Tag Archive for: leadership

Agriculture’s Leading Lady: A Conversation with Cindy Hoye

A visionary leader and the executive director of the Indiana State Fair Commission, Cindy Hoye has left a mark on the cultural landscape of Indiana. For three weeks every summer, she assumes the mantle of the unofficial mayor of one of the most captivating towns in Indiana, presiding over the annual Indiana State Fair—a vibrant […]

Steven K. Alspaugh Elevated to AIA’s College of Fellows

Associate Steven K. Alspaugh, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C® has been elevated to the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) College of Fellows for his efforts toward making the profession a part of an ever-increasing service to society. AIA Fellows receive this esteemed membership honor for their exceptional work and contributions to the profession of architecture and […]

7 Common Traits of Leaders

I was fortunate enough to attend an event recently in which Pat Williams, Senior Vice President of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, keynoted. I’ve listened to a lot of speakers in my career, and I was impressed with Pat. He has researched key leaders through history: Jesus to Mother Theresa to Winston Churchill to George Washington […]

2017 AIA Conference on Architecture

Each year architects from our office attend the National AIA conference. They hear best practices in the industry, network, visits projects, and come back invigorated. Here’s what this years Schmidt Associates attendees took away! Sarah Hempstead, AIA, LEED AP  “Michelle Obama talked about how it is our role as architects to make sure youth are […]

Brighter Today, Better Tomorrow

This time of year—when color, light, and warmth have faded from the natural world—is the perfect time for us to create our own. And we do! We know the antidote to spirits grown worn and weary. If it momentarily escapes us, we soon rediscover it in the eyes of a child or someone in love. […]

A Way that Works

Originally we were an autocracy—just one man establishing an architectural business. That worked awhile. As the business idea became reality and the firm grew, additional human capital was necessary. Each unit of human potential joining our ranks came with hands, mind, and ideas of their own—a good thing since there was much to do and […]

In Search of Self

Services that trace genealogy or determine one’s ethnicity through DNA are just the latest version of mankind’s enduring quest to know self in larger-than-self context. These are exercises in identification—that transformative step beyond relationship. We each sense that we are more than the singularity who stares back from the mirror. So we look here, there, […]

About Turning 40

Turning forty for a business is different than it is for a person. For one thing, there are no teasing implications that “it’s downhill from here”. More the contrary—if a company weathers all the challenges it will encounter over that length of time, it is probably proving itself multi-generational. That takes us into the province […]

Trusting

These past few months while we were considering the five pillars of trust necessary to lead a team of jet pilots through tight aerobatic routines and how those criteria apply to leadership at large, the nation has been having a larger discussion about leadership. Many citizens do value character, commitment, competence, connection, and communication. They […]

Mixed-Use Development Challenges

Mixed-use development combines two or more uses; residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or industrial into an integrated structure or area. This can be a single building, a conglomeration of several buildings, or sometimes an entire neighborhood or development area. Blending together restaurants, boutiques, and apartments can bring a lot of life to a city corner while […]