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What can happen when you put together an owner. an architect and a contractor who share a pioneering spirit and vision? Chances are, you will end up with a project like the Women’s Leadership Center, currently under construction in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
Tomorrow starts here
When Ann Drake acquired almost 9 acres of wooded land near Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin, she knew she had found the place where she could build on a simple yet powerful vision statement: Tomorrow starts here.
As the President and Founder of Lincoln Road Enterprise, a philanthropic organization focused on elevating women’s leadership and contributions to making the world a better place, Ann has extended her role to Chair and President of the Women’s Leadership Center at Williams Bay.
Williams Bay, Wisconsin has a rich heritage in scholarship, science and the arts as the former home of George Williams College of Aurora University and current site of the Yerkes Observatory. The village also draws nature lovers and environmentalists to its Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy.
“This is where trained minds will come together to lead innovation in many fields,” Ann said. “Yes, we want to have a positive impact for women. But this project is bigger than that. This is about having an impact on the future. We’re going to do that by providing women leaders with an inspiring, unique setting in which to gather, dream, plan and collaborate.”
The Center and its natural setting will inspire conversation and opportunities for interaction among women leaders at the forefront of public and private enterprise, global supply chain, engineering and technology, infrastructure and design, and space and astrophysics.
Ann Drake, Chair and President of the Women’s Leadership Center, welcomes team members, city officials, dignitaries and more than 200 guests to the official ground-breaking ceremony on July 19, 2024.
Leaving the site better than we found it
The completed Center will open in 2026. Here are some of the key elements that will contribute to the many unique experiences that women leaders from around the world will enjoy.
A natural collaboration
Finding the right design partner was critical to ensure that the Women’s Leadership Center could thrive within its natural setting and blend as a contributing member of the Williams Bay community. Internationally renowned architect Jeanne Gang, founding principal of Studio Gang, was a natural choice. The design approach is informed by the ecology and history of the surrounding area.
The project was awarded to Studio Gang as work was wrapping up on the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock (see Pepper Construction’s 2022 Annual Review). Working together for five years as part of a tri-venture with Nabholz and minority partner Doyne, Pepper established a solid relationship with Studio Gang based on trust and mutual respect. When the time came to identify a construction partner for the Women’s Leadership Center, Studio Gang recommended Pepper. After several conversations and two formal interviews, we were honored to join the project team.
Pepper worked with Studio Gang as part of a tri-venture construction team to renovate the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.
At the time, Studio Gang was about six months into the design process, and we embarked on a year of preconstruction planning. Work began in April 2024 with an official ground-breaking ceremony in July, followed by delivery of a final guaranteed maximum price (GMP) in August.
You can’t host a ground-breaking ceremony without breaking some ground. The following team members helped by putting their shovels in the dirt: (L to R) Anthony Allman, Project Director, Pepper Construction; Susan Weiler, Partner at OLIN landscaping architecture; Peter Vargulich, President of Blue Stem Design, Inc.; Ann Drake; Juliane Wolf, Design Principal and Partner at Studio Gang; Lowell Wright, Willams Bay Trustee; Bill Duncan, Williams Bay Village President and Trustee
Elevating the conversation
Bringing the Women’s Leadership Center to life has been a journey that included more than three years of planning, design work and village approvals for the property, which adjoins the recently renovated Yerkes Observatory and the campus of the former George Williams College of Aurora University.
As Ann Drake said at the ground-breaking ceremony, “You know the phrase, ‘It takes a village’? It really did take a village to get to today. But we are proud to join the Williams Bay community…who loves this very special part of the world and knows this land is a treasure.”
Pepper is proud to be part of the Women’s Leadership Center, which will soon add another treasure to the landscape of Williams Bay.
Credits
Owner: Lincoln Road Enterprises, LLC | Architect: Studio Gang Architects
