Personal Reflection

I would like to say to all my family, friends and associates thank you for making me the person I am today. Without all of you I might not be the person I am.

Why did I choose architecture and construction as my career?

We all have different motivations. Indeed, there are many legitimate reasons, and I have thought long and hard about why I chose to enter this challenging and rewarding world. I have come up with three reasons.

I like to create and enjoy the creative process. I love being challenged by a problem, and then coming up with a solution. I love seeing something I design come to reality. I love looking at a beautiful new kitchen or room addition or office space and thinking: “I did that.”

What we do makes the world a better place. I believe, and you should too, that the work we do actually makes our clients’ lives better. It might be that we make their lives easier merely from a functional standpoint (aging-in-place features, sustainable design, for example). It may be that what we create is so magnificent it is a major source of pride for our clients.

Ego – now I have gotten to the bottom line! What I do is very tangible. It is easy to see the results of my work…good or bad. While I am very self-motivated and take pride when I think I do excellent work, it is certainly nice to have my work applauded from clients, from the community at large, from my peers, but especially from those whose living or work environments I have created.

If you are like me, professional recognition from your family, friends and peers is extremely important. I see a general desire within my world to become recognized and respected as professionals within the greater design and construction community. Brilliant work is a function of two things: creative design and flawless execution. That flawless execution generally means leading a diverse project team, whose members often have competing goals.

As we approach the end of the year I look back on all the new people I have met and how they have touched and changed my life in a positive way. I hope I have made a contribution to yours either personally or professionally. I want to wish all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous holiday season. May next year bring you much joy and happiness.

All my best,

Michael A. Menn

AIA, CGR, CAPS, CGP, NCARB