July 13, 2001 EPSTEIN TURNS 80: THE STRENGTH OF BRICK AND MORTAR IN THE NEW ECONOMY Proving that a brick and mortar-based company can not only survive but also flourish in this new economy, EPSTEIN, the Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm, celebrates 80 years of business. Founded on July 15th, 1921 by Abraham Epstein, the firm began by providing structural engineering expertise and grew into one of the leading architecture/engineering firms in the world today providing architecture, engineering, construction management, interior design and graphic design services. Today chairman Sidney Epstein and president and CEO Mickey Kupperman lead the firm. Between the two, they have combined over 100 years of service building the firm into the success story it is today. "EPSTEIN has proven over these many years that even as the economy changes, companies still need design expertise to help them develop and build their facilities," stated Mickey Kupperman. "We have survived the ups and downs of a number of different economies by providing creative, quality design services and diversifying along the way." Abraham Epstein began his firm at a time when Chicago and the entire nation were ripe for growth. With a focus on structural engineering, Epstein took a unique approach to the practice. Traditionally, architects would obtain projects and hire engineers to work for them. He reversed this thinking and hired architects to design for engineers. In the ensuing years, the firm would embrace all aspects of design for the building industry and offer clients everything from architecture and planning to process and mechanical engineering to construction management and interior design. EPSTEIN today is comprised of A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc., ISI and ComCorp. The services traditionally associated with the firm, including architecture, planning and engineering, are housed under A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc. ISI, the firm's interior design unit, offers interior design expertise ranging from space planning to the complete finished look of an interior. ComCorp provides expertise in identity design along with graphic and signage design services. When the firm began, EPSTEIN contributed substantially to the growth of manufacturing facilities in Chicago. When the famous Chicago Stockyards burned in 1934, EPSTEIN was given the job of rebuilding them. The firm provided design services to expanding growth areas such as the Central Manufacturing District of Chicago, where most of the structures still stand today. To this day, EPSTEIN maintains an excellent reputation for developing various manufacturing facilities and is a leader in designing facilities for the food, pharmaceutical and beverage industries. Today the firm has a reputation for designing various award-winning structures as well as manufacturing facilities. From the underground parking structure and Great Hall at the Museum of Science and Industry (an AIA award-winning design) to the Warsaw Financial Center, one of central Europe's most modern office buildings, EPSTEIN maintains its reputation as a firm that can create both practical and artistic, often high-end designs simultaneously. The firm has even contributed to Chicago's distinctive skyline by designing the well-known Smurfit/Stone Container Building located on Michigan Avenue at Randolph and famous for its diamond-shaped apex, often outlined with different color lighting for various holidays. "We are fortunate in that we possess the talent to create facilities ranging from an efficient processing plant to a critically-acclaimed museum space," stated Sidney Epstein. "Additionally, we have seen the need for offering diverse services to many industries and recently have added such specialties as graphic and signage design to our capabilities." EPSTEIN has maintained an international presence for over three decades and continues to do so with offices in Warsaw, Poland and Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba in Israel. In addition to its Chicago headquarters, EPSTEIN also maintains a West Coast office based in Los Angeles. For the future, Sidney Epstein sees continued growth for EPSTEIN by recognizing the changing economic climate and the necessary response of the architecture and engineering industry. He emphasizes that firms must recognize how industries they serve are changing. For example, EPSTEIN recently expanded its engineering division to include energy engineering and sees this as a future growth area for the firm. By offering companies a wide variety of interrelated services in one firm, Epstein believes a firm such as EPSTEIN can maintain its position as a leader in the architecture and engineering industry for many years to come.