BD+C catches up with two past 40 Under 40 honorees: a designer who credits trapeze work with boosting her confidence, and a security expert who also knows a lot about squash.
BRET EMERSON
President and Owner
Commtech Design, Rockford, Mich.
Class of 2006
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Emerson continues as owner of Commtech, which specializes in networking, security, and A/V design. Government clients who need video security and access control systems are a key market. “We are a growing company that has survived the recession well. The world wants more cameras and access control.”
Working with Michigan’s Department of Corrections to design a new video security system for all facilities statewide.
Also working on: court building for Kalamazoo County; health sciences building for Baker College, Muskegon, Mich.; new telephone system for 26 buildings operated by the Traverse City Area Public Schools.
EXTRACURRICULAR
Regular presenter on security technology design at conferences and meetings (Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan Department of Education).
Member, Plainfield (Mich.) Township Zoning Board of Appeals.
OFF THE CLOCK
Emerson is building a house, runs to stay in shape, and dabbles in farming. “I have started growing pumpkins as a hobby. It isn’t office work, and it gets me outside. It ties me back to my youth growing up on a farm.”
LORI JAMES
IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED AP ID+C
Principal
SmithGroupJJR, Detroit
Class of 2012
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Since her U40 recognition, James has been promoted to a Principal and stockholder, and elevated to lead the Interior Design group in Detroit.
Represents her site in the companywide Interior Design Discipline Committee, which develops standards and best practices. Has assumed new responsibilities with the firm’s Workplace Practice and led virtual training to teach nationwide staff about the proprietary WorkSIM database and planning tool.
Participated in a two-day Client Advisory Board hosted by the firm’s Learning Practice, attended by leaders in the nursing and allied health community.
EXTRACURRICULAR
Selected for the Urban Land Institute-Michigan’s Larson Center for Leadership, an eight-month program covering land use and economic, governmental, and infrastructure issues.
Mentors interior design students at Wayne State and Michigan State universities.
Leads the firm’s local involvement in Herman Miller’s annual holiday WeCare event, benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Committee member, DIFFA Dining by Design auction and gala supporting the Michigan AIDS Coalition.
OFF THE CLOCK
James has recently taken up aerial yoga. “There is something incredibly exhilarating about suspending yourself in a fabric trapeze. It is physically and mentally challenging. You have to trust in your personal strength and flexibility, as well as the trapeze.”
LAST CHANCE! SIGN UP FOR THIS YEAR'S U40 LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Related Stories
| Aug 14, 2014
Life cycle cost analysis using energy modeling
A life cycle cost analysis helps a school district decide which HVAC system to use in $198 million worth of future building projects.
| Aug 14, 2014
Museum of Mayan Culture draws inspiration from temple design [slideshow]
The Museo Maya de América in Guatemala City will be the world’s largest museum of Mayan history and culture, at 60,000 sf.
| Aug 14, 2014
How workplace design can empower employees, businesses
Focusing on recent work at Follett and Zurich, CannonDesign’ Meg Osman reveals the power of research, strategy, change management, and measurement to transform businesses for the better.
| Aug 13, 2014
Campus UX: Why universities should be creating 'branded environments' on campus
When most colleges and universities consider their brands, they rarely venture beyond the design and implementation of a logo, writes Gensler Design Director Brian Brindisi.
| Aug 12, 2014
Vietnam's 'dragonfly in the sky' will be covered in trees, vegetation
Designed by Vietnamese design firm Vo Trong Nghia Architects, the building will be made up of stacked concrete blocks placed slightly askew to create a soft, organic form that the architects say is reminiscent of a dragonfly in the sky.
| Aug 12, 2014
Design firms invited to submit qualifications for St. Petersburg, Fla., waterfront project
The city of St. Petersburg, Fla., invites firms to submit their ideas for a new and improved pier for Florida's fifth largest city.
| Aug 11, 2014
Air Terminal Sector Giants: Morphing TSA procedures shape terminal design [2014 Giants 300 Report]
The recent evolution of airport terminals has been prompted largely by different patterns of passenger behavior in a post-9/11 world, according to BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 11, 2014
Will Alsop's funky 'high-rise on stilts' will be built over an apartment building in London
South London's riverfront will soon be graced by one of Will Alsop's eccentric designs: a curved apartment tower on purple stilts.
| Aug 11, 2014
New guide for prevention of thermal bridging in commercial buildings
The guide aims to overcome obstacles with respect to mitigating thermal bridging to reduce energy consumption in buildings.
| Aug 8, 2014
Government Sector Giants: Public-sector construction slow, but stirring [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Improving energy performance of existing properties through targeted upgrades and large-scale reconstruction continues to be a federal priority, according to BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 Report.