AV CHICAGO BREAKS GROUND IN MAYWOOD

AV CHICAGO BREAKS GROUND IN MAYWOOD

Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker, community officials and top Chicago A/V production and event firm celebrate new home, economic development investment in near west suburb

Maywood, Ill. -- A former Moose Lodge and military armory in west suburban Maywood has been purchased and is being transformed into the new home for AV Chicago, (avchicago.com), one of Chicagoland’s leading event production firms.

The commercial property at 50 Madison Street in Maywood is now being renovated into a new, $4 million+, 43,000-square-foot facility for audio/visual production and event management services. The building will be topped out with a beautiful, new 7,500-square-foot event space for hosting weddings, receptions, live performances, corporate meetings, and other rental events.

On January 23, Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker and community leaders gathered with AV Chicago owners Justin Frick and Andrew Brode and their staff for an official groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the launch of construction at the company’s new forever home.

“AV Chicago looks forward to relocating from our rented space of 13 years in Chicago’s South Loop, to invest in our own, new home in nearby Maywood,” said Brode.

“AV Chicago will bring with it more than 40 employees, thousands of visitors, new economic vitality, and a beautiful new event venue in Maywood, located right off I-290,” added Frick.

“This is a new partnership that I could not be more happy to say we’re bringing to the village of Maywood,” said Mayor Booker, who welcomed AV Chicago to Maywood, along with the workforce development, economic activity and property taxes the project will bring to the city.

AV Chicago produces high-end, corporate and social events, specializing in audio, video, lighting and staging. Meeting planners, event producers, marketers, venues, and nonprofits rely on AV Chicago to set the stage for meaningful events, including small and large meetings, conferences, galas and fundraisers, public performances and private gatherings. 

AV Chicago’s new home in Maywood sits on three acres and will feature new offices, meeting, production and storage spaces, plus on-site parking for staff, clients and event attendees.

In addition, the building’s former ballroom will be restored into a new, 7,500-square-foot, high-end special event space named “The Armory” suitable for weddings, corporate, private and gala events, meetings and live performances. It’s a beautiful, open space with vaulted ceilings, restored brick and metal, with two wedding suites and dedicated catering space. Capacity will be approximately 350 people.

AV Chicago has more than 30 employees and expects to grow once it moves to Maywood. The company plans to work with Maywood to create new jobs and build the company’s employee base. It’s also exploring new workforce development programs in audio visual production and event management with schools like Proviso East High School, located right across the street.

By the 1940s, it was home to the Illinois National Guard 33rd Tank Company, where 122 men were inducted and served in the 192nd Tank Battalion in the Philippines. They ultimately succumbed to the Japanese on Battan on April 9, 1942, and endured the horrors of the Bataan Death March. Of the 89 soldiers from Maywood, only 43 would return home. AV Chicago’s lobby design will be anchored by a mural honoring Maywood’s soldiers and their sacrifice.

The site was subsequently home to Saltzman Printers, and most recently, Reuse Depot.

AV Chicago partnered with the Village of Maywood, West Regional Enterprise Zone, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development to acquire the property and earned incentives from the state to create a viable purchase/rehab/reuse package. The company anticipates construction will be complete in late 2025 or early 2026, followed by a grand opening.

AV Chicago’s project team includes Design SMAK, Siamak Mostoufi, architect, and general contractor Oakwood Construction Services, Troy Riley, president.

For more information, visit avchicago.com.

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