Category: Team
Managing Partner, David Schrader: Learning by Design’s 2024 ICON In Educational Design Award Recipient
Learning by Design recently released its inaugural ICON in Education Awards honoring leaders in educational design. Rather than focusing on building projects, this award recognizes people who go “beyond the norm” in their demonstrated leadership and quest to improve educational experiences. SCHRADERGROUP’s Founder and Managing Partner, David Schrader, is one of the 2024 recipients.
The ICON Jury selected five individuals this year, all of whom exceeded their judging criteria for innovative visionaries, demonstrating their dedication to the built environment as a critical educational component. They incite change and continuously inspire new modes of learning. Above all else, the recipients believe in the betterment of mankind through education ensuring that young minds of today develop into leaders of tomorrow.
SCHRADERGROUP’s recently completed Upper Merion Area High School is a clear example of David’s influential work. The project began in earnest more than a decade ago by building relationships and trust with School District personnel, the staff, and administrators directly responsible for the day-to-day education of their students. Years of planning and preparation, working together with these educators, is what ultimately led to the new high school project.
This team envisioned a new facility equipped with the latest technology, an environment built to increase instructional opportunities and foster success. Pushing beyond traditional school configurations, cues from high-tech industry workspaces and contemporary higher-education facilities brought the district’s career-focused vision of secondary education to fruition. Its spaces are multifaceted and lend themselves to variety, creativity, student communication, and an array of collaboration styles.
Critical to the success of any educational design project is fostering the engagement of educators, administrators, the community, and, most importantly, the students throughout the planning and design processes. With David’s leadership, the firm’s output reflects thoughtful and community-centric influences, focused on the students, faculty, and staff who utilize the buildings daily. Designs incorporating a sharp awareness between people and their environment set SCHRADERGROUP apart from “the norm.” We at the firm are honored by David’s recognition and continued commitment to improving educational facility design.
Pat McFeely, Public Safety Market Segment Leader for SCHRADERGROUP, Featured in Facility Executive Magazine
The June 2024 issue of Facility Executive Magazine features an interview with Pat McFeely, SCHRADERGROUP’s Public Safety Market Segment Leader, and Steve Devon, RMF Engineering’s Sr. Project Manager. The article, Preparing for Disaster: Designing the Last Building Standing, unpacks the planning and design process behind resilient mission-critical facilities.
Mr. McFeely expounds upon the pivotal factors to consider when designing these structures: “Our job as designers is to ensure that the architecture responds to those risks while still being contextually relevant and welcoming to the community.” The designers behind these facilities must create a balance between building resilience and user ergonomics. This fine line is crucial to the efficiency of emergency responders and to the well-being of the community.
Pat also notes that “emergency services are stressful, demanding, and sometimes tragic, so everything we design is in support of the people performing that work.” Every facility SCHRADERGROUP designs positions the individuals who utilize these spaces 24/7 to be safe and comfortable. While no two emergency response facilities are the same, each one provides tailored results for the community’s needs.
To read the full interview, click here.
SCHRADERGROUP Attends Community Design Collaborative’s Leverage Event
On June 18th, Community Design Collaborative hosted its annual fundraiser Leverage at the Center for DesignPhiladelphia. Leverage highlights the crucial role of design in accelerating positive change; the tool that empowers, inspires, and makes a lasting difference throughout neighborhoods in Greater Philadelphia.
The Community Design Collaborative’s goal is to strengthen and empower local architecture, engineering, and construction firms to gain support to build projects and discover new design solutions while partnering with communities to envision the environments where they live, work, play, and thrive.
SCHRADERGROUP is proud to have been a sponsor of this event. Team members Dan Pawluczyk, Kate McKenna, Wiley Muck, and Samantha Yaros attended the evening’s activities which honored Prema Katari Gupta, CEO of Philadelphia’s Center City District and Executive Director of the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, for winning the LEVERAGE 2024 Award.
The team spent the evening listening to inspiring guest speakers, exploring recent Community Design Collaborative projects, and networking with other talented design professionals. The interactive programming of this event brought together designers, community members, community development experts, policymakers, and the media to discover new design solutions and new relationships.
SCHRADERGROUP is inspired by organizations like Community Design Collaborative and is proud to partner with and provide support to such worthy causes.
SCHRADERGROUP Announces New Office Location in State College, PA
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) recently located a new office in downtown State College, PA to support the firm’s geographic expansion. The new space enhances opportunities to cultivate partnerships, better integrate into the local community, and service projects in and around Central Pennsylvania.
