Jamerson & Bauwens CEO Ken Bauwens (left), Medxcel Facilities Management Area Regional Director Rick Chaussey, Jared Brown and Jamerson & Bauwens Vice President of Operations Bill Heneghan attend the Ascension Illinois Foundation Northwest Regional Golf Outing at Cantigny Golf Club on July 19, 2021, in Wheaton, Illinois.
Since 1993, Ken Bauwens and Jamerson and Bauwens Electrical Contractors — where he is CEO — have contributed generously to help the hospitals comprising Ascension Illinois serve communities across the greater metro Chicago area.
This summer Jamerson & Bauwens is the presenting sponsor of the Chicago Regional Golf Outing. While the September 20, 2021, outing will benefit Ascension Illinois ministries serving Chicago and Evanston, Bauwens’s support of the health system traces back to Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago and Sister Theresa Peck. When Sister Theresa, who was the hospital’s CEO at that time, asked Bauwens to get involved as the business chair of the golf outing, he said he didn’t think he was worthy of the role.
“But growing up going to Catholic grammar school and high school, when Sister asked, you just said, ‘Yes, Sister,” Bauwens joked.
Sister Theresa and her team were deeply committed to the mission, Bauwens said. “They had this zest and passion, and it was contagious.”
Jamerson & Bauwens's Kevin Larmon (left) and Mike Pearce golf with Vincent Jamnik and Bill Cielinski at the Ascension Illinois Foundation Golf Classic at Conway Farms Golf Club on August 23, 2021, in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Bauwens embodies that same passion, today serving as co-chair of the Ascension Illinois Foundation Board.
There have been numerous transitions at Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago since 1993. But Bauwens said the deep roots the Daughters of Charity planted when they started the hospital 150 years ago have held steady over time.
“Every time there’s been a transition, I’ve seen it as an opportunity to expand the mission to an even greater footprint and have an even greater impact,” he said.
The golf outings are one way to make an impact. They’re also an important way to develop a sense of community and meaningful relationships, like the one Bauwens shared with Sister Theresa.
Today, Bauwens — like the Daughters of Charity 150 years ago and Sister Theresa 30 years ago — continues to help hold that same mission steady.
Jamerson & Bauwens Vice President of Operations Bill Heneghan (left) and CEO Ken Bauwens join Dickerson Engineering Vice President Rick Sabatello and Eckenhoff Saunders Architects Principal Mark Nichols at the Ascension Illinois Foundation Golf Classic in August 2020 in Lake Forest, Illinois.
