I have reached a pretty significant milestone in my career…. I have 30 years of experience in architecture.
I began working at 18, two days after graduating high school in 1987, as a draftsman at design/build general contractor firm The Bick Group. I had the pleasure of working with architects and engineers while producing plans for all aspects of building, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire protection. The wealth of experience I gained in seven years there still serves me today, and I left as a Project Manager.
I joined Gray Design Group in 1994 as an Assistant Project Manager, taking a small step back to prove my value at a renowned firm in St. Louis. After six months, I was asked to relocate to Denver to help open a branch office. We grew the Colorado operation to two locations and 38 employees before the dot com bust and 9/11 knocked us out.
In 2002, I joined up with MCG Architecture as a Project Director/Architect. In 2006 at 37 years old, I took over as Managing Principal of the Denver office with 28 employees. Unfortunately, the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009 saw the retail development market come to a complete stop, and we suffered as a result. MCG was the dominant firm in the Front Range for retail design and architecture for many years.
In 2009, we architects had plenty of time to reflect since we had so little work. I realized after 20-odd years of working for larger firms that client relationships held more key to success than anything else in architecture. I decided that in order to best be in touch with my clients and their projects, I needed to break away from the corporate architect world and venture out on my own….launching David P Goode Architecture.
Why not a modern name like “3.14 Collaboration Studio” or the “Genius Loci Collective”? Two things: name recognition, and more importantly, personal connection. Having worked in Denver for so long, there is familiarity in my name. But to me, the decider was the personal connection I try to make with my clients and their projects. You hire me, you get me… not a junior architect that needs to fill his timesheet. Yes, there are folks in the background getting work done… but, I will answer the phone and show up at your meetings.
You get an Architect with over 30 years experience in projects ranging from restaurants, small offices and warehouses, to major data centers, office buildings, big box stores, and major shopping center developments…. and pretty much everything in between. You get an Architect that has a true interest in your project and how best to make it successful.
30 years…