Spring 2017
Design Fuel Celebrating Continued Growth As part of our national growth strategy we announced a merger with the North Carolina based firm, ai Design Group, last summer. By combining our talent pool and market portfolios, as well as leveraging our knowledgebase and best practices, we are becoming stronger, together. Now with a physical office in Charlotte, North Carolina, Progressive AE is not only actively building new relationships but also serving existing clients in new geographic regions.
How does this bring you value?
And, our momentum for national growth continues to build. Progressive AE recently joined ONE Global Design – a network of entrepreneurial owner-led design firms in the United States, Mexico and Canada. We all own our firms and are dedicated to high design, quality and client service.
ONE Global Design by the numbers:
Many of our clients are growing, just like us, and we are ready to accompany you on your journey. Yes, Progressive AE is already licensed and actively doing work in 48 states, but there is comfort in having local design offices situated throughout the nation. ONE Global Design’s network lets you continue working with a single point of contact, Progressive AE, and in-turn we can leverage a local design partner who understands the community nuances where your project and people are located.
Established in 2010 $100+million in revenue 18 cities
500+ professionals 3 countries 1 solution to serve your needs
For more information, visit oneglobaldesign.com.
Governor’s Fitness Award Recipient At Cobo Hall in Detroit this past April, Progressive AE was thrilled to win the Governor’s Fitness Award for “Healthy Workplace” in the large organization category. Each year, the Governor’s Fitness Awards honor individuals and organizations from across Michigan for their commitment to healthy lifestyles.
The award was presented by J.J. Tighe, President of the Michigan Fitness Foundation (Left). Magda Smolenska, Senior Architect, and Jeff Green, Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician, accepted the award on behalf of Progressive AE.
We believe wellness opportunities can play a large role in the success and happiness of our employees. Progressive AE’s workplace wellness program includes individual and group on-site health coaching, on-site fitness classes including yoga, live recipe demonstrations and tastings, on-site health screenings, fitness center, monthly meditation sessions and company-wide fitness challenges.
MEET Theresa Petko Theresa Petko joins Progressive AE as the Managing Principal of the Grand Rapids office. Theresa will oversee day-to-day operations and ensure quality among various disciplines. We sat down with her to discuss her new role and career in the industry. Where were you working before and why did you decide to join Progressive AE? Prior to joining Progressive AE, I worked at AECOM (formerly URS) for nearly 17 years. When I started in 2000, I was hired as a project manager with the responsibility for completing the US-31 Bypass Environmental Impact Statement. Four months later I was promoted to Transportation Department Manager and moved ahead with building a Michiganbased transportation business for URS The team grew and included work designing roads, bridges, traffic signs and signals, as well as transit and transportation planning. With the purchase of URS by AECOM in 2014, I shifted to become the Transportation Business Line Leader for the eastern Midwest area, and then later for the central Midwest. I am very familiar with Progressive AE, as my husband worked here for 20 years. But, why I joined the company has a lot to do with the timing of my career goals and the long-term goals for Progressive AE. My experience working across states, growing a business, and other management and operations activities will allow me to manage the day-to-day in Grand Rapids, to free up time for senior leadership to focus on moving the company forward. You’ve spent most of your career in surface transportation. Can you explain a little about what that means and what you enjoyed about it? Having a career in transportation means you can annoy and embarrass your family by giving directions for the optimum route, but also be the life of the party while sharing all you know about a thing that affects everyone’s lives. I enjoyed planning for new or improved roads and bridges, managing traffic and improving safety, to seeing and experiencing built projects. As the Managing Principal of Progressive AE’s Grand Rapids’ office, what will your priorities be?
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Progressive AE’s model for success is embedded in inspiring innovation, being a thought leader, and building talented professionals To move forward, I need to develop an understanding of the culture and get to know the people and projects. The architectural side of the business is less familiar to me, so I will work with the team to better understand workflow, projects and clients. Brad Thomas and I will also be working closely to assure a smooth transition of day-to-day management.
What are you most looking forward to in the new position? My primary passion is working with people and helping them develop professionally and achieve their career goals. Stepping into this position feeds my passion for contributing to the growth of Progressive AE through the talented employees here. I also enjoy the strategic aspect of business development like creating the best team to meet and exceed client goals. I look forward to advancing the company by building and improving on client satisfaction and project delivery through Performancebased Design. Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun? With my husband, Bob’s, recent retirement from Progressive AE, and two adult children, we hope to travel more. I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, skiing, running, tennis and even attempts at golfing with friends and clients. Over the last seven years I have hiked in six different National Parks. As a member of the URS Running Team for 15 years, Progressive AE was always our nemesis. I just hope one of my former teammates doesn’t trip me when I run with Progressive AE in the Reed’s Lake Run in June.
