Jon Kogan - President
Jon comes from a family of builders, and has been part of the construction industry almost his entire life. Jon obtained a degree from Northeastern Illinois University with a concentration in business management. Jon launched Highgate Builders in 2000 to deliver custom homes of exceptional character and lasting value.
Over the past decade Jon has dedicated himself to making Highgate Builders the premier builder of custom homes in the Chicago land area. Jon’s hand on approach ensures that each project meets his strict standards for quality. As the owner of Highgate Builders, Jon manages the day-to-day operations of the company. He is proud of the exceptional team he has put together who share his vision.
Alix Kogan - Vice President Sales & Marketing
Alix has been involved in the building industry since he was a child. Alix obtained a degree from Northeastern Illinois University and spent many years in school focusing on business and management. On an annual basis, Alix budgets time for continued education, seminars and workshops in order to stay abreast of the latest technologies and methods of construction management.
Alix built quality homes in the Durango, Colorado area for the past 10 years before returning to his roots and joining his family in Chicago. He has been and continues to be personally involved with every client and their project to ensure that “Kogan” quality is always met. Alix’s goal is to provide each client with the best possible experience building their dream home.
Tom Dennis - Operations Manager
Tom has worked in the construction industry in the Chicago land area since 1995 after graduating from Michigan State University with a B.S. degree in Construction Management. Since working in the area, Tom has worked on residential mid-rise condominium buildings, residential homes and townhomes. Tom has been with Highgate Builders since April of 2003. His primary responsibilities include Estimating, Bidding, and Scheduling. Tom also acts as a liaison for the customers, architects and designers as well as the municipality.
Jason Debaker - Project Manager
Jason brings 12 years of experience in all aspects of the luxury residential design/build industry following his receipt of a B.S. degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois. Acting as both a lead Architect and Project Manager, he has been involved in many of the North Shore’s high-profile award winning homes. For projects of any size, Jason’s ability to listen and connect with his clients helps to turn every dream home into a reality.
Brad Siman - Project Manager
Brad has worked in the field of construction since he was 16 years old. His father owns a civil engineering company where he worked through college. Brad earned a B.S. degree in Construction Management with minors in Drafting and Business Management from the University of Wisconsin Platteville. Brad was the captain of the soccer team for 3 years in Platteville and was nominated to the All-American team. For the past 7 years, Brad was responsible for estimating, bidding and scheduling on numerous high-end residential projects along the North Shore.
Kevin O’Leary - Project Manager
Kevin has worked in the Chicago-Land luxury residential market since graduating from Southern Illinois University with a Marketing degree in 2002. He has worked as a superintendent, estimator, purchaser, and project manager on many award-winning homes. Kevin’s primary focus is on client relationships, scheduling, and value engineering. Kevin brings over a decade of experience in providing lasting value to his custom home clients.
Brian Cloney - Project Manager
Prior to joining the Highgate Team, Brian has worked as a Project Manager for the past 15 years. Brian has over 25 years of experience working in the high-end construction industry in all aspects from framing to finish carpentry and his work has been featured in many nationally recognized magazines. Brian’s main focus is to meet the needs of the client’s he serves and keep the lines of communication open. Brian received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Loyola University of Chicago.
Scott Campbell - Superintendent
A Michigan State University graduate, with a BS in Construction Management, Scott has been working in construction for 35 years. He spent 17 years in Los Angeles before working in Illinois and finally in Michigan. Over this span he has managed high end single family residential homes, multi-unit housing projects, and light commercial construction. Scott is engaged as Superintendent for Highgate on their Michigan projects. He manages the trades, inspections, schedules and ensures the Highgate quality encompasses the overall execution of homes in that area.
Mike Drake - Superintendent
Superintendent and Project Manager, Mike Drake, brings his family’s history as a builder/developer and his own history as a Carpenter and owner of a general contractor firm to Highgate He has worked for over 20 years as a project manager and superintendent on high end luxury homes on Chicago’s north shore. Like all Highgate superintendents, Mike works daily on site supervision, quality control, scheduling and coordination of trades as well as project management duties.
Lukas Duda - Superintendent
Lukas has 12 years of experience in the construction industry. He joined Highgate Builders in 2009. His hand on experience in the field gives him an informed, unique perspective overseeing projects, helping him to anticipate challenges and effectively overcome problems. His primary responsibilities include site supervision, quality management, trade management, job safety and warranty service coordinator.
Darin Starkey - Superintendent
After over 20 years in construction, Darin has worked in several areas of the home building process. He has experience as a roofer, carpenter, carpenter foreman and cabinet maker. The last 10 years he has been dedicated to the job of Superintendent for a variety of residential projects in the Chicago land area. He joins Highgate Builders to continue as a Superintendent. His daily tasks include site supervision, managing trades, maintaining schedules, quality management and on-site coordination with design professionals.
Jacques Brouillette - Superintendent
Jacques brings to Highgate Builders 35 years of construction experience and leadership on the North Shore with a focus on high-end residential construction. Jacques started as a trades man for 20 years holding an electrical contractor license for 10 years. As a superintendent/project manager for 15 years, Jacques focused on residential projects ranging in budget from $100,000 to $40,000,000. He has experience with projects encompassing remodeling, single family and multifamily development.
Nancy Blunk - Office Manager
Nancy graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. After working in the banking industry for over 17 years, she now enjoys working in the custom home industry. Nancy joined Highgate Builders in 2004 and is responsible for preparing construction draws, maintaining insurance records, and various accounting functions. She ensures sound, efficient, and smooth business operations and client communication.
Teresa Almeda-Yap - Project Coordinator
Teresa joined Highgate Builders in 2006 after having her custom home built by Jon Kogan. As part of the team, Teresa oversees the transition between the architectural construction drawings and specifications to the bidding process, and works with the Project Manager in order to coordinate finish materials and specialties. A registered Illinois architect, Teresa obtained her architectural degree from the University of the Philippines and has received her Master’s degree in Architectural Management from the University of Illinois.
Sarah Olson
Sarah has over 12 years of experience with customer service and over 4 years of experience in management, human resources and accounts payable/ accounts receivable. Sarah is instrumental in marketing, distribution of plans to sub-contractors, maintaining insurance records, coordinating service and warranty calls, as well as office management. Sarah earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Arizona State University.