“The safety of the nation’s best-connected airport is of critical importance to the Chicago Police Department,” said Interim Superintendent of CPD, Charlie Beck. “The O’Hare station is a modern upgrade for both airport officers and specialized units that also creates a dedicated space to conduct training and coordinate with our federal partners.”
BOWA Construction provided the coordination of multiple trade sub-contractors required to provide the comprehensive renovation of a former warehouse to a functioning police department. Founded by Nosa Ehimwenman, BOWA Construction is a general contractor and construction management firm based on Chicago’s South Side. It is a City-certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and a newly-appointed U.S. Department of Transportation Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program participant, and the first African-American prime contractor to be awarded an airport concessions construction contract in Chicago.
“We are excited to have completed the new CPD station at O’Hare International Airport. This is a tremendous accomplishment for the team, and it would not have happened without the team’s efforts and hard work,” said Nosa Ehimwenman, president and CEO of BOWA Construction. “Working in a mission critical environment like Aviation isn’t easy, and I am very thankful for Jamie Rhee’s leadership and her team’s support in creating an environment of inclusion in Aviation. We are looking forward to working on O’Hare 21 and other future projects.”
Over the next decade, the $8.5 billion O’Hare 21 expansion program will totally transform the airport by delivering 25 percent more gate capacity, a more streamlined passenger experience, and enable O’Hare’s future growth to better connect travelers to Chicago and Chicago to the world. The largest expansion in O’Hare history, the project includes a $1.2 billion expansion of Terminal 5, which makes way for construction of the new and fully modern O’Hare Global Terminal and O’Hare Global Concourse. Over the course of the project, it is estimated that more than 60,000 construction and support jobs will be created. The expansion will be paid for by airport revenues, not taxpayer dollars.
About the Chicago Department of Aviation
The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) is self-supporting, using no local or state tax dollars for operations or capital improvements at O’Hare and Midway International Airports. Chicago’s airports offer service to over 260 nonstop destinations worldwide, including 47 foreign countries, combined. Together, Chicago’s airports serve more than 100 million passengers each year and generate approximately $60 billion in annual economic activity for the region. Please visit to learn more about the Chicago Department of Aviation.