David Schrader, Managing Partner, remarks, “As we continue to grow, adding another regional office provides the space for more talented professionals in the future. The new location will enhance our presence, communication capabilities, and client support in the central PA region. We are proud to host a presence in State College!”
The new office address is:
301 S Allen Street
State College, PA 16801
The SG team is excited about the opportunity to expand the team and portfolio with this new location.
SCHRADERGROUP Hires New Project Manager, Allison Mason, at Our Pittsburgh Office
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) welcomes our newest Project Manager, Allison Mason, who will service projects from our Pittsburgh office.
Allison has extensive project management experience, most notably in the K-12 and higher-ed markets. Before joining SG, Allison served as the primary K-12 Project Manager for her previous firm and helped develop their studio. Additionally, she helped lead projects to completion and made sure they were on time and within budget.
At SG, Allison’s involvement in projects will begin at the planning and development stage and continue throughout construction documentation. She will serve as the liaison between our firm, clients, and consultants, ensuring a seamless communication process. She will continue to grow both our internal team and our educational portfolio in the western half of Pennsylvania. Allison is a Pennsylvania State University graduate, a registered Architect, and an American Institute of Architects member.
Welcome, Allison! We are delighted to have you on the team and look forward to your valuable contributions to our firm’s long-term growth and success.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes Our Summer Interns!
SCHRADERGROUP warmly welcomes our annual summer interns! This year’s interns are Alissa Kinney, Shubh Savani, and Isaac Buxton. The interns will shadow our team members and assist with projects throughout the design process to gain a well-rounded sense of what a career in architecture resembles. The members of our internal Mentorship Committee will assign each intern to one major project for the summer where the interns will aid with smaller tasks throughout their time here, gaining knowledge and experience for their individual growth.
Alissa is a fourth-year student at Pennsylvania State University studying architecture with a minor in Architectural History. Alissa studied abroad at the Pantheon Institute in Rome, where she won first place in the Piranesi Prix de Roma Competition. She is an active member of the AIA Students chapter.
Shubh is in the fourth year of his program and Pennsylvania State University, pursuing a bachelor’s in architecture with minors in Economics and Art History. Shubh is an active member of his community and has been involved in various arts and architecture clubs throughout his educational career. He also studied at the Pantheon Institute in Rome and gained invaluable experience to strengthen his knowledge and appreciation for architecture.
Isaac is in his final year at Jefferson University’s College of Architecture & the Built Environment. Isaac aspires to accumulate a wealth of work experience while embracing opportunities to travel. Isaac recently embarked on a six-month internship with Olson Kundig in Seattle. Isaac gained valuable professional exposure while exploring a new city through this opportunity.
We look forward to any chance to share knowledge, experience, and community with others, and our internship program serves as the ideal opportunity to connect.
SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes Our New Public Safety Market Segment Leader, Pat McFeely!
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is delighted to welcome Pat McFeely as our new Public Safety Market Segment Leader. Pat brings over three decades of experience in the Public Safety Market. His contributions will add to our dynamic team at SG!
Pat’s expertise will expand SG’s project delivery for facilities supporting Law Enforcement, Fire/EMS, 9-1-1 and Communications, Emergency Operations and other Mission Critical agencies. His primary responsibilities will include leading, operating, and growing our Public Safety Facilities sector. His capabilities include: defining the connection between facility and technology, site selection, building and site threat assessments, infrastructure and technology requirements, and ensuring the proper incorporation of technology and audio-visual systems into facility design.
Beyond Pat’s technical role, he will continue to support communications between our team and our clients, establishing and expanding our relationships within the community. He provides clear client interface, ensuring our design team meets the needs of each client’s vision. We at SG understand the value of client satisfaction, and Pat will continue to ensure a smooth interface.
With over thirty years of experience in the industry, Pat has served as an IT Director, an IT Infrastructure Manager, and an Enterprise Client Manager. One of his greatest accomplishments was partnering with FEMA on the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP). CSEPP was one of the largest international efforts to eliminate large-scale deadly chemical weapons. As part of this effort, Pat assisted in the design and construction of multiple EOC/9-1-1 centers nationally, all of which were located within the plume range of the CSEPP facilities. These facilities were equipped with high-tech systems to provide effective communication between first responders and citizens.
SG welcomes Pat McFeely to the team! We are excited to leverage his expertise for your future Public Safety and Mission Critical projects!
SCHRADERGROUP Wishes You a Happy 2024!
In 2023, SCHRADERGROUP achieved numerous milestones, both as a group and with our clients. We’ve grown as a team, started and completed multiple projects, and become even more involved within our professional and personal communities. SCHRADERGROUP cannot succeed without the support of our friends, family, and clients, who drive us to create responsive, innovative, and sustainable projects.
