SVI is a Chicago design/build firm founded in 1990 by three friends with a love for design and backgrounds firmly rooted in the Chicago theatrical scene. Brothers Dean and Tim Oien, and Marc Shellist started SVI because they saw the need for a complete design and fabrication service company in the Chicago area.

SVI works primarily with themed environments - theme parks, zoos and museums, restaurants and malls! SVI services run the full gamut from design to fabrication, including sets, lights, effects, mechanics, installation, project management and even rentals. 

SVI was established with the objective of providing a range of services to fit clients' ideas, purpose, space and time into their budgets, rather than the "canned" alternatives' that were available at the time. SVI's concept of turning theatricity into a commercial business has helped it build an impressive portfolio and client list that includes Six Flags, McDonald's, Sara Lee, Arthur Andersen and the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI).

A recently completed project is the Challenge Park Xtreme in Joliet, the first one on the planet - a favorite spot for Chicago area paintballers and skaters. On the educational end of SVI's spectrum is the recent completion of the Petroleum Exhibit at MSI. National projects include a food court for Arundel Mills in Baltimore last year, (business for the court is up 100%). The firm is currently fabricating another food court at Discover Mills in Lawrenceville, Georgia, for the Mills Corporation.

When asked what has contributed to SVI's growth to a team of 26 full-time professional design and fabrication artists and 65,000 square feet of space in the Pilsen district, the answer was: a cooperative team atmosphere and a philosophy of artistic integrity and customer satisfaction. 

SVI is currently working on projects for the Brookfield Zoo, Purdue University, and the U.S. Navy.