Emily Hower 2023

Portfolio eEMILY A. HOWER

I am humbled to be nominated for the prestigious CAP G.O.L.D. Award. As a nontraditional student at the Ball State University R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, the education and overall guidance that I received put me on a valued path toward success, and I am forever grateful and appreciative. My professional career has been greatly influenced and directed by the influence and connections I made during my time as a student at CAP, and I am eager to pay it forward and mentor the next generation. I hope you’ll consider my experience, achievements, and service as you prepare to present the CAP G.O.L.D. Award.

EDUCATION & ELEVATUS ARCHITECTURE

2002-2004

• Indiana UniversityPurdue University, Fort Wayne.

Associate Degree

2018-2021

• Ball State Univesity, R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning-Barch W/Minor in Historic Preservation

• Architectural Intern

• Graduate Architect

• Licensed Architect in the State of Indiana

2022

• Promoted to Associate within Elevatus Architecture

• Promoted to Education Design Leader

TABLE OF CONT ENTS

08. Community Service

01. About 02. Intro 03-07. 11-14.

Projects Reference Letters

09. 10. Honors & Recognition Emily at home

Emily Hower’s path as a student at Ball State University was about as nontraditional as it gets.

Her life after college has been remarkable.

Emily is a licensed architect with Elevatus Architecture in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She’s been promoted to Associate, serves as the firm’s Education Design Leader, and is a Project Manager.

Impressive, right? Consider this: Emily graduated less than two years ago.

Really impressive, right? Wait until you hear how she got there.

Let’s rewind a bit. Emily graduated high school in the top 5 percent of her class, and enrolled at Ball State University and entered the College of Architecture and Planning. She emersed herself in CAP and completed a year in the architecture program.

Then life happened. A lot of life.

Emily left Muncie, started a highly successful direct sales business, and married her husband, and over the years, the couple welcomed three children.

She built a life she was proud of, but something was missing. She had a creative itch. And she loved school.

With three children then ages 10, 8, and 6, a husband with a demanding teaching and coaching career, and a business of her own, Emily made the decision to go back to school and fulfill the remaining four years of the 5-year accredited degree she’d started working more than 15 years prior.

Here’s where things get interesting. Emily commuted from Fort Wayne to Muncie 5 days a week, took night classes when available, and used weekends for studying and projects.

While more traditional students might spend 100 hours a week in the architecture building, Emily found a way to get it done within her schedule - while still staying dedicated to her family.

Word of that work ethic was the reason Elevatus President Cory Miller agreed to interview Emily for an internship with the firm. He quickly came to understand she had even more to offer, though.

“She came in and made an immediate impact,” he said. From her time in direct sales, Emily had a natural, mature ability to connect and relate to clients that a typical student didn’t, he explained.

Emily worked for Elevatus two days a week while she finished her degree requirements.

With her degree finally achieved, Emily wasn’t about to let off the gas.

Architectural graduates generally accomplish licensure several years after graduating. Emily did it in 66 days. She graduated May 8, took her first exam June 8, and her 6th and last on July 13.

Her trajectory has only climbed.

With the ink on her degree barely dry, Emily was elevated at Elevatus, to Associate, and named Education Design Leader.

Mr. Miller said Emily’s ability to build rapport with clients and deliver customer service sets her apart.

“Everybody can learn the steps and the technical side of architecture, and people will excel at different parts and pieces, but not everybody can connect with customers and clients. She’s a natural,” he said.

“When you compare her to other graduates, her real-world experience has been a huge difference. She’s just savvy in ways that the typical graduate is not. On top that that, her work ethic is just stupid. She’s got this appetite to learn and to figure it out.”

The architecture world is quickly figuring out that Emily Hower’s nontraditional path is paved in GOLD.

TEAM QUALITY SERVICES

About:

15K sq. ft. new construction of headquarters for Team Quality Services in Auburn, Indiana. First floor for mixed-use, with innovative office space on second floor. Building pays homage to downtown history, with exposed brick and industrial finishes, and is wrapped with 7-foot-tall windows.

Emily says:

This project was memorable for two reasons. First, I began working on it on my very first day with Elevatus. The firm really respects and trusts its interns, and values their input, and that was evident Day 1. Second, as someone with a Historic Preservation minor, this building, though new construction, had to have a historic look because it was in historic downtown Auburn. Designing so the building respected and complimented the neighboring buildings was a fun challenge.

Role:

Intern - Aesthetic Design, Construction Documentation Manager

LEVAN SCOTT ELEMENTARY

About:

42K sq. ft. addition to 35K sq. ft. Fort Wayne Community Schools elementary school building in Fort Wayne, Indiana. To expand from 2-section school to 5-section school. To feature media center, cafeteria, collaboration spaces, music and art rooms, new entrance. First major FWCS school addition in decades.

Emily says:

This project was special because this was the largest addition/new construction FWCS has undertaken, and it included spaces for program that the school did not previously have, like art and music, as well as a media center and cafeteria. To be more inclusive, the school also added an all-gender restroom.

Role:

Project Manager

MEDICAL INFORMATICS ENGINEERING

About:

25K sq. ft. historic preservation for tenant fit-out on 5th floor of Building 19 of the Electric Works historic redevelopment in Fort Wayne, Indiana. To design new headquarters for Medical Informatics Engineering. Space to feature open spaces for worker collaboration.

Emily says:

The challenge of this project was the delivery method, which was different than any project I’d managed previously. We didn’t work for the people who would occupy the space. Instead, we worked for the campus developer. It was interesting to work on a historic building and follow the requirements associated with that, and work with the property owner and tenant together.

