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
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
| Jun 9, 2014
10 projects named 2014 AIA Small Project Award winners
Yale's funky new Ground café and a pavilion made from 53,780 recycled plastic bottles are among the nation's best new small projects.
| Jun 9, 2014
Eli Broad museum files $19.8 million lawsuit over delays
The museum, meant to hold Eli and Edythe Borad's collection of contemporary art, is suing the German company Seele for what the museum describes as delays in the creation of building blocks for its façade.
| Jun 8, 2014
What’s the word of the day? It’s all about ‘resiliency’
Just for the sake of argument, let’s put aside the rhetoric about climate change—whether it’s actually happening, whether it’s a result of manmade activity—and agree that we are experiencing some pretty dramatic weather events that are having huge impacts on populations here in the U.S. and worldwide.
Smart Buildings | Jun 8, 2014
Big Data: How one city took control of its facility assets with data
Over the past few years, Buffalo has developed a cutting-edge facility management program to ensure it's utilizing its facilities and operations as efficiently, effectively, and sustainably as possible.
| Jun 6, 2014
Must see: Can a floating city offset urban population growth in China?
AT Design Office has proposed a design for a floating city to offset increasing urban populations in China. To create the new city, a 10-square kilometer island would be made out of prefab blocks.
| Jun 6, 2014
KPF, Kevin Roche unveil design for 51-story Hudson Yards tower in NYC [slideshow]
Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group are teaming to develop Fifty Five Hudson Yards, the latest addition to the commercial office tower collection in the 28-acre Hudson Yards development—the largest private real estate development in the history of the U.S.
| Jun 5, 2014
International Parking Institute names best new parking structures
Winners include garages that are architectural delights, an airport's canopied parking atrium, and an environmentally friendly garage under America's oldest park.
| Jun 4, 2014
Emerging trends in healthcare development: neighborhood care, mixed-use models on the rise
In urban and even suburban markets, real estate is about the "live, work, play," with close proximity to mass transit and other amenities, like retail stores. Healthcare organizations are following suit.
| Jun 4, 2014
Want to design a Guggenheim? Foundation launches open competition for proposed Helsinki museum
This is the first time the Guggenheim Foundation has sought a design through an open competition. Anonymous submissions for stage one of the competition are due September 10, 2014.