>>> meet the designers behind projects featured in this issue
David Pfeifer, AIA
Anderson Mason Dale
Architect David Pfeifer did what a lot of young people do at the start of their careers: take a risk, pack up and move to another city. "It was 1994 and I had an older brother in Denver," recalls the University of Cincinnati graduate. "I loaded up my stuff and headed to Denver. I didn't have a job, but I had a voicemail on my answering machine from Anderson Mason Dale to come on in for an interview." Pfeifer took the job, despite the fact that, he says with a laugh, "they made me the lowest offer of any job offer I'd had." He liked the quality and character of the architectural firm's work. "We focus on the public sector, with a strong commitment to work on buildings that we as a society share, such as schools, judicial projects and healthcare." Fast-forward 13 years, and Pfeifer is now a principal with the firm and spearheaded the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, featured in this issue. And, yes, he's had several raises since his hiring.
Claire Ownby, Allied Member ASID
Ownby Design
Many of us might have entertained a career fantasy or two about working in Hawaii — making a living in the shade of a coconut palm. Interior designer Claire Ownby has actually made it happen, dividing her work between offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Kona, Hawaii. "My husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii," explains the Arizona State University graduate. "Just out of curiosity, I flipped through the Yellow Pages to see how many interior designers there were on the Big Island, and I saw just three names." Sensing an opportunity, Ownby spent two years researching the market, building styles and climate, reaching out to builders and architects there. "It's a totally different design language there," she says. "I did my first Hawaiian project in 2004, and I've now done 10 homes there." Ownby spends about a week out of every month in Hawaii, and the rest of the time in Arizona, where she also specializes in custom residential work. A Maui vacation home done by Ownby and her associate, project designer Lindsey Schultz, Allied Member ASID, is this issue's "Residential Walk-Through."
Jeremy Lear
Evolution Design
A spring-break trek to Arizona while he was studying architecture at Ohio University gave Jeremy Lear the idea to relocate to a state where both sunshine and job opportunities were plentiful. After a year at Goodman's, a Phoenix contract furniture company, he made the leap to Evolution Design, a Tempe, Arizona commercial interiors firm founded by Roberta Thomas. "Roberta is a great mentor," says Lear, "and I liked that the firm is relatively small, so we're hands-on in all the projects." Lear's star has risen at the firm; he's gone from being hired as an intern to being named a principal. "I like the diversity of our projects," he says. "We do everything from restaurants to 145,000-square-foot corporate headquarters for Fortune 500 companies." Lear's work on one of those projects, Kronos Optimal Health Centre in Phoenix, is featured in this issue.
Architect David Pfeifer did what a lot of young people do at the start of their careers: take a risk, pack up and move to another city. "It was 1994 and I had an older brother in Denver," recalls the University of Cincinnati graduate. "I loaded up my stuff and headed to Denver. I didn't have a job, but I had a voicemail on my answering machine from Anderson Mason Dale to come on in for an interview." Pfeifer took the job, despite the fact that, he says with a laugh, "they made me the lowest offer of any job offer I'd had." He liked the quality and character of the architectural firm's work. "We focus on the public sector, with a strong commitment to work on buildings that we as a society share, such as schools, judicial projects and healthcare." Fast-forward 13 years, and Pfeifer is now a principal with the firm and spearheaded the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, featured in this issue. And, yes, he's had several raises since his hiring.
Many of us might have entertained a career fantasy or two about working in Hawaii — making a living in the shade of a coconut palm. Interior designer Claire Ownby has actually made it happen, dividing her work between offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Kona, Hawaii. "My husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii," explains the Arizona State University graduate. "Just out of curiosity, I flipped through the Yellow Pages to see how many interior designers there were on the Big Island, and I saw just three names." Sensing an opportunity, Ownby spent two years researching the market, building styles and climate, reaching out to builders and architects there. "It's a totally different design language there," she says. "I did my first Hawaiian project in 2004, and I've now done 10 homes there." Ownby spends about a week out of every month in Hawaii, and the rest of the time in Arizona, where she also specializes in custom residential work. A Maui vacation home done by Ownby and her associate, project designer Lindsey Schultz, Allied Member ASID, is this issue's "Residential Walk-Through."
A spring-break trek to Arizona while he was studying architecture at Ohio University gave Jeremy Lear the idea to relocate to a state where both sunshine and job opportunities were plentiful. After a year at Goodman's, a Phoenix contract furniture company, he made the leap to Evolution Design, a Tempe, Arizona commercial interiors firm founded by Roberta Thomas. "Roberta is a great mentor," says Lear, "and I liked that the firm is relatively small, so we're hands-on in all the projects." Lear's star has risen at the firm; he's gone from being hired as an intern to being named a principal. "I like the diversity of our projects," he says. "We do everything from restaurants to 145,000-square-foot corporate headquarters for Fortune 500 companies." Lear's work on one of those projects, Kronos Optimal Health Centre in Phoenix, is featured in this issue.