Tag: news

SCHRADERGROUP Opens New Pittsburgh Regional Office

We are excited to announce that SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is opening a new regional office in Pittsburgh to replace the office space the team has been using. The change will accommodate the substantial growth we have experienced recently. With the construction of this new office space, SG can better serve the Pittsburgh region while expanding our expertise. Our seasoned professionals are excited to share in the creation and future of architectural projects.

SG has hired Thomas Wippenbeck as Regional Manager to assist and serve clients in western PA. Thomas brings over twenty-six years of experience in his field, overseeing projects in areas from client interviews and presentations to construction administration. Our Pittsburgh office is currently located on the North Shore and, when relocated to the Wexford area, will officially open on November 1st.

SCHRADERGROUP is currently seeking a talented Architectural Project Manager to oversee building design and construction in the Pittsburgh area. If you have a passion for project design, we want to hear from you!

Want to be a part of the SG team? We’re hiring! Learn more about our openings here.

Chatham County Unveils New Emergency Operations Center with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

SCHRADERGROUP (SG) was honored to attend the ribbon-cutting for Chatham County’s new Emergency Operations Center in Pittsboro, North Carolina. SG served as the architect and structural engineering firm for the new facility. The center combines the county’s Emergency Management and Emergency Communications operations and administration sectors, providing a fully functional space to best serve the community’s needs.

The center is instrumental in providing services to those in need. From the moment the team receives the call, having an efficient, high-tech, and spacious workplace is critical to their commitment to safeguarding the community. Training, technology, and common spaces promote efficiency, productivity, and collaboration within the team. The dedicated members of this center play a vital role in keeping the public safe, and SG was proud to construct the new space.

The emergency staff of Chatham County are well-deserving individuals who help foster public safety, and we are delighted to have been a part of this process from the beginning. This project adds to the preservation and protection of the public, and we are proud to have been involved.

To see more Public Safety and Mission Critical projects we have worked on, please visit our website here.

SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes Our Newest Marketing Coordinator to the Team!

SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is delighted to introduce the newest addition to our team! Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Lauren Wilke as she joins our SG family!

Lauren Wilke
Marketing and Proposal Coordinator
Florida Gulf Coast University – Bachelor of Arts in English
Villanova University – Master of Arts in English & Communications

Lauren is a driven individual and recently earned her master’s in English at Villanova University with a concentration in marketing communications. She has over six years of experience in the marketing field and considerable hands-on agency experience. Lauren is passionate about language and the way we relate to and communicate with one another on a human level.

At SG, Lauren creates compelling content and derives much of her inspiration from storytelling. Her contributions revolve around proposals, digital content, and communication. Lauren recognizes the way a company tells its story is crucial to its success, so she draws on creative writing for lasting impact. Whether it’s a technical proposal or a celebratory blog post, Lauren captures the tone and spreads the word to further the SG vision.

Lauren is motivated by creativity, a talented team, and bettering her community. These characteristics align with SG’s people-focused mission, and in turn, help produce high-quality results. She admires SG’s projects from their inception to completion, and she respects the positive and sustainable impact SG has on the community.

“Communication and architecture are not so different; they both require basic building blocks that, when combined in a thoughtful way, create something beautiful.” –Lauren

Welcome, Lauren! We are excited to have you on board the SG team. We are eager to support you in your path to success.

Interested in working with us? Visit our Careers page to see what opportunities are available at SG here.

SCHRADERGROUP will be at the 2023 PASA PSBA School Leadership Conference

From October 16th-17th, SCHRADERGROUP (SG) will be actively participating in the PASA PSBA School Leadership Conference, which will be held at the Kalahari Resort in Pennsylvania.
SG attendees include Managing Partner David Schrader, Partner Tom Forsberg, Principal Matt Wittemann, Principal Devin Bradbury, Associate Danielle Hoffer, Associate Thomas Wippenbeck, and Associate Charlotte Stoudt.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is a non-profit, statewide organization representing public school boards, committed to upholding the highest standards of local community leadership for the public schools throughout the Commonwealth.

Drop by our Booth #719 and say hello! We’re looking forward to meeting you!

To see more related academic SG projects, please visit our website here.

SCHRADERGROUP Facilitates North Penn High School’s Additions and Renovation Planning Workshop

The North Penn School District (NPSD) held the first of three Community Workshops on July 17, 2023, for the proposed renovations and additions to the North Penn High School. SCHRADERGROUP facilitated the Workshop attended by over 50 individuals including Board members, District administration, staff, parents, students, community members, and Township officials.

Involving the key stakeholders is an integral part of SG’s collaborative design process. What is unique to this particular planning workshop is it is an important step in developing a design for the referendum for the taxpayers of NPSD to approve electoral debt for the project in January 2024.

The design process to date has included virtual and actual building tours of local, regional and national “Next Generation” schools. David Schrader began the Workshop with an overview of the building tours and program of the spaces. Building blocks representing each of the spaces were provided to each of the 6 teams to begin the conversation of room adjacencies and relationships of the building to the site. This is the first step to begin developing concepts that will continue to be refined over the next several months.

