Novak Construction To Hold Official Groundbreaking for Whole Foods Market® Lakeview

Developer breathes life into vacant Lakeview lot, while helping the natural and organic grocer move to a larger, updated location

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Novak Construction

Nov 10, 2015, 06:19 ET

CHICAGO, Nov. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Located at the highly-visible and historic triple intersection of Ashland-Belmont-Lincoln Avenues on the city's North Side, America's Healthiest Grocery Store™ is set to dig in to a new location. Novak Construction Company, the project's Developer and its General Contractor, is proud to announce the official groundbreaking ceremony this Thursday at 9:00 a.m. at 3201 N. Ashland Avenue. Construction on this Gensler-designed, ground-up 70,000 square foot store will start this month, replacing the current Whole Foods Market location at 3300 N. Ashland Avenue when complete.

"Activating this long vacant lot, the site of the former LaSalle Bank, was a priority for us once we acquired the property," says John Novak, Novak Construction's Founder/President. Reflecting on a time when the neighborhood was known as a bustling shopping mecca for the city, he added, "As the sole tenant, we know Whole Foods Market will not only enhance the community and accommodate the needs of its residents, but also usher in an era of new businesses and activity in this location. We would love to see this project stimulate that kind of growth."

The new store will feature a second-story balcony for outdoor dining, additional indoor street-level dining along Ashland, and a vibrant year-round greenwall adjacent to a park setting on Melrose. The new Whole Foods Market location will bring improvements based on the current store's challenges, most notably increased aisle space, additional grocery and prepared food choices, and more parking.

"Whole Foods Market has proudly served the Lakeview community since 1996 and we're thrilled to bring our neighbors this new store," says Michael Bashaw, Midwest Regional President, Whole Foods Market. "This larger location will be filled with even more of the natural and organic foods that our customers love along with lots of new amenities, services and even a few surprises that we hope will delight our shoppers."

In addition to Whole Foods Market Lakeview, Novak Construction worked with several Lakeview neighborhood constituencies to make this groundbreaking happen, including Alderman Tom Tunney and his team, St. Luke's Pastor David Abrahamson, the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce, and the West Lakeview Neighbors Association. The expected opening is planned for spring 2017.

ABOUT NOVAK CONSTRUCTION
Celebrating its 35^th year, Novak Construction (www.novakconstruction.com), founded by John Novak in 1980, is a top tier, nationally-recognized General Contractor and Construction Management firm known for its well-rounded portfolio and many projects in the retail, industrial, corporate, institutional, healthcare, hospitality, and multi-family/mixed-use sectors. Novak Construction has consistently been named as one of Chicago's Top General Contractors. In October 2015, Novak Construction Company was awarded AIA Chicago's Design Excellence Award - General Contractor for its By The Hand Club for Kids project.

ABOUT WHOLE FOODS MARKET^®Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 91,000 team members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 17 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2014, the company had sales of more than $14 billion and currently has more than 433 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.