’s important to have enough development ready sites and buildings available when companies are ready to make a decision. LPED’s Fast Track Certified Sites Program (selectlincoln.org/lincoln-fasttrack) aims to help industrial projects move faster and with greater confidence for the Lincoln area, leading to increased site development.
Rather than waiting for projects to come to them, LPED is building its own pipeline by proactively marketing Lincoln and the region to companies that align with their strengths. At the end of the day, their job is to make sure Lincoln is ready when opportunities arise. That means supporting the companies already here, investing in workforce and site readiness, and proactively creating opportunities instead of waiting for them.
For more than 27 years, Tru-Built Construction (tru-built.net) has been a part of Lincoln’s growth, helping local businesses, organizations and families turn their ideas into real spaces throughout the community. The company has worked on many different projects, from local businesses to large housing developments, all of which have contributed to Lincoln’s continued growth.
Some of Tru-Built’s recent projects include a new office building on Plaza Court for Dr. Vanicek and Lincoln Endodontics and a new Bach to Rock music school for Dr. Gausman in Edgewood Shopping Center. Projects like these are important because they give local businesses the space they need to grow while also adding to the local economy.
Housing is another major focus for Tru-Built. After the success of Aristos Apartments near 40th and Hohensee, the company is expanding into the Waterford area with a new community that will have more than 500 units. Together, the two Aristos communities will add around 950 housing units to Lincoln.
Projects like this take a lot of teamwork. Tru-Built works with developers, property owners, city officials, architects, engineers, subcontractors and suppliers to bring these projects together. Looking toward 2026 and 2027, the company plans to continue focusing on commercial construction, residential development and multifamily housing. As Lincoln continues to grow, Tru-Built hopes to keep creating spaces that make the community a better place to live, work and do business.
While Tru-Built continues to focus on creating spaces for Lincoln’s growing businesses and housing needs, Schwisow Construction has also spent decades helping shape the community through a wide range of projects.
For the past 41 years, Schwisow Construction (schwisow.com) has helped shape Lincoln through projects across a variety of industries. From manufacturing and health care to education, retail, agriculture and office spaces, the company has built throughout the community and continues to be involved in Lincoln’s growth.
Some of Schwisow’s largest projects have been for manufacturing companies like TMCO, Lincoln Industries and Timpte. However, the company has continued to expand into different types of construction over the years. Recently, Schwisow has seen more businesses looking to update their existing spaces through interior tenant finish projects. These projects allow the company to work with clients during the planning and design process to create spaces that are more functional and work better for their organizations.
Working with the community is also an important part of Schwisow’s work. The company’s leadership works with groups like the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development and the City of Lincoln to communicate with local partners and find solutions that help move Lincoln forward.
Looking ahead, Schwisow is excited about continued growth in agriculture and ag science across Nebraska and the Midwest. The company is also continuing its “Building Good” community engagement program, which includes supporting organizations through blood drives, charitable donations, volunteering at the Food Bank of Lincoln and working with Habitat for Humanity. Through both its construction projects and community involvement, Schwisow continues to be a part of building Lincoln’s future.
Erickson Sullivan Architects (ericksonsullivan.net) has several exciting projects underway throughout the State of Nebraska, representing every stage of development from preliminary design through construction.
Here in Lincoln, they recently attended the groundbreaking for the new location of The Gathering Place with Community Action Partnership. The project includes the complete renovation and addition to an early 1900s historic building in the Everett Neighborhood. This will provide The Gathering Place soup kitchen with almost double their current space and will be essential in helping them serving the neighborhood and anyone in Lincoln who needs a healthy dinner.
In Grand Island, they are wrapping up design and construction documents for a new main entrance, vestibule and assembly space addition to the Bosselman Conference Center on the Heartland Events Center campus. They are also in the preliminary design stages for a major church expansion project and a new restaurant in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Most excitingly, Erickson Sullivan Architects, along with their foodservice design subsidiary, Foodlines, is proud to see their project nearing completion of construction for the completely renovated food court at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Union. This project represents the culmination of several years of design with several design partners, and more than a year of construction to completely transform the food court area.
A particular goal for 2026–27 is to pursue more private and community-based projects to complement their longstanding public-sector work. They value the public work that has been an important part of ESA’s history, but they believe a broader balance of project types will strengthen the firm and create new opportunities for their team. They see their combination of architectural expertise, renovation and addition experience, and foodservice design through Foodlines as a strong foundation for pursuing these opportunities.
One of ESA’s strongest differentiators among architectural firms is that their Principals are directly involved in the work throughout the duration of every project. They emphasize continuous principal leadership because they believe personal involvement is critical to both the quality of their work and the success of their clients. They combine the experience and technical expertise typically associated with a larger firm with the accessibility, responsiveness, and personal collaboration of a small firm.
Another distinctive advantage is their rare combination of architecture and foodservice design. Through their subsidiary company, Foodlines, they provide specialized back-of-house commercial kitchen design for a wide range of project types. This integrated capability allows ESA to provide a more complete design solution for hospitality and other projects requiring specialized foodservice spaces, while maintaining coordination between the architectural and foodservice components from the beginning of design through completion.
ESA has been practicing for more than 48 years, with Principals Trevor Hull and Jennifer Rohn bringing 25 and 30 years of experience with the firm, respectively. They look forward to continued growth. Reaching the 50 year milestone is an opportunity to recognize the experience and relationships that have built the firm while also looking ahead to the next 50 years. Their goal is thoughtful, sustainable growth that expands their presence in the Lincoln area while maintaining the personal involvement, accessibility, and quality of service that have defined ESA throughout its history.
Geary Engineering (gearyengineering.net) offers comprehensive mechanical, electrical, and fire protection engineering for constructing buildings. They have registered fire protection engineers with our office, setting them apart from other engineering companies in Lincoln. One of their current projects is the Citibank building that’s under construction in south Lincoln, which will be opening within the next year.
There’s always new products and new construction techniques that are being integrated into building structures. Some of them appear to be good as far as cost and efficiency, but may have ramifications further on with building maintenance and operation in the future. When owners are looking at value engineering items, they need to look at initial cost and also the long term implications of what that does to the building.
“I think it’s important to have good involvement and to match the the size of the project with the size of the engineering company, because a lot of times projects are delegated to the newer people or to a group that’s not familiar with what needs to be done for the building.” Says Ron Geary, owner of Geary Engineering. “If they’re looking at the firm, they also need to look at what individuals in the firm are actually going to be doing the work.”
Though Lincoln has been around for a while, it is constantly evolving and becoming greater than it’s ever been. Businesses are beginning to plant their roots in Lincoln, and industrial development has been at an all time high. The local economy and local businesses are greatly benefiting from the construction services that are provided, and community involvement has been high as these projects are being completed. You can be a part of this continuous process; with local business services at your side, you can leave your personal mark on this wonderful city.