Robert P. Dean Jr., FAIA and Robert A. Epstein

Robert (Rob) Paul Dean, FAIA, FCSI is widely acknowledged as one of the most experienced and knowledgeable experts on automated specification systems in the country. He has invented and developed many innovative software products that have helped thousands of architects nationwide produce accurate, up-to-date, and better coordinated construction documents more efficiently and economically than would otherwise be possible.

A devoted alumnus of Tulane, Rob graduated first in his class and later returned as an assistant professor of architecture for six years. He taught a number of technical subjects in addition to design studios, instructing students in subjects as diverse as building construction, architectural acoustics, energy conservation in buildings, mechanical and electrical equipment of buildings, and alternative energy sources, including solar energy and wind power. He also served on the Architecture Dean’s Advisory Council.

In the 1980s, Rob, a licensed architect, served as vice president at a large Atlanta-based architecture and engineering firm. There, he invented the first commercial automated specification system in the United States. The system was later transferred to the American Institute of Architects, where Rob served as director of the project until it was moved from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. in 1993.

He then joined Building Systems Design as vice president and was responsible for expanding its product line and services beyond construction cost estimating. He eventually served as chairman of the board for BSD, as well as the President and CEO until the sale of the business in 2017.

Rob was elected as a fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2014. He is also a fellow of the Construction Specifications Institute.

Rob met Robert A. (Rob) Epstein in 1983 and they have been together ever since, marrying in 2008. Together they have been on more than 60 cruises and visited over 90 countries. Rob Epstein is a native Texan who received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin and an MBA from SMU. When he moved to Atlanta in 1982, he was the top salesperson in the nation for Xerox commercial products. He subsequently moved into wireless communications and worked for several companies at the vanguard of the mobile phone industry. His career has focused on sales and marketing, and in 2010 he assumed the role of Sales and Marketing Director at Building Systems Design, where he stayed until his retirement in 2017.

Rob Dean attended Tulane on a scholarship. He and Rob established charitable remainder trusts to support student scholarships at the School of Architecture in gratitude for the education Rob Dean received from Tulane.