SCHRADERGROUP extends our sincere gratitude to everyone for their support and partnership in 2023. We are excited about what 2024 holds, but first, we’d like to take a look back at the successes of 2023.
Check out SCHRADERGROUP’s year in review!
We’ve seen many great projects in 2023, from groundbreaking events to ribbon-cuttings! Below are a handful of the many projects we have created and contributed to this year.
Groundbreaking ceremonies are the perfect way to commemorate the first step in constructing new buildings. West Whiteland Township broke ground for its public works facility that will better serve the community. Reading School District also hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new STEM Academy. The school is designed to alleviate overcrowding and is set to open in August of 2025. Our most recent groundbreaking was for Phoenixville Area School District’s new elementary school in East Pikeland Township. The facility will house 700 students from grades 2-6, making it the first new elementary school in East Pikeland Township in decades.
Construction follows groundbreaking, and many of our projects have seen tremendous progress in 2023. Keith Valley Middle School has risen from the ground, with steel framework reaching new heights. West View Elementary School celebrated a topping-off milestone as the construction team installed the final steel beam on the school, signed by various community and faculty members. Great Valley School District also saw significant progress on its new 5/6 Center.
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies often celebrate the completion of construction projects. In March of this year, Ben Franklin Middle School opened its doors to students and faculty of the Bristol Township School District. SCHRADERGROUP attended the Franklin County 911 Communication Center’s ribbon-cutting in North Carolina to celebrate the new facility. Also in North Carolina, Chatham County held a ribbon-cutting for the new Emergency Operations Center in Pittsboro.
Hazleton Area School District honored three new construction projects: the Hazleton Area Academy, the Cyber Academy, and the Arts and Humanities Academy. These academies will provide additional opportunities for Hazleton students. The Athletic Community Center in the Governor Mifflin School District was the site of a ribbon-cutting event that many attended. While the School District of Philadelphia’s Anne Frank School addition and renovations project was technically completed in 2022 SCHRADERGROUP recently had professional photos taken, showcasing the beauty and innovation of the updates.
2023 presented many opportunities for SCHRADERGROUP to get involved in the
community. From conferences to social events, we were reminded of the driving force behind our success: clients and community. Below is a recap of some of the events we attended this past year.
SCHRADERGROUP had the opportunity to attend and present at several conferences, including the A4LE Northeast Regional Conference where we were honored to present our Upper Merion Area High School project. We presented the same project at EdSpaces in Portland, Oregon. We also had the opportunity to showcase the Community College of Philadelphia’s new Career and Technology Center at the SCUP Regional Conference held in Philadelphia.
SCHRADERGROUP attended the 2023 Summit for Educational Leaders, the PASBO
Facilities, Transportation, and Safety Conference, the PASA PSBA School Leadership Conference, the DVASBO 4-County Business Manager Conference, and the A4LE LearningSCAPES Conference. On the Public Safety side, we exhibited at the 2023 IACP Conference in San Diego, CA.
We participate in many alumni and college events, including Career Fairs. We were fortunate to send SCHRADERGROUP members to several of their alma mater career fairs to recruit new faces. We strongly believe in mentorship, so we are always eager to onboard new interns from those events.
SCHRADERGROUP has received many honors throughout the year. Learning by Design featured the Upper Merion Area High School project on the cover of the Spring 2023 issue. Learning by Design’s Fall 2023 Awards of Excellence magazine named Keith Valley Middle School an Outstanding Project.
March of Dimes awarded PennDOT’s Regional Traffic Management Center its Alternative Delivery Project of the Year for its exceptional, unified flow during the design and construction process. The project also won an award from the Associated Builders and Contractors Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter for the Excellence in Construction awards with Heim Construction. We at SCHRADERGROUP are grateful to have received this notoriety and support from the community that motivates us to keep creating highly respected projects.
Building Design + Construction also ranked their Giants 400, where SCHRADERGROUP ranked in several categories, including Top Architecture Engineering Firms. Toward the end of the year, AIA Pennsylvania recognized SCHRADERGROUP as an EPiC firm for the second year in a row, highlighting firms that strive to support emerging professionals. We sincerely thank these organizations for their recognition throughout this year.