SG’s mission is to design educational facilities that precisely meet clients’ needs, with a strong emphasis on collaborative decision-making involving key stakeholders. Their client-driven approach begins with a thorough assessment of existing conditions and relies on a consensus-based planning process, fostering creative and effective solutions. They prioritize inclusive workshops to ensure input and information sharing from all parties, resulting in designs that exceed user expectations.

Please click the photo above to see the entire process of the workshop, with full commentary and transcripts.

“The main takeaway of this workshop was to get some big picture ideas that we can take away and turn into a facility concept to move towards (North Penn High School’s) referendum concept.” – David Schrader

To see more K-12 projects done by SCHRADERGROUP, please visit our website here.

SCHRADERGROUP attends Franklin County 9-1-1 Ribbon Cutting

SCHRADERGROUP (SG) had the pleasure of attending the Franklin County Ribbon Cutting event in North Carolina on Tuesday, September 12th, 2023, in celebration of opening its new 9-1-1 communication center.

The 911 communication center, recognized as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), holds a pivotal role in emergency response and public safety. Its core mission revolves around efficiently and effectively receiving, processing, and dispatching emergency calls and services.

The new 911 communication center also serves as the crucial liaison between the general public and emergency response agencies across Franklin County. The County received approximately $4 million through the NC911 Grant program to develop an advanced emergency communication center covering 5,300 square feet. This cutting-edge facility is located on a 3.90-acre site adjacent to the current public safety and detention center.

SG served as both the architect and structural engineering firm for the new emergency communication center. We are delighted to have engaged the expertise of the SG team, comprised of seasoned professionals, to design this essential infrastructure facility. It is instrumental in managing emergency calls, deploying the requisite resources, and ensuring a well-coordinated response to emergencies. Ultimately, this effort contributes to the preservation of lives and the enhancement of public safety across Franklin County.

Among those present was Kimberly Denton, Franklin County Manager, who welcomed and commenced the ceremony. Speeches were delivered by Michael S. Schriver, Chairman of the Franklin County Commissioners, Pokey Harris, Executive Director of the NC 911 Board, and Kimberly Denton herself. Christy Shearin, FC 911 Director, presided over both the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the closing remarks.

To see more projects we’ve worked on, please visit our website here.

SCHRADERGROUP Welcomes the New Principal of Sales and Marketing!

SCHRADERGROUP (SG) would like to extend a warm welcome to Matt as he integrates into the SG team and takes a leadership role in the sales and marketing department!

Matt Wittemann, CPSM
Principal of Sales and Marketing
University of Tampa – Bachelor of Science, Marketing

Matt holds the pivotal role of overseeing and implementing sales and marketing strategies and initiatives for SG. Within the domain of business development and sales, his responsibilities include the maintenance and cultivation of client relationships, strategic planning, lead generation, and acquisition. In the realm of marketing, he is tasked with formulating brand strategy and enhancing brand recognition. Moreover, he manages and supervises various critical aspects of our firm’s marketing efforts, including proposal submissions, presentations, advertising, social media, photography, award submissions, and other targeted marketing efforts.

Matt is a marketing and business strategist with more than 15 years of experience within the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. He specializes in client relationship management, sales, marketing, and strategic planning. As a thought leader and industry expert, he became a Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) through the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) in 2017. He is also an active participant and a member of the Lifestyle Residential Development council through the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the Eastern Region of APPA (ERAPPA).

Additionally, Matt has successfully led a multitude of marketing and public relations campaigns, all while directing and supervising critical aspects of the firm’s operations. This includes managing proposal submissions, presentations, public relations initiatives, brand development, photography, award applications, and an array of specialized marketing endeavors, such as the creation of newsletters, e-blasts, bespoke brochures, and promotional materials.

“I am extremely honored to lead the sales and marketing department here at SG. As a firm already with a tremendous reputation and culture, my goals are to expand the firm’s awareness, build and differentiate the SG brand, drive business development activities, and absorb and foster each client’s mission and vision.” – Matt

Welcome to the team Matt! We are thrilled to have you here at SG and are excited to grow alongside each other!

Interested in working with us? Visit our Careers page to see what opportunities are available at SG here.

SCHRADERGROUP: Enhancing Your Community with Next Generation Learning Environments

WE BELIEVE ACADEMIC DESIGN TRULY IS THE DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE

Over 19 years as a firm, SCHRADERGROUP (SG) completed over 200 projects in design for education and devoted the majority of its practice to learning environments. We are focused on creating learning environments specific to your vision for developing the leaders and thinkers for tomorrow.
Our Partners and Associates have over three decades of experience in academic facility design and are involved with school associations locally, nationally, and internationally (PASBO, DVASBO, NSBA, PSBA, A4LE, and others.) With this experience, the SG leadership continues to be committed to academic design to ensure the best experience for you.

