Kirk is a planner.

By that, we don’t mean he keeps a clean calendar. We mean he’s got binders, color-coded systems, and 14 pages of goals, both personal and professional. Lucky for us and our clients, Kirk shares his planning skills with all of us. He quotes his proudest accomplishment in his 28 years at Hollis + Miller as honing our focus on learning environments.

Kirk has a passion to bring positive, measurable change to the families and communities he serves, both personally and professionally. This huge heart for family is what makes Kirk so successful. Even his wife, Kelly, and the three Horner children, all grown now, are familiar faces around the office. As an Eagle Scout, Kirk loves all things outdoors. This love has led to a dream to one day hike the Appalachian Trail. He says his ideal day starts with fishing on the lake behind his house.

John takes everything in stride.

No matter the situation, John is sure to stay calm, cool and collected. He’s been around the block a few times since his internship with Hollis + Miller Architects in 1983. He says he was blessed to be invited back after graduation, and we feel pretty blessed to have him here, too. These days, John’s our numbers guy – keeping our books in order and us all in line.

John’s roots run deep in Kansas City, with all his family being Kansas City natives. He and his wife, Patty, recently celebrated 30 years of marriage. Though they share a lot together, you won’t find Patty in the Southards’ garden. That’s Johnny’s baby. Their two sons are both in college – one after finishing a four-year tour with the Marines. John says his life is rich because of the people in it and the experiences he shares with them.

Chris’s philosophy is simple: Make work as comfortable as home.

On any given day, his office door is open, music streaming, and he’s sure to have a Diet Coke in hand. Chris says working at Hollis + Miller is always fun because of the educators and students he gets to work with. He inspires us all to be as passionate about our projects as they are. And, if you’re headed to Denver, you can probably snag a seat as his Southwest Companion. He’s racked up quite a few miles traveling between our Kansas City and Castle Rock, Colorado offices.

At home, Chris and his wife, Laura, are a team keeping up with their three, yes three, teenagers. As busy parents, they escape to the golf course when they can for a little break from their bustling home. Chris’s passion designing learning environments must spill over to home because his daughter is also considering architecture. So, we may just see another Heinz around the office someday.

It started when he was a kid.

John stayed up until the wee hours of the morning working on his Lego models as a child, and his parents let him. If that doesn’t make them the coolest parents, we don’t know what does. It paid off – John knew early on he would be an architect. He’s known as the quiet, thoughtful guy. He’s sure to think everything through, which is what makes him perfect to lead project delivery and man power resources. John is very active in his Lee’s Summit community because he believes a community is more vibrant and alive when individuals give back. These strong Missouri ties naturally steered him toward leading our Missouri Public K-12 Education team.

At home, John and his wife, Terry, enjoy cheering on their three now grown children at their sporting events. John is an athlete himself, playing pickleball, soccer and trying to get out to the slopes to ski whenever he can.

Michelle is more than an architect.

She’s also an Accredited Learning Environment Planner. Michelle works with educational partners early in the design process, investigating topics an average architect doesn’t cover: brain development, how social and emotional support is provided to students, and opportunities to expand on unique curriculum through design. In her quiet time, Michelle leads research on educational advances and how spaces impact the way the brain learns and shares with our team.

Michelle and her husband, Ed, chase after their very busy 3-year-old daughter and try to keep up with their equally busy teenagers. She says she gets to continue her work at home, watching both ends of the educational spectrum affect her kids. If that’s not enough, she helped her parents develop and grow their living herb company, housed on her family’s former dairy farm. And let us just say, you’ve got to try their basil pesto.

Justin pulls on his boots and gets to work.

He spends a lot of time on site, up close and personal with the facilities we design. He’s never one to shy away from a challenge. Whether it’s a tricky renovation project or the construction of our new office, Justin tackles it head on, without hesitation. He employs this experience and insight as a Client Leader to be the greatest advocate and champion for our educational partners. He really does rock those cowboy boots, too.

John loves spreadsheets.

That’s how you know he’s an engineer. As Structural Engineering Director, John lives for planning, organization and, most importantly, his spreadsheets. He does, after all, lead our team that makes sure the buildings are sound – not a small task. John’s sure to always lend an ear. He’s known for his impressive tie collection and for never shying away from a good dad joke… or bad one.

