MEET THE PANELISTS: BRIAN SCHWARTZ

The Thinking Outside the Box – Exploring Alternative Careers in Design panel discussion is on Wednesday, April 13th. Learn a little more about our third panelist, Brian Schwartz!

Brian Schwartz, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Account Executive, Baker Group

Brian Schwartz is a registered Architect and a graduate of Iowa State University.  Over the past ten years Brian has been involved with various architectural projects in Des Moines and around the State.  His career started out like a typical architectural graduate, working on multiple projects and learning as much as one could.  As times changed and strengths were realized, Brian started a path into Business Development.  Today, he has the best of both worlds, working closely with his clients and helping them with their facilities, all while getting to use his architectural knowledge and business development skills. 

Brian in the past ten years has worked on projects totaling to $300M and they have ranged in project type from a small restaurant all the way to a renovation and update of a K-12 School Facility.  Throughout his career, Brian has been focused on sustainability and environmental practices, knowing that many times it starts with architects to make wise choices of what goes into a building.  Today, Brian works to make better environments through building renovations and updates as well as energy savings and more efficient means of operating a facility. 

After being approached by friends and family to assist with different design elements, Brian also opened his own freelance design company in 2012.  Through his freelance business, Brian recently completed, with a colleague, a new bakery that is located in Des Moines’s East Village.  In his full time role at Baker Group, some of his recent accomplishments have been working within the public sector of projects, assisting them with a long term vision and an upgrade plans for their buildings.  Brian continues to focus on his career, balancing architecture and business development and utilizing those skills hand in hand to better the experience for his clients.

Throughout his professional career, Brian has been very active in various civic organizations ranging from the military, industry organizations, local neighborhood efforts, and cultural leadership. In 1997 Brian joined the Iowa Air National Guard, 132nd Fighter Wing.  For eight years Brian served with the 132nd Fighter Wing as a mechanic on the F-16 Fighting Falcon.  In July and August of 2001 Brian participated in Operation Southern Watch and was based in the country of Kuwait. 

Since 2005 Brian has been both a National and Local American Institute of Iowa (AIA) Member. He has been on the Beaverdale Betterment Coalition (BBC) from 2006-2015 and is a Mercy hospital volunteer for the New Daddy Boot Camp class, where rookie fathers get a crash course on fatherhood.  Brian was also a member of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute Community Leadership Program (GDMLI CLP) class of 2009 and is still engaged with them as an alumni member.

Brian has been married to his wife Jennifer for the past 11 years. Together they have three healthy children, Annabelle, Benjamin and Nathaniel.

Don’t forget to RSVP for the iaWia “Thinking Outside the Box – Exploring Alternative Careers in Design” event on Wednesday April 13, 2016 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM.