CHICAGO, IL Chicago, Illinois, -based Pepper Construction Group announces two staff promotions. Chris Averill has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Meanwhile, Jake Pepper has been promoted to Vice-President, leading strategic IT initiatives.

As COO, Averill leads all functions that support operations at Pepper Construction including legal, risk, human resources, IT and accounting. He joined the company in 2015 as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice-President. Averill is an accomplished leader with an extensive background in global financial and business management.

Throughout his career, he has partnered with investors and business leaders to drive customer satisfaction, profitable growth and enterprise value. His background spans acquisitions and divestitures, business integration, financing, business and customer analysis and working capital management. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Indiana University and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

In this role, Pepper leads the business-critical technical efforts of the company and is focused on improving efficiency and expanding the company's technical capabilities.

Pepper joined Pepper Construction in 2013 in project management before transitioning to Director focusing on strategic IT initiatives. His efforts enable Pepper's IT infrastructure team, virtual construction group and high performance group to develop value-driven solutions for clients.

Before joining Pepper, he served in roles in financial services and sustainable design. Pepper holds a bachelor's degree in economics and environmental studies from Middlebury College and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.