SG employs 40+ full-time professional staff and is a full-service architecture firm offering planning and design services in the areas of architecture, structural engineering, planning, interior design, and construction administration. SG has the capacity to design over $400 million in construction projects per year.
The SG team works diligently to deliver projects in the most timely and cost effective manner and offers solutions that will satisfy programming standards of facilities nationally. With this effort, the stage is set for a design that will be entirely appropriate to its setting while satisfying the ergonomic needs of the using agencies.

Check out our a few of our K-12 Projects here.
Downloads of our K-12 flyer, brochure, and SOQ are available here.
And downloads of our tour book and brochure on our star project, Upper Merion Area High School, are available here.

Congratulations to Upper Merion Area High School for gracing the front cover of Learning By Design’s Spring 2023 issue.

SCHRADERGROUP (SG) is proud to once again announce that our completed project, Upper Merion Area School District’s Upper Merion Area High School, has been recognized as an Outstanding Project in Learning By Design’s Spring 2023 Educational Facilities Design Awards. We are excited to have another SG project recognized as an award-winning facility for its Next Generation Learning space design and planning.

Learning By Design is a prestigious publication that recognizes outstanding educational design and construction projects. They evaluate facilities based on innovation, community needs, interior design, sustainability, functional design, and next-generation learning. Published three times a year, the magazine showcases top K-12 and higher education projects and architecture firms.

We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Upper Merion Area School District (UMASD) and showcase their exceptional facility in this issue. Our ongoing relationship with this remarkable School District, which prioritizes providing cutting-edge education and facilities to the community’s students, is something we are grateful for.

The purpose of this facility is to offer UMASD students’ career-oriented and higher education-level spaces where they can actively participate in 21st-century learning activities focused on “research, develop, and present!” We extensively researched and incorporated multiple contemporary higher education spaces into the development of this distinctive facility.

The 345,000 SF facility seamlessly integrates with the existing middle school, connecting through athletic and performance arts components. This expanded facility offers enriching opportunities for students spanning from 6th grade to 12th grade.

The facility includes a central “student commons,” serving as a versatile space for various activities throughout the day. It features a two-story open area with learning resources on the second level, alongside dining options.

You can view the Spring 2023 issue of Learning By Design here. You can find the Upper Merion Area High School entry on page 86!
If you’d like to learn even more about the Upper Merion Area High School, click here.

SCHRADERGROUP Committed to Student Engagement and Mentorship to the Architectural Design Community at PSU

SCHRADERGROUP (SG) has consistently demonstrated its unwavering support and continues to express commitment to both Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and the architectural design community within it. Some of the ways that SG provides opportunities and community engagement with the architectural design students at PSU includes career fairs, internship opportunities, alumni speaking engagements, and more.

Here are some of SG’s most recent experiences:

PSU Spring Career Day

Photography by Natasha Kravchenko

The Stuckeman School had its 37th annual Career Day hosted alongside the University’s “Spring Career Days” at the Bryce Jordan Center. The SG team was represented by Jeremy Ross (PSU Class of 2016), Paige Faria (PSU Class of 2018), and Jillian Kreglow (PSU Class of 2021). The SG team spoke to many curious design students about SG as a firm, our projects, and our internship opportunities.

Photography by Natasha Kravchenko

SG is always thrilled to catch up with familiar faces, meet up-and-coming designers, and network with talented colleagues. The Stuckeman School Career Day is an annual event that allows professional firms to interact directly with PSU’s award-winning students. This year, 90 architectural offices attended and over 230 students attended the fair. This exciting event provides students with an opportunity to network and explore potential career fields in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Graphic Design. SG has a diverse team of talented employees, some of whom are also graduates of the Penn State Stuckeman School.

Another example of SG at PSU recently includes our Architectural Designer Paige Faria speaking about her current experience working at SG.

“10 Things I Wish I Knew or Did Differently”

Photography by Natasha Kravchenko

Paige Faria, PSU alumni of 2018, presented with the PSU Architecture Alumni Group (AAG) their “10 Things I Wish I Knew or Did Differently” at the Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space. The presentation covered lessons learned over many years of combined professional experience in the architecture field by PSU AAG.

The PSU AAG provides a connection with alumni to promote interaction between alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends for the benefit and ongoing improvement of the PSU Architecture department. The PSU AAG board of directors acts as an informal advisory group to the PSU Architecture department. Paige Faria serves on the board as the communications committee chair, keeping alumni updated on current events via social media, newsletters, and more.

The discussion included insights such as ‘putting failure into context’, ‘professional practice is not just a class’, ‘invest in your internship’ and more. Students participated in a discussion afterward and were able to meet up with alumni one-on-one for further insight.

Some of the other speakers include alumni Alex Donahue (B.Arch ’12, M.Arch II ’13), Kyrie Martin (B.Arch ’15), Daniel Lopatka (B.Arch ’22), Matthew Graham (B. Arch ’12), and LewYong Gerbrandt (M.Arch I ’22).
To learn more about the PSU AAG, please visit this site.

Photography by Natasha Kravchenko

SG is always grateful for the opportunity to connect with the future graduates of PSU and the design community. We look forward to continuing to engage with the future architectural designers at PSU!
If you want to learn more, be sure to follow SG on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To see our latest projects, please visit our website sgarc.com