We're celebrating our amazing employees during our 50th anniversary year, highlighting team members who have helped make KEPHART who we are today.
This month we're introducing you to Director of Design, Bobby Long.
How did you get your start at KEPHART?
I had just moved to Colorado after graduating from The Ohio State University. I was cold-calling firms to ask if they were hiring when I found KEPHART’s number in the phone book. When I called, Paul Campbell answered and told me to come in for an interview. In the interview, Paul offered me a job right on the spot. It honestly all happened so fast, and I wasn’t expecting to leave with a new job, which started a few weeks later in the summer of 1990.
What was it like when you started?
There were six of us: Mike and Jaye Kephart, Paul Campbell, and two others working at one of our first offices. We were in a small house, and at the time, three of us shared two computers. It really was all hands on deck at the time. I mostly worked with Paul on single-family homes in the Chicago area and some of our early multifamily projects.
How did your role evolve at KEPHART?
I had left KEPHART for about twelve years, but during that time Paul and I would keep in touch. The stars finally aligned, and I joined KEPHART again in 2012. I was managing a few projects, and as we grew, I realized that we needed more support. I now lead a team of four designers, and we focus on bringing our clients’ visions to life through stories, illustrations, and renderings. We have a unique set of digital and sketching tools and are continually exploring new technologies with building materials and visualization that we use daily.
How have you evolved as a leader in the firm?
I had the unique position of being at the firm at a time when Mike and Paul were both at the firm. They are two of the people who have influenced me the most. They were always able to connect to people on a level that was real and authentic, with the ability to showcase their expertise. Using what they’ve taught me, I’ve been able to hone my skills as an Architect and leader while exciting every stakeholder towards a common vision.
What is the most exciting part of your job?
When you ask a kid what an architect does at that high, basic level, I feel like that’s what I do. It’s grabbing that vision and story behind a community. I remember an architect came into our fifth-grade class and he taught us about what he did. We got to draw and make these models and I remember going, that’s what I wanted to do, and that was it. I love it when a project has such a clear story and being the one to coordinate between all teams to get to the end goal of what we had visualized. I feel very lucky.
What is your favorite part about working at KEPHART?
The amazing collective of people who have all bought into the vision that KEPHART has for the built environment. It allows the tougher days to be palatable and the good days to be much better because we share the same goal. I’ve never felt like there is any singling out or a blame game. You just feel like you can do what you need to do to get from point A to point B, and it’s just so refreshing.
