In keeping with their three-year strategic plan to grow talent and expertise, TowerPinkster added ten new employees in the first half of 2017. TowerPinkster is a multi-discipline architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with offices in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.

Tom Sturr joined the TowerPinkster team, bringing 32 years of architectural design knowledge from buildings across the world. The Senior Project Architect has experience with projects in government, healthcare, commercial development, higher education, and K-12 design. One of the largest projects in his career was the $100 million, 90,000 square foot, 82-gate expansion of the Nanjing Airport Terminal in Nanjing, China. Sturr’s love of architecture comes from having worked under his father, who was an architect, for many years through his early college days at the University of Michigan.

Sturr is not the only new employee to have completed work in Nanjing. Architectural Project Coordinator Nick Wallis worked on the Nanjing Green Lighthouse when he was living in Beijing, China. Wallis, a Lawrence Technological University graduate, said he was attracted to a career in architecture because “I believe the psychological impact that our environments have on us is profound. I wanted to have a hand in creating architecture that positively impacts the end users.” Wallis is in the process of completing his Architect Registration Exams to become a fully licensed architect.

With over 25 years of experience, Karl Kinkema has joined the team as a Senior Project Architect. With a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan, Kinkema’s areas of expertise include hospital facilities, medical office buildings, sports facilities, and commercial buildings.

In an effort to expand interior design and landscape architecture services, Angela Bowles and Lindsay Gadbois have joined TowerPinkster. Bowles has returned to West Michigan from California and is enjoying putting her interior design knowledge to use around the Grand Rapids area.

“I pursued interior design because it seemed like a good way to use my creative skills in a technical way,” said Bowles, a graduate of the Art Institute of California, Sacramento. “I am passionate about the collaboration between design and workspace dynamics.”

Gadbois, a Landscape Designer, has also returned to the Grand Rapids area having lived in Washington, where she attended University of Washington’s College of Built Environments. She brings years of experience across the northwest as a garden consultant and associate landscape designer. Since she has moved to Grand Rapids, she has become involved with the Friends of Grand Rapids Parks and enjoys bird watching and travel.  

Another West Coast transplant, Elizabeth Slaski has joined the team as an Architectural Designer. Slaski graduated with her Masters and Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Notre Dame, where she had degree concentrations in? urban design and furniture. She said she was inspired to get into architecture since she was first introduced to Legos.

Legos also had a significant impact on the career choice of Project Manager Douglas L. Milburn. Milburn, who has 15 years of experience in the Midwest, is a member of the American Institute of Architects Michigan Mentoring Network and enjoys helping newer AIA members expand their skills. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduate enjoys project management because he is able to work with clients who really appreciate the process, help them see and achieve their project goals, and then provide them with a finished project that goes above and beyond their expectations.

The mechanical engineering department has welcomed Kyle Boston to the team as a Mechanical Designer. Boston has 18 years of experience in the industry, 13 years of which have been spent as a commissioning agent. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys fishing, bird hunting, and camping in Michigan’s beautiful parks.

The administrative team at TowerPinkster has had two new additions to the team: Rosa Kelly as an Administrative Coordinator, and Nick Covey as an I.T. Support Specialist. Kelly, a native of the Kalamazoo area, said that the position is perfect for her because she loves to make life easier for her coworkers. Covey, a graduate of Ferris State University, has always been interested in technology. When he was younger, he would spend time taking computers apart and putting them back together.

“The growth of our team is directly correlated with our expansion and success in the Midwest marketplace,” said President and CEO Bjorn Green. “Our new team members are essential to our strategic plan, set in place to help us broaden our reach and expand our capabilities and services. We are thrilled to be able to grow our team with diverse and experienced employees.”

TowerPinkster is looking to fill more open positions. For more information, go to towerpinkster.com/careers.