Seattle Practice Names Seven People to Key Management Roles
SEATTLE, December 09, 2015 — Callison and RTKL, two of the world’s most influential architecture and design firms, have officially joined forces as CallisonRTKL. “This is an exciting time for our firm as we unite these two accomplished practices,” said Senior Vice President Paul Makowicki. “We have a unique opportunity to introduce a breadth and depth of new resources to our clients and communities while creating a path towards strong career growth for all of our staff.”
The Seattle office announced seven new major appointments to launch the firm’s next level of growth and design excellence:
Paul Makowicki AIA, NCARB has been named Senior Vice President and will serve as Office Director in Seattle. With more than 20 years in the industry, Makowicki will work with the firm’s Seattle team as well as the local and regional development communities to elevate the profile of the Seattle office to address client and market needs. He will also lead the firm’s strategy on Mobility Oriented Development (MODe) initiatives, focusing on aviation and light rail developments. He has more than three decades of domestic and international experience with retail and mixed-use projects.
Matt Billerbeck RA has been named Senior Vice President and will lead the Shopping & Entertainment Districts team for the Commercial practice group. As the link between the client and design team, he will drive business development and provide design guidance for commercial projects. Billerbeck has more than 20 years of experience planning and designing retail and mixed-use projects around the world.
Mike Riggs has been named Senior Vice President and will serve as the Regional Practice Group Leader of North America for the Retail Stores group in addition to leading the firm’s New Development Programs for Retail Stores globally. Riggs will play a crucial role, such as coordinating the deployment of resources, fostering collaboration among offices and elevating the practice’s position in the market. Riggs has more than 24 years of experience in strategy and environment design across a broad spectrum of retail categories.
Alex Shapleigh has been named Senior Vice President and will head the Specialty Retail team for the Retail Stores practice group. With 20 years of experience, Shapleigh will lead the design for specialty retail projects. His areas of expertise include prototype development and retail technology. Shapleigh collaborates closely with Seattle-based retailer REI to develop and lead the concept design for their retail stores across the nation.
Ro Shroff AIA has been named Senior Vice President and will lead the firm’s Tall Buildings initiatives. With more than 30 years of experience, Shroff has brought the company international recognition in mixed-use design and tall buildings. In his new role, Shroff will strategize long-term relationships with key clients globally to expand the firm’s footprint in new markets.
Ron Singler has been named Senior Vice President and will lead the Retail Stores: Nordstrom team in the Retail Stores practice group. Singler previously served as a design principal for the Nordstrom studio. He has more than 30 years of experience in retail design and brand strategy.
Darryl Custer AIA, NCARB has been named Vice President and will take on the role of Emerging Region Practice Group Leader of South Asia for the Commercial practice group. Custer, who has more than 25 years of international retail mixed-use design and project management experience, will oversee business growth of the firm’s South Asia projects.
About CallisonRTKL
For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of more than 2000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our clients’ businesses and enhancing quality of life. www.callisonrtkl.com
About Arcadis
Arcadis is the leading global Design & Consultancy firm for natural and built assets. Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services we work in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their natural and built assets. We are 28,000 people active in over 70 countries that generate more than €3 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. www.arcadis.com
