What Nicholas & Associates does

Nicholas & Associates is a privately held, family-owned full-service construction contractor founded in 1978 by Nick Papanicholas Sr. and now operated by the second generation (Nick Jr., Joe, Tony, and Gina Bertolini). The firm is headquartered in Mount Prospect, Illinois, with regional offices in Tampa, Florida, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and serves clients across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida. Its core offering spans three delivery models — Construction Management, Design/Build Services, and General Contracting — covering the project lifecycle from cost estimating and bidding through field supervision, subcontractor management, scheduling, quality assurance, and post-occupancy support.

The company executes projects across five verticals: Education (K-12 districts and universities), Municipal (fire stations, libraries, village halls, public works), Commercial (retail, office, industrial), Residential (luxury multifamily via preferred-partner Wingspan Development Group), and Athletics & Recreation (parks, pools, athletic fields). Notable project evidence includes the $40.6 million Maple Middle School for Northbrook-Glenview District 30 and the Prairie Trails Early Learning Center — the nation's first net-zero energy renovated school meeting the PHIUS+ Source Zero standard. Bonding capacity is supported by established partnerships with CNA Insurance, Zurich North America, and Brown & Brown of Illinois.

Revenue is generated through professional-services fees on project costs (construction management) and contract value (general contracting), with project-based, quote-based pricing and no publicly disclosed rates. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and sales-led: direct engagement with school districts, municipal governments, and developers through competitive bidding and repeat referrals, supported by a website portfolio, project showcases, client testimonials, and word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The firm maintains a workforce in the 51–100 range and operates with a sales-led, consultative motion anchored on long-term partnership development rather than transactional engagements.

Name

Nicholas & Associates

Legal name

Nicholas & Associates

Website

https://nicholasquality.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nicholas & Associates is a family-owned construction firm founded in 1978, providing construction management, design-build, and general contracting services across education, municipal, commercial, residential, and athletics sectors in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Construction Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Program Management (Multi-site/Portfolio) (IMAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Construction management services
• Design build construction
• General contracting services
• Commercial construction
• Educational facility construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Prospect

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Construction Management Services: Full-service construction management where Nicholas & Associates is selected early in the project to manage design, budgeting, bidding, and oversight through to post-occupancy. Revenue generated through management fees on project costs.
2. Design/Build Services: Integrated design and construction services where the company oversees both design and build phases, providing cohesive project delivery and expedited timelines.
3. General Contracting: Traditional general contracting services where clients provide design and engineering plans. Company manages subcontractors, material suppliers, and project coordination from contract award through certificate of occupancy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nicholas & Associates is a full-service construction contractor delivering Construction Management, Design/Build, and General Contracting services from project initiation through certificate of occupancy. The firm manages cost estimating, bidding, scheduling, field supervision, subcontractor coordination, quality assurance, and project closeout across education, municipal, commercial, residential multifamily, and athletics/recreation projects in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida.

Product overview

Nicholas & Associates is a full-service construction contractor offering three core service lines: Construction Management, Design/Build Services, and General Contracting. The company operates across five market verticals covering Athletics & Recreation, Commercial, Education, Municipal, and Residential construction projects. Founded in 1978, the family-owned company serves clients primarily in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida, delivering projects from concept through completion including cost estimation, design oversight, subcontractor management, and post-occupancy support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Management Full-service construction management in which Nicholas & Associates is engaged early in the project to manage design collaboration, cost estimating, bidding, scheduling, field supervision, quality assurance, and project closeout from permit through post-occupancy. Intended for owners who want a construction manager to assist with bidding procedures and provide oversight of the building process.
• Design/Build Services Integrated design and construction service in which Nicholas & Associates oversees both the design and build phases, working with architects and engineers to keep projects within budget while delivering high-quality construction. Designed to turn client ideas into reality through a single point of accountability.
• General Contracting

Quantifiable outcome

• Maple Middle School delivered at $40.6 million on budget and on schedule
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wingspan Development GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred construction manager and general contractor for Wingspan Development Group's Florida, Illinois, and Wisconsin luxury multifamily properties. Long-standing relationship for residential development projects including award-winning properties. Projects showcase Texas-wrap, podium, and garden/walk-up architectural designs with luxury amenities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gilbane Building Company: Large privately held national construction manager and general contractor with a strong K-12 education and public-sector practice. Overlaps with Nicholas & Associates in CM, design-build, and education vertical but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Clark Construction Group: One of the largest U.S. commercial construction firms, providing general contracting and construction management across education, healthcare, and public-sector markets. A larger incumbent peer competing for institutional projects at a national scale.
• Mortenson Construction: Major national general contractor and construction manager with strong renewable energy and education practices. Larger and more diversified than Nicholas & Associates but competes for similar institutional CM/GC engagements.

Direct peers

• Walsh Construction: Chicago-based general contractor and construction manager with deep institutional and commercial project experience across the Midwest. Comparable in scale, delivery models, and public-sector work mix.
• W.E. O'Neil Construction: Family-founded (since 1925) general contractor and construction manager with offices across the Midwest, Southwest, and Mountain West. Comparable in family-owned culture, multi-service offering (CM, design-build, GC), and education/municipal/commercial vertical mix.
• The Boldt Company: Wisconsin-based employee-owned general contractor and construction manager serving education, healthcare, industrial, and commercial markets. Strong overlap in Wisconsin geography and education/institutional vertical focus.
• Pepper Construction Group: Privately held Midwest-based general contractor and construction manager offering CM-at-risk, design-build, and general contracting across education, healthcare, commercial, and municipal markets. Highly comparable in scale, service mix, and regional focus to Nicholas & Associates.
• Leopardo Companies: Family-owned (Hoffman Estates, IL) full-service construction firm providing general contracting, construction management, and design-build across commercial, healthcare, education, and residential. Comparable in regional Midwest presence and full-service model.
• Power Construction: Chicago-based general contractor and construction manager serving commercial, healthcare, education, and residential markets in the Midwest. Direct peer in geography, delivery model, and target verticals.

Others

• BKV Group: Midwest-based architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with a strong education and municipal practice. Adjacent peer rather than direct competitor — typically a design partner of general contractors like Nicholas & Associates on design-build engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nicholasquality
• Facebookfacebook.com/nicholasquality

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nicholas & Associates