SCG is excited to announce the production of our company magazine, Market Makers. Check out this sneak peek piece!
Meet Derek Pulchny, founder of DTA Group, a construction company that has been building for 20+ years with focused efforts in Chicagoland and the surrounding suburbs. The long list of areas where Derek and his team have built homes include Woodlawn, Kenwood, Bronzeville, Lincoln Square, Northbrook, Glenview and Arlington Heights. With a concentration on residential development, their mission is to construct high-quality, functional homes where buyers and their loved ones can create cherished memories.
Derek was raised in a Polish family where building your own home is customary and carpentry skills are passed down through generations. While being an apprentice to his father, Derek quickly found his passion. Soon after, Derek began his career as a residential developer and formed DTA Group. “I have always had a mathematical mind and strong visualization skills that have helped me navigate the design and building process.”
“I love the process,” Derek says. “Before I start building, I spend much of my time in the evening sitting with the blueprints – tweaking them, refining them. I go point-by-point, checking everything. By the time my crew and I start a project, I have all the details memorized.” With only the shell of property erected, Derek can imagine the finished project, says Annette Jakubczyk, Derek’s wife and business partner. “It just always impresses me that he goes into an unfinished home, like Superman with X-Ray vision.”
Derek met Hasani Steele so long ago neither of them can even remember when! “Above all else, Hasani and his team (Steele Consulting Group/SCG) taught me to stand for the quality of work and its craftsmanship,” says Pulchny. Since the beginning of the partnership, SCG has consulted the engineering and design of DTA Group’s projects, marketed them, and brokered their sales.
From their large portfolio, Derek’s favorite project to-date is seated at the corner of 41st Street and Vincennes Avenue where 6 single-family homes were constructed along with a 6-unit and 3-unit building. “We purchased a plot of land in an area that posed some tough obstacles. “Nobody believed in us; the banks were worried. That’s where SCG stepped in,” says Annette. This project was a challenge because the team wasn’t only designing homes but a whole community! “In the end, we had people buying and moving from outside of Chicago. They could see this was an emerging area,” she says.
Pulchny fondness for the area is apparent. “Chicago’s South Side is intriguing to me because it’s constantly evolving. There are incredible opportunities. You see a large piece of land and you can almost instantly feel what can be created there,” says Derek. “I thank SCG for working with my team to provide the opportunities to build these communities and relationships with everyone involved.”
Proudly, DTA’s commitment doesn’t end after the sale. “What blows me away is that many builders just build-to-sell because it’s easier to do that and just move on,” says Annette. “The quality of our homes last for decades. We still receive emails from clients from years ago, thanking us for doing such a good job and for creating a place where their family is growing. That is the ultimate reward for us.”