FROM THE BLOG Transforming Spaces for Advanced Manufacturing Education By Ned Baxter, AIA
“Advanced manufacturers are looking for a modern workforce that can transition between the manufacturing floor and the design studio, collaborating with technicians, designers, and clients. This flexibility is crucial for today’s competitive workplace, and these are the skills that today’s learning environments and innovative programs will teach.” To read the full article, visit our blog at progressiveae.com/strategic-insights/
PROJECT PROFILE: Brightmoor Christian Church Brightmoor Christian Church celebrated the opening of their newly expanded church this past February. The new space greatly expands the existing building with a new, state-of-the-art worship center, central hub with specialty café, and staff offices. Existing space was then converted and renovated into new youth and kids space. The worship center grew from 800 traditional seats to a soaring 2,100 stadium-style seats. This increase has already helped Brightmoor significantly cut down the number of services they need to offer each week. The center’s 1,800-square-foot stage is equipped with modern systems needed for Brightmoor’s interactive and media-driven services. Visibility from the nearby highway was a key driver to the project’s design. Previously, the non-descript building meant its identity was nearly hidden to those passing by. To help give it an identifying marker, a 60-foot steel cross was added at the main entrance. With new floor-to-ceiling glass windows along the front, church activity is now visible to the public and helps invite visitors into the life of the church. The ability to promote a sense of community was very important to Brightmoor. The new hub is central to this change. Not only is it used on Sunday’s for socializing between services, it has become a hangout destination for members and visitors throughout the week. The café, which serves specialty coffees and small food items, has become a favorite stop for members and an exciting surprise for visitors each Sunday.
On The Boards Here’s a sneak peek at some of the projects our teams are working on right now:
Grand Haven Amphitheatre
RedStone Retail Center
Cornerstone Science Building
We’re currently working with the city
RedStone is an open-air retail
This brand new state-of-the-art science
of Grand Haven to reimagine their
complex anchored by a 14-screen
facility will work to fulfill Cornerstone
waterfront stadium. The new area will
cineplex in Indian Town, South
University’s goals of maintaining their
include tiered grass seating, volleyball
Carolina. The center will include
Christ-focused mission while better
surface, seasonal ice rink, band shell,
spaces for a variety of retailers as
preparing students for future careers
fire pits, concession stand and more.
well as a large green area for outdoor
and enhancing the quality of their
concerts and farmer’s markets.
STEM program.
Other Noteable Projects: ROL ERGO North America Headquarters, Covenant House of Grand Rapids, WMU Kohrman Hall, Twisthink Innovation Hub
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1811 4 Mile Road NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525 phone 616.361.2664 progressiveae.com
Manufacturing Leaders Gain Insights at “Pivot Point” Event In our Industrial practice, we work with people and organizations who are key to local and national manufacturing – whether they own a business, or supply professional services and expertise. On March 15 at the Downtown Market in Grand Rapids, we hosted “PivotPoint: Breakaway Thinking for Advancing Manufacturing,” an event that brought these different worlds together with the goal of delivering real, strategic, and above all practical advice and strategies to manufacturers in the area. We were incredibly lucky to have a talented and knowledgeable group of experts interested in joining us as presenters. In total, attendees heard from seven professionals and leaders whose job is to help manufacturers work better – whether that’s in the realm of financing, talent attraction and retention, production, succession planning or design. The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring all our experts.
CONNECT WITH US! Our website, blog and social media channels are full of great information regarding projects and general insight about the industry. We’d love to connect with you and hear your thoughts!
Progressiveae.com
St. Mary Magdalen Church Wins National Award In July of 2012, St. Mary Magdalen Church in Kentwood, MI, was lost to a devastating fire. Church leadership and parishioners worked with Progressive AE’s worship team on a two-year campaign to design a new church building. The result is a brand-new space developed to focus on the spiritual journey and serve as a beacon of welcome to the surrounding community. The new church was honored with a national Solomon Award for Best Church Building Design. The Solomon Awards are well-known and respected honors in the church market. Winners are determined by a panel of editors from Worship Facilities Magazine, Church Production Magazine, and members of the WFX Advisory Board and management team. We offer congratulations to our clients for their committment to this beautiful new facility!