Epstein-ISI

February 2001
EPSTEIN RANKED TOPS by WORLD ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE SECOND YEAR in a ROW

A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc. once again has been ranked as one of the world's leading architectural design firms by World Architecture magazine in its 2001 survey of international architecture firms, announced Mickey Kupperman, Epstein president and CEO.

Epstein maintained its #1 ranking for the second year in a row as the top earning architectural firm in central and Eastern Europe in World Architecture's WA300. The firm led several US-based firms in this category along with firms from France, Germany, the UK and even Poland.

"Epstein consistently maintains a strong presence in central Europe and this ranking once again confirms the firm's foothold in this part of the world," stated Kupperman. "We recognized the region's growth potential over three decades ago and continue to contribute to that growth with new facilities for major international companies such as Motorola."

World Architecture tagged central and Eastern Europe as 'destined for rapid development…' and '…definitely a region to watch…' when referring to future growth. Epstein has lead the way in this development with such modern facilities as the Warsaw Financial Center and 3M's Poland facility.

Epstein ranked high among firms in its own geographic region, placing 16th on the list of top 25 North American firms. Reflective of their strong presence in Israel, Epstein ranked 14th on the list of top 25 firms working in the Middle East.

Epstein's industry leadership further was confirmed by its high ranking in several market sector breakouts. Traditionally a leading firm in industrial design and development, Epstein ranked #2 on the listing of top-earning firms for industrial facilities. Additionally, high rankings came in the following categories:

Epstein's myriad, often award-winning design accomplishments represent the various breakout categories in which the firm ranked. For example, Epstein served as architect and engineer for the Warsaw Financial Center, the most modern office building currently found in central and Eastern Europe today. The firm served as architect/engineer of record for the 3M Regional Headquarters in Poland and currently is the architect and engineer for the Motorola software development center in Krakow, Poland.

Epstein's designs have garnered recognition throughout the industry. Most recently, the firm received a 2001 AIA Institute Honor Award for Architecture for work on the McCormick Place South Building, the major expansion project for this well-known Chicago convention center.

Epstein was awarded AIA's highest accolade with an Honor Award from the Chicago chapter in the Distinguished Building category for work on the Wilmette Public Works Facility, Wilmette, Illinois.

Epstein and ISI, the firm's interior design unit, also were honored by AIA's Chicago chapter with a Citation of Merit in the Unbuilt Design category for their collaborative effort in designing a massive office and manufacturing campus for Comverse Network Systems, Tel Aviv, Israel.

A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc. is a full-service architecture, engineering, interior design, graphic design and construction management firm. Founded in 1921, the firm is headquartered in Chicago with offices in Los Angeles, California; Warsaw, Poland; and Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba in Israel. The Epstein family of companies includes A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc., ISI and Comcorp, experts in graphic and environmental (signage) design. The firm currently has projects in progress valued at approximately $1 billion.