SCHRADERGROUP has seen tremendous growth this year. We have welcomed many new faces and officially opened a larger regional office in Pittsburgh, PA. New members of the SG team include:
David Long, Project Architect
Kate McKenna, Architectural Designer
Craig Lucas, Project Architect
Colleen Deluca, Senior Interior Designer
Wiley Muck, Architectural Designer
Samantha Yaros, Architectural Designer
Sabrina Gonzalez, Interior Designer
Caitlyn Keomanyvong, Marketing Assistant
Thomas Wippenbeck, Regional Manager (Pittsburgh)
Doug Perry, Project Manager
Matt Wittemann, Principal of Sales and Marketing
Lauren Wilke, Marketing and Proposal Coordinator
Additionally, we have recognized and promoted several individuals based on their hard work and dedication. They include:
Harry Pettoni, Partner
Tom Forsberg, Partner
Devin Bradbury, Principal
Charlotte Stoudt, Associate
Eric Weiss, Associate
During the summer months, we worked alongside committed interns participating in our mentorship program. They included:
Wiley Muck, Temple University
Isaac Buxton, Philadelphia University
Allyson Everlof, Pennsylvania State University
Josh Pontell, Pennsylvania State University
Gianna DeLorenzo, Thomas Jefferson University
This past year has been great for us, our clients, and the community at large. We are very optimistic about 2024. SCHRADERGROUP is excited about a number of our projects, both in design and under construction. The new year will bring more conferences, fundraisers, and community events, providing opportunities to connect with our clients, friends, and colleagues. 2024 will bring even more internal expansion to SCHRADERGROUP through new hires. SCHRADERGROUP will continue to foster the relationships we have built over the years with our friends, families, clients, and colleagues. We could not do what we do without everyone’s support!
Have a safe, happy, and healthy 2024!
From all of us at:
Reimagining Oil City with Concrete 3D Printing
SCHRADERGROUP’s Architectural Designer, Dan Pawluczyk, was recently invited back to his alma mater Penn State University as a juror overseeing students presenting 3D concrete printing concepts. 3D concrete printing is a new branch of design, and many believe it is the future of affordable, sustainable housing and architecture at large. Dr. José Duarte, Stuckeman Chair in Design Innovation, leads efforts at Penn State to 3D print these structures.
Selina Pedi-Smith and her husband Don Smith sponsored the upper-level architecture studio class in their endeavors, striving to revitalize the once-booming town of Oil City, PA. The couple identified a plot of land for the students to conceptualize the future possibilities of the town. The town is abundant with natural resources, and the couple hopes to use 3D concrete printing to breathe life back into the area through tourism, employment, and of course: affordable housing.
3D concrete printing involves a large mixer, a machine, and a vision. The printing process is quick and affordable compared to traditional construction methods, and the students utilized the studio and tools Dan used during his time at Penn State to create various housing concepts on the plot in Oil City. The students presented mock-ups and concept designs to the panel for review. Dan was able to combine his experience from SCHRADERGROUP and expertise from Dr. Duarte’s class and provide helpful insight and feedback to the current students.
We at SCHRADERGROUP are excited to see our members succeed and are proud of Dan’s achievements. We are interested in the future of architecture, engineering, and design and the ways people create communities through these mediums. We are endlessly inspired by students paving the way for the future.
Photos c/o: Dan Pawluczyk
Governor Mifflin School District Celebrates New Athletic Community Center Opening
On Saturday, December 2, Governor Mifflin School District hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil their new Governor Mifflin Athletic Community Center (GMACC). Designed by SCHRADERGROUP (SG), the 68,000 SF GMACC features state-of-the-art athletic spaces, middle and high school classrooms, and an abundance of amenities. Located in the heart of the existing secondary school campus, the GMACC is more than a sports arena; it is part of a comprehensive plan to address space needs at the middle and high school by converting former physical education spaces to next-generation learning environments.
This community facility will not only serve the Governor Mifflin students and staff, but will be available for community use. At the core of the facility is the main competition gymnasium complete with multi-level bleachers seating up to 2,000 people. The publicly accessible fitness room at the main floor level features gym equipment for people of all ages and skill levels. To support physical education and athletics, locker rooms with specialized equipment-drying amenities and team rooms have direct access to the adjacent sports fields. On the upper level, a track borders the perimeter of the main gymnasium, and this floor also includes the wrestling room, multipurpose room, and a classroom for health education. The new center boasts a state-of-the-art sports medicine training room with taping tables and ice baths for injury treatment. There is also a fully stocked concession stand for sporting events.
The GMACC was conceived by the community, for the community. SG facilitated a community workshop process that put vision into motion for not only the GMACC, but for the future of Governor Mifflin School District. This facility serves as a commitment to community engagement, health, and wellness. More than just a sports facility, it is an anchor for the community and a place where the School District’s services seamlessly integrate with public life. The residents and students now have a new facility to connect, participate in sports and group activities, and achieve personal fitness goals. We at SG are very pleased to have been part of this process and to see this vision materialize for the district.
To see more SG athletic projects, click here.