JCDecaux, a Paris, France-based out-of-home media company, recently entered into a 20 year contract with the City of Chicago to provide new and improved bus shelters for the city and bring in advertising revenue. JCDecaux expects high advertising demand in a city like Chicago, where historic-ally there has been no street furniture advertising and which until now has had a very little to offer in terms of advertising space in prime areas.

Each structure is made out of attractive and etch-resistant glass panes bonded with metal frames and feature maps of the city, lighting, and benches. The bus shelters will protect commuters from the notorious Chicago weather, provide a well-lit place to sit down, and reduce congestion by encouraging people to take public transportation and leave their cars at home. JCDecaux is also responsible for maintaining the shelters. Chief procurement officer for the City of Chicago Department of Procurement Services, David E. Malone, stated, “The Street Furniture Program will provide residents and visitors of Chicago with amenities which will increase the comfort and livability of our neighborhoods and encourage a vital and active street life – all at no cost to tax payers.”

Bill Haddock, JCDecaux’s director of outsourcing and resource planning, turned to Chicago Scenic to assemble the more than 2000 shelters over the next two years. Project Manager Ken Zommer and Production Supervisor Doyle Cline work together on a daily basis to maintain the construction and scheduling of the shelters through CSSI, in a dedicated 15,000-square-foot manufacturing cell created within CSSI’s existing plant. New full-time staff members have been added for the construction of the structures and they have already completed 200 shelters. The new shelters can be seen in the down-town area and have been spotted by the Wrigley and Tribune buildings.

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