Business highlight: Program Management and Control Services

in The Township of Lyons Chronicle

Construction workers walk along a newly built roadway toward the Chicago skyline under a bright blue sky.

PMCS works on a roadway construction site in Chicago’s South Loop (Photos provided by PMCS).

Family-owned company expands across Midwest to work with well-known public agencies

By Lola Babinski – Senior Editor/Design Editor

 

Construction workers pour concrete on a bridge deck over steel reinforcement using a concrete pump on a clear day.
PMCS Workers work on a concrete pour on a bridge deck in Chicago’s Far West Side (Photo provided by PMCS).

Many people use the Illinois Tollway and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) system every day. What most people don’t realize is that behind the huge projects happening within these organizations is the family-owned and grown business, Program Management and Control Services (PMCS). 

“If you see road construction and it’s of a bigger nature, you very well may see a PMCS   vehicle,” PMCS founder Kerry Nutter said.

PMCS was founded by Nutter 21 years ago. PMCS works with public agencies, like the Illinois Tollway or CTA, which are government-operated organizations meant to provide public services and/or manage public resources. 

“[Public agencies] expect us to help them manage their budgets, their schedules, and to make sure they get their projects delivered on time,” Nutter said. “We help them manage the cash flow so they know exactly how much a project is going to take. Then we ensure that the quality of that project upon delivery is at the standard that they expect.”

Some of PMCS’ biggest ongoing projects include working on the Illinois Tollway’s $15 billion Move Illinois program and CTA’s Red and Purple Modernization program, Nutter said. The Move Illinois program is meant to rebuild and widen I-294, and I-490 connecting I-90 to I-294 to their system, fix existing problems, and much more. CTA’s Red and Purple Modernization program built new Red and Purple line elevated tracks and plans to build new public spaces under said tracks. 

Construction crews work inside a large transit tunnel using heavy equipment under bright work lights.
One of the Subway Construction sites PMCS worked on. Subway construction is often very complex and schedule driven (Photo provided by PMCS).

Something that Nutter values in PMCS is its employees, she said. This is why, when she decided to transfer majority of the company ownership, she did so to the people she trusted most: a couple of devoted employees and some relatives, consisting of a niece and nephew.

“I wanted to ensure that the company continued in a very similar fashion and in a way that would  take care of the existing employees,” Nutter said. “We’re only as good as the employees that work for us, and we’ve got some really fabulous employees.”

Although it was harder for PMCS to get work at first, the company is now well known and receives calls from other companies and organizations asking for PMCS to work with them, Nutter said.

“We get calls [saying], ‘We know that the client’s gonna like you on this contract, we’re gonna   put in a proposal, will you be on our team?’” Nutter said. “Just knowing that our reputation has   grown in that way is probably what I get the greatest satisfaction from.”

As of right now, PMCS has expanded to do work in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Washington. Nutter said she intends for the company to continue to grow, but is taking it at its own pace.

“Our goal has always been about managed growth,” Nutter said. “You don’t want to grow so fast that you can’t manage it or take care of the people that you have currently working for you.”

Three adults stand side by side, smiling at the camera in an office with exposed brick walls and a doorway in the background.
Tom Nutter, vice president, Kerry Nutter, founder and senior vice president, and Sally Orozco, office manager pose for a photo in the PMCS office (Photo credit: Claudio Rodriguez).

In general, Nutter is proud of the positive feedback her business has accumulated over the years of its growth, as well as the fact that PMCS delivers a service that people benefit from each day, she said.

“It’s not just the numbers; that’s not what I get satisfaction from,” Nutter said. “It’s knowing the employees that work for us, and how many really good employees want to work for us.”

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