Kevin is always on the move.

Whether he’s off to a design charrette, school board meeting or his daughter’s dance class, Kevin doesn’t slow down. But, he’s got a knack for giving those around him his full and undivided attention. It’s this never-ending empathy and compassion that makes him a remarkable Client Leader, putting our educational partners first and inspiring our design teams to do the same.

Greg is all about innovation.

He spent three months traveling around the country learning all he could about digital fabrication and then came back and got everyone in the office excited about it. He loves finding ways to integrate traditional methods with innovative strategies. As a Senior Project Architect in our Colorado office, Greg works with clients to find innovative solutions. He’s also got a home workshop most craftsmen would drool over.

Ryan cares about wellness.

He doesn’t just care about his own or his family’s, but rather the wellness of the students and communities we serve, as well as the world around us. So, it was fitting that he would craft sustainable design standards for the firm. As a Senior Project Architect, Ryan leads project teams to think about the health and comfort of the learners in the environments we design. If you’ve ever wanted to know about the psychology of wellness, Ryan’s also got a degree in that.

Megan is a powerhouse.

Hustling from design meeting to client meeting and back again, we’re in awe of Megan’s ability to be everywhere at once while also meeting all her deadlines. As Client leader, her discipline inspires project teams to create designs inspired by our educational partners’ vision. To unplug, she once went on a two-week yoga retreat to Italy. We guess that’s how she keeps her Zen.

Jill leads with her heart.

She brings unparalleled excitement and joy to every project. With this level of passion, Jill puts her heart and soul in to making sure those around her thrive. As Creative Director, she inspires us all to push our creativity beyond what we thought it could be. She’s never without some colored Sharpies and a roll of trace paper – oh, and don’t forget her large to-go latte.

Jenny gives back.

From leading a book drive for Kansas City-area students to serving as a volunteer with our educational partners, Jenny first thinks, “How can we help?” That’s what drew her to interior design and makes us thankful that she brings her talents and big heart to Hollis + Miller in an Interiors role, putting learner wellbeing first. We all love running into Jenny around the office. Her warm energy is just contagious.

Dennis is by the book.

We’re pretty happy about that because as our Financial Director, he keeps ours in order. For the past 25 years, Dennis has taught us all a thing or two about finance. He’s also pretty good with facts. You’ll likely find him working on the New York Times crossword puzzle in the café over lunch.

Stephanie goes all in.

She doesn’t hesitate to advocate for her clients. Channeling this same energy into mentoring her peers, she is always sure to stop and answer a question or share advice. Stephanie even once led a batting practice for some of her novice Hollis + Miller softball teammates. Though, we’re not sure if that’s more her helpful spirit or drive to win, but either way, she drove us to the championships.

Kevin is an early bird.

We mean he leaves for the office at 5 am every day. He gets more done before the sun’s up than some do all day. As our Specifications Director, he says his long, varied career in the construction industry prepared him to lead Hollis + Miller’s specifications team, not a typical department for an architecture firm. If you’re ever looking for a fly fishing partner, Kevin’s your guy. We guess that explains his love of early mornings.

Greg is an outdoorsman.

He prefers to bring his own tent to our leadership retreats, no matter the accommodations. So, we mean it when we say Greg craves to be among mountains, lakes and trees. He has dedicated the past 25 years to providing engaging environments for Hollis + Miller’s partners. We told him to plan on some visitors when he finally retires to the Vermont wilderness.

Jeff is the coach.

We don’t just say that because he coached competitive soccer for 12 years. Though, that is pretty impressive. We mean that, as a Client Leader, he coaches our team members to push their designs outside of the box. He’s also a mentor to the Kansas City architectural community as a recent past-president of AIA Kansas. We know him for having one of the coolest watch collections – maybe that’s just so he can keep us all on time.

Nicole is drawn to the details.

She brings her unique technical lens to projects. Her analytical and detail-oriented skills make Nicole the ideal Project Delivery Director, ensuring projects are delivered accurately and efficiently to our clients and construction partners. She balances this with maintaining relationships with long-standing educational partners. We’re always trying to crack the perfect joke to get her laughing because, around the office, she’s known for having the most infectious laugh.