As president of A. Lucas & Sons, Margaret Hanley is responsible for the day-to-day financial, management and personnel decisions within one of the oldest steel fabricators in the country, where she has been employed since 2004. She supervises a staff of engineers, works with vendors to ensure on-time delivery and quality product, analyzes purchases and capital expenditures, and regulates workflow to increase efficiencies.

Hanley is well-respected throughout her industry and is involved in the Central Fabricators Association and the American Institute of Steel Construction. For the past four years, Hanley has successfully run and grown her family business, which is the oldest business in the city of Peoria, founded in 1857. Last year, she organized and hosted the company’s 150th anniversary party.

Earning three degrees from Bradley University, Hanley is a strong individual who balances the responsibilities of running a multi-million-dollar company with her commitments to volunteerism and her family.

A. Lucas & Sons is dedicated to giving back to the community and recently donated materials and labor to fabricate and replace the damaged gates at Springdale Cemetery. Hanley has been featured at several speaking engagements, most recently at Indiana State University’s Construction Management Program series, and is devoted to continuing education in her profession.

She founded the West Peoria SHINE Foundation, an organization that assists elderly citizens in the neighborhood by visiting with them and running errands to make their lives more fulfilling. She has served as a teacher representative and volunteer for Junior Achievement of Central Illinois, and currently serves as president of the Peoria Warehouse District, working to revamp and revitalize the area.

Hanley is a graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School and serves on Bradley University’s Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Advisory Board. She was also the first woman elected to the board of the Central Fabricators Association.

Margaret Hanley is always striving to improve the quality of life in central Illinois. She is an inspiration to those who know and work with her. iBi