General Building

JJK Foundation Upgrades and Expansion

The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation is transforming a portion of East St. Louis into a vibrant, youth-centered campus focused on education, agriculture, athletics, and community development.

Recently, the12,000-square-foot former Pfister Pigment Plant was transformed into a Wrestling Center with the long-term plans to build out a portion of the facility for food, agriculture, and nutrition programming.

In addition to the Wrestling Center and Food Innovation Programming project, the broader JJK Campus is being reconstructed to include three new football fields, three new softball fields, and outdoor agricultural spaces dedicated to education, research, and food production. These improvements will support programming that ranges from STEAM+Ag curriculum and food innovation to entrepreneurship, fitness, and environmental stewardship—providing opportunities for hands-on training and real-world impact in a historically underserved community.

A key component of the expansion is the construction of a new 26,000-square-foot Innovation Center designed to support next-generation learning. This new facility will include engineering labs, science laboratories, learning kitchens, and collaborative classrooms—creating a dynamic environment for students to explore innovative and interdisciplinary fields of study.

This multi-phase development reflects a deep commitment to youth empowerment, community resilience, and urban revitalization. Through thoughtful landscape design and integrated programming, the project aims to improve the urban fabric of East St. Louis while offering its residents a healthier, more connected, and more hopeful future. The new center will house staff from the JJK Foundation and its “Winning in Life” program, along with collaborators from the University of Illinois Extension and Danforth Center.

Driven by the legacy and vision of Olympian and East St. Louis native Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the JJK FAN Center is more than a building—it’s a catalyst for opportunity, aiming to inspire the next generation to grow, lead, and thrive in their own communities.

Safety First. Always.

At Plocher Construction, safety isn’t just a policy—it’s a core value. Our safety manager works closely with our highly trained and empowered field teams to maintain an industry-leading safety record. We believe that every worker deserves to go home safe, and our commitment to providing an uncompromisingly safe work environment is rooted in our responsibility to our employees and their families. Our exceptional safety performance is reflected in our consistently low Experience Modification Rate (EMR).

Proactive Risk Management

We identify potential hazards before they become problems. Site inspections, hazard analyses, and safety meetings help protect our people and projects.

Ongoing Training & Certification

From OSHA standards to specialized equipment operation, our teams undergo continual safety training to stay sharp, compliant, and confident in every work zone.

Data-Driven Safety Performance

We track key safety metrics—including our top-tier EMR—to reduce incidents, lower risk, and ensure peace of mind on every job.

A Look at Our Evolving Project Capabilities

Plocher Construction has expanded its services since the launch of the company in the early 1990s. Creating a more diverse range of available services, these current projects exhibit the different skills and capabilities of our team members.

Recent Projects