A Half-Century Milestone for Kane County's Hamid Ahmed
At 83 years old, Hamid Ahmed remains an active member of his community, plays tennis twice a week, and reports to work each day at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva. His career at Kane County is historic—as of January 2025, Ahmed has been an employee of the Kane County Development Department for 50 years, making him the first full-time employee to reach this milestone.
When he first took the job, Gerald Ford was in the White House, Jaws was about to become the first-ever summer blockbuster, and Microsoft had just been founded. 
But Ahmed's journey began years earlier, when he was a newlywed and a graduate of Bombay University in India with a degree in architecture and interior design. He was on track to make a name for himself in the business world when family members in the U.S. encouraged him to join them. Soon, Ahmed, his wife, and their newborn child were on their way to America.
After settling in Batavia, the couple purchased a home, and Ahmed began working as an architectural assistant with various architects and builders in the Kane County area. His reputation as a skilled problem solver quickly grew, making him a sought-after professional. He fondly recalls that at the time, a gallon of gas cost just 42 cents.
Ahmed's career took a significant step forward when he was asked to design a rose window for a church in Aurora. From there, he went on to design family homes, commercial buildings, the gazebo near the Batavia Depot, and a structure at the Batavia Quarry.
In 1975, Ahmed interviewed for a position with the Kane County Development Department, back when its offices were spread across the Courthouse area on Third Street in Geneva. One of his early responsibilities was designing plans to repurpose the Sacred Heart Seminary in Geneva, which had recently been purchased by Kane County as the future and current home of the Kane County Government Center. His work included designing the fourth floor—where his office remains to this day.
As Kane County grew, so did the Development Department, and Ahmed took on more responsibilities. He joined the planning section, manually drafting blueprints and maps for emerging subdivisions, existing farms, boundary changes, and zoning adjustments.
“At the time, the County purchased Ford Pintos for employees to travel from site to site—can you imagine?" Ahmed recalls with a laugh.
Throughout his career, Ahmed stayed ahead of technological advancements, continuously updating his skills and earning certifications in new architectural techniques.
In the 1980s, Ahmed's office moved to the dissolved village of Valley View, where he was tasked with helping homeowners assess their properties for rehabilitation opportunities as the county worked to shore up water resources, septic systems, and landscapes to prevent displacement and improve conditions for residents in the area. He would later become a key figure in determining the fate of dangerous or abandoned properties throughout the county.
He also played a role in the 1970s as part of the team that worked to create what is now the Great Western Trail. Ahmed used his skills to map out the existing prairie path along an abandoned railroad through Kane County, from DuPage County to the east all the way to the western border of the county. He remembers laying out the design on paper, stretching the plans the full length of the fourth floor of Building A—where his office remains today. Additionally, he assisted in the county's permitting efforts during the emergence of cable TV as the first cable TV franchises were signed. What is now done by GIS and computer technology was once done by hand with pencil and paper, manual measurements, and multiple site visits.
Another of Ahmed's contributions was assisting in the continued implementation of the 1960s addressing system for unincorporated areas. Using Chicago's State Street and Madison Avenue as reference points, addresses were assigned from north, south, east, and west through what was called a “fire number" to help identify property locations. For example, an address like 40W334 signified a location 40 miles west of Chicago, with additional digits to pinpoint the exact property. This system allowed residents to receive mail directly at home rather than relying on P.O. boxes or a rural route address. Ahmed still has a hand in assigning addresses for unincorporated areas of the county where new subdivisions are developed.
Over the past 50 years, Ahmed and his wife, who also works for Kane County, expanded their family, raising three daughters in Batavia. Their daughters have gone on to achieve remarkable success—from a bestselling author to a writer and esteemed educator. Today, the couple enjoys time with their four grandchildren.
Beyond his professional achievements, Ahmed has remained dedicated to his faith and community. Seeing a growing need for a place of worship as more Muslims moved to the suburbs, he helped establish a mosque in Batavia, creating a spiritual home for many in the region.
As for retirement? “That's up to my wife," Ahmed says with a smile.
