Dr. Joe Chow And His Rusty Ridge Animal Center File Lawsuit Against Company That Built His New Vet Clinic

SHOREWOOD, IL — Just four months after opening the new building for his Rusty Ridge Animal Center in Shorewood along Route 52 near the Village Town Center, Dr. Joe Chow has retained a Chicago law firm to file a civil lawsuit against Apex Design Build on West Higgins Road in Rosemont.

According to last week's filing at the Will County Courthouse, the plaintiff, Hometown Veterinary Group, owns nine acres along Route 52 and Wynstone Boulevard in Shorewood and Five Three Ranch owns the building on the property. Dr. Joe Chow is the sole member and manager of both entities, the lawsuit advised.

Rusty Ridge Animal Center rents the building on the property and operates the veterinary clinic on the site that is also owned and managed solely by Dr. Chow, a licensed veterinarian.

Back on Nov. 25, 2024, Dr. Chow's corporations entered into a contract with Apex to furnish both the design and construction of the animal center in Shorewood. The plaintiffs agreed to pay Apex nearly $4.8 million for its services. The plaintiffs financed the transaction through a loan, the court documents reflect.

Construction was set to begin in early 2025; "however, issues with Apex completing its obligations under the agreement began early in the project and have persisted throughout," the lawsuit noted.

Around June 8, 2025, Apex notified Dr. Chow it could not install an MRI unit because the unit did not meet the specifications for the installation space, the court files reflect.

Also, during a June 1 site work, "Dr. Chow raised concerns regarding the quality of the concrete curbing that was poured around the property. It was later discovered that the concrete work was completed by a landscaping company, not a qualified concrete contractor," the lawsuit pointed out.

Then, in July, the plaintiffs revealed that they discovered that Apex "improperly installed F-11 fiberglass ... despite the agreement requiring Rockwool soundproofing installation. From September to October 2025, the project broke down further with Apex failing to complete, among other things, grading at the property ... plaintiffs were forced to hire outside contractors to complete the kennels, install cabinetry and move and install the Midmark cages, all of which Apex stated was not part of its scope of work, leaving plaintiffs in a difficult position," the civil lawsuit outlined.

In October, the lawsuit plaintiffs learned that "Apex's design contained errors that prevented the installation of a commercial laundry unit and resulted in the water treadmill and therapy room being approximately 45 square feet smaller than the minimum required size, despite plaintiffs having provided Apex with exact specifications in advance," the court documents state. "From November to December 2025, Apex rushed completion of the remaining tasks in an effort to complete the project. In doing so, Apex left numerous incomplete or defective items leading plaintiffs to seek quotes and evaluations from independent contractors for required repairs ... To date, the majority of the items on the list have not been remedied."

Rusty Ridge Animal Center's lawsuit against the Rosemont-based construction company also noted that "portions of the project were not getting adequate heat. The cause is believed to be excessively long piping runs that were not adequately insulated or heat traced to prevent freezing."

As a result of Apex's breaches, Rusty Ridge Animal Center "cannot obtain a permanent business license from the city of Shorewood to operate the veterinary clinic because the license application was contingent upon Apex completing its obligations under the agreement. Thus far, plaintiffs have spent innumerable hours attempting to work with Apex to complete the outstanding blue tape checklist items," the lawsuit declared.

The lawsuit accuses Apex of breach of contract and asks Will County's judges to award the plaintiffs damages plus attorney's fees and court costs and "such other relief as the court may deem proper." The lawsuit was filed by Chicago attorneys Kristine Argentine and Meredith Wickenheiser of Seyfarth Shaw LLP of South Wacker Drive.