Nick Lubovich and his wife moved to Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood in 2005 and taught themselves how to restore the original wood trim decorating their nearly 150-year-old home. But a month into the project they needed help.
Lubovich met and spoke with young people he’d see everyday and asked if they’d be interested in learning how to restore houses in the neighborhood. Over time, he taught them to strip paint and restore historic Pullman rowhouses, and the experience led to a moment of realization, he says.
“At the end of my project I had about 10 young people trained to safely strip wood,” he recalls. “That was the moment I realized I had the ability to teach someone how to fish, not just provide them the fish.”
In 2021, Lubovich founded Pullman Tech Workshop. Located in a former Schlitz horse stable building surrounded by historic Pullman rowhouses, the nonprofit teaches adults and teenagers woodworking techniques and practical skills and promotes mental wellness to help participants pursue jobs and career opportunities that interest them. The Pullman district was designated a National Historical Park in 2022
“At Pullam Tech Workshop our main goal is jobs — job security, jobs that will sustain a family and jobs that someone can be proud of,” Lubovich says. “We don’t care who you were, we only care about who you are. You must be willing to learn and better yourself, and we’re going to help you along the way.”
Teenagers and adults from in and around Pullman learn from leaders in the shop during 6- to 12-week classes and restore wood porches throughout the neighborhood. Pullman house restoration requires specific materials and technical craftmanship outlined by the City of Chicago.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois invested in Pullman Tech Workshop with a grant to help continue its advanced workforce training program and purchase new supplies, including a table saw designed to lock immediately if a finger or body part contacts the blade.
The grant is part of BCBSIL’s Blue ImpactSM program advancing efforts targeting social and economic factors that influence health, including workforce training programs that open new economic pathways for underserved communities.
“It takes a lot to run an organization like this and also pay for it to operate,” says Lubovich. "It made sense to work with BCBSIL because they see the potential in organizations like Pullman Tech Workshop.”
Keianti Darling participated as shop assistant and recently secured a forklift operator job after completing the program. He plans to continue visiting the shop when he can, he says.
“Being in this workshop made me learn how to fix problems in life, outside of construction,” he says, adding that he brings his son to the shop and continues to come back because of the relationships he made. “It’s the people. This is like home to me.”
Darling is just one of many who have benefitted from Pullman Tech Workshop’s positive culture, and Lubovich says the four-year-old nonprofit has more in store.
“When I started Pullman Tech Workshop, I didn’t realize the impact we were going to have and the amount of people who we’re going to support us,” he says. “The road to success has many different paths and we’re excited about what’s to come.”
