Oct 08 and Dec 08 Spotlights

December Member Spotlight

Name

Matthew Kragh, AIA

Education
I earned my bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University and my master’s from Illinois Institute of Technology.

Tell us about your firm.
PKStudios is in the heart of Naples. Our practice is comprised of cohesive design studios, which include the disciplines of architecture, planning, landscape architecture and interior design.

What is your specialty practice area?
My particular specialty would involve the mixture of planning and architecture to produce a hybrid design approach to most projects. Although I have a nice portfolio of single family residential, multi-family residential, commercial/office and retail, but my main area of expertise has been mixed-use developments.

What or who inspired you to become an architect?
My great grandmother paid for me to have art lessons as a child. I would have to give her credit because she helped develop my inner artistic skills. Graduate school in architecture seemed to be a breeze for me with my art background.

What are the most urgent issues facing the profession currently?
I think the economy. I got to know a great deal of my peers when I was recently the president of AIA Florida Southwest. I think most local architects and architectural firms have a business plan in 2009 to make it to 2010.

What projects are you currently working on?
We have a number of planning projects on the board. We are also currently working on a 250-unit, multi-family resort community in Naples. We’re extremely excited because we feel this work product will be something completely unique to the area. We’re also working on some smaller, interesting projects such as the City of Naples Underpass Art Gallery.

What keeps you motivated in this field?
Most of my clients end up becoming close personal friends. My weekends usually get me out on the golf course with them or 100 feet below spear-fishing offshore. They pay us good money to improve their livelihood and their success usually becomes my success. This gets me out of bed early each day.

Give us a fun fact about yourself.
I donated a kidney four years ago. When you are born, you have 100 percent kidney capacity but when they take out a kidney, the capacity automatically drops to 50 percent. After a short while, your remaining kidney realizes it needs to pick up the slack and grows to one and a half times its size and gets you back to about 85 percent. I am pretty sure my bodily organ re-alignment has improved my golf swing, reduced my hook by 35 percent and improved my handicap by four strokes.

What is your favorite food and your favorite place to vacation?
I know this is bad, but - Taco Bell.

Now that I’ve been living in Florida for the past 12 years, I love to get away and go snow skiing. My favorite place is Banff Springs, Canada. Anything else just seems like a typical weekend away from the office.

Do you do any volunteer work?
My wife and I operate a non-profit, charitable organization called the Beacon of Hope Foundation. Our goal is to utilize the resources and funds of people and corporations that have the heart to reach those living beyond the borders of America. We provide items such as food; clothing; medical supplies; furniture and school supplies to orphanages, schools and missionaries around the world. CLICK HERE to learn more about Beacon of Hope.

Words to live by?
I have two phrases to live by: Never argue with an idiot—the people watching might not know the difference; and a weekend trip to Haiti can cure any misfortune you think you may possess.

October Member Spotlight

Name

James H. Robison, Assoc. AIA

Education
I earned an associate’s degree in architecture from Butler County Community College (Pennsylvania) in 1969

Tell us about your firm.
SchenkelShultz has 11 offices located in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana; Raleigh, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers and Naples, Florida. We are headquartered in Sarasota, which is the office I work in, and we specialize in aviation, education, justice and commercial markets.

I started with SchenkelShultz September 2003. Prior to that, I was with Barger + Dean, Architects, Inc. (mow BMK Architects) in Sarasota for about 15 years.

What is your specialty practice area?
I specialize in educational, commercial and government projects. I’m currently working on projects for the Sarasota North county Technical Center, the Venice Airport Sheriff’s Hangar and the Scanlon Lexus of Fort Myers.

What or who inspired you to become an architect?
It started as a love for drafting and evolved from there. Experiencing projects from conceptual design to seeing the joy in the faces of the clients and users on opening day is what keeps me motivated.

What are the most urgent issues facing the profession currently?
The rising costs of building materials and labor, and educating owners and construction managers on the importance of incorporating “sustainable design.”

What words do you live by?
They come from an excerpt in the SchenkelShultz 50th Anniversary Book, which I believe says it for me: “Hard work, honesty, excellence, professionalism, family and charity.”

What do you do for fun?
Fun for me is spending time with my family. I am married with three adult daughters, three son-in-laws and six grandchildren.

What is your favorite food and favorite place to vacation?
Steak and French Fries. Anywhere in Florida is a good vacation spot.