Role:

Project Manager

JIM KELLEY PATHWAY CENTER

HQ

12K renovation and addition to create new skilled trades education center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Spaces designed for communication and collaboration. Learning rooms for automotive, construction trades, IT, manufacturing, welding and more.

About: Emily says:

This project was a delight to manage because it was interesting typology, but moreso because education is very important to me on a personal level, as a nontraditional student and wife of a teacher. Trade schools are in demand in northeast Indiana, so the opportunity to help students become exposed to trades was special.

Role:

Project Manager

INFORMATICS

ELECTRIC WORKS CAMPUS

BOMA Plans

About:

As part of redevelopment of former General Electric campus into the Electric Works district in Fort Wayne, Indiana, handled leasing floorplans for developer using BOMA 2017.

Emily says:

This was a major project not typically handled by architects. Elevatus was the lead architect on the campus project. Based on what the space is used for, I created boundary lines to separate every type of space on the entire campus, to calculate usable and rentable square footage. With more than 1.2 million square feet of space, the project was enormous, but a privilege to manage.

Apointed to the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Fort Wayne 2022-present.

Contributions to the FW, AIA-YAF (Fort Wayne, AIA Young Architects Forum) including planning of and volunteer hours at the World Architect Day at the local Science Central 2022 and 2023

Participation in highway cleanup

Stearing Team of local Mothers Of Preschoolers International (MOPS)

Group Leader for two years at Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and home church volunteer

Fundraising team with MOPS to raise $86,000 for new playground equipment in town as well as the Head of annual Fundraiser for MOPS

Supporter of local nursing home, local cancer non profit called Pray Hope Believe, Relay for Life, local women’s shelter, youth baseball league, Lion’s Club, Junior Achievement, Blessings In a Backpack, and the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission

SERVICE

• Promoted to Associate within 15 months of licensure

• Named Education Team Lead

• LEED Green Associate credentialed

• WELL AP credentialed

• Recipient of BSU CAP Glen Sabados Memorial Scholarship

• Recipient of BCA’s Presidential Merit Scholarship

• 1 of 5 accepted into independent study LEED Lab at BSU Cap

• Wrote proposal for International Sustainable Campus Network

Annual Conference

• Accepted into BSU’s Honors College

• Dean’s List every year at BSU

• Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society

• Graduated Cum Laude from BSU

• Graduated from High School with highest honors

HONORS & RECOG NITIONS

at

EMILY HOME

References

February 10, 2023

CAP Executive Advisory Board

R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning Architecture Building (AB), Room 104 Ball State University

Muncie, IN 47306

Subject: Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award

Dear Members of the CAP Advisory Board:

My name is Mike Gouloff. I have been a practicing Architect since my Graduation from the University of Cincinnati in 1971 and registration in 1975. I eventually became the majority owner of Schenkel & Shultz Architects, and today I am the principal owner of Elevatus Architecture

It is a pleasure to submit a letter of reference for Emily Hower, AIA for consideration for the GOLD Award.

I first met Emily in 2018, when we interviewed her for a summer internship. I had learned Emily’s story from a family member. She had to take a break from her education path for several years and began to raise her family, but ultimately had a passion to finish her education and become an Architect. Emily had the fortitude to go back to Ball State University and finish her education after a 15-year break. I have been a practicing Architect for 48 years and I have never seen anyone attempt, let alone accomplish, that kind of life changing move.

Emily was then and is now a STAR. Since joining our firm, Emily has shined with great attitude and leadership. She became a full-time employee in May 2021 upon graduation. Emily sat for the registration exam in summer of 2021 and passed every test on the first sitting to become a registered Architect. That may seem unbelievable - unless you know Emily’s work ethic.

In 2022 Emily took over the Lead of our Education Team, and has continued her momentum of success. She is on the path to become a partner with time.

Emily is a great Wife and Mom, and a wonderful person to work with. She is the definition of a professional in every sense of the word. She is an important part in our company, and I am proud to work with her.

Sincerely,

ELEVATUS Architecture

Michael S. Gouloff CEO

References

References

References

CAP Executive Advisory Board

R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning Architecture Building, AB, Room 104 Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306

Subject: Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award Emily Hower, Nominee

Members of the CAP Advisory Board:

I am writing this letter of reference for Emily Hower with Elevatus Architecture. I have worked with Emily for the past 18 months on our project, Electric Works West Campus, in Fort Wayne Indiana. This project is a large undertaking of an adaptive reuse project of a historic General Electric manufacturing facility. The campus covers 39 acres and includes over 1.2 million square feet of historic buildings. Emily acted as a representative of Elevatus Architecture, the Architect of Record for the first phase referred to as West Campus.

Emily was an instrumental partner on implementing the vision the development partners had for the historic campus. She made recommendations on design options, layout and use of various spaces within several buildings. These buildings were designed for manufacturing in their original life and Emily provided creative uses of the historic components of the buildings being retained.

Emily’s involvement also extended to several of the tenant improvements within the campus. Each of these projects required different thought processes as the v arious tenants had different industries and requirements. One building was retrofitted for use by a high school program with the local county school system. This school had maker space, classrooms, music studio, an urban farming greenhouse and general office space. The buildings character was retained in the design through Emily and Elevatus’s efforts. Another building was converted from an heavy industrial facility to a food hall and market that focuses on local merchants opening one of their first physical locations.

Emily’s support on this project was a direct benefit to myself and several others on our team. I look forward to working with her in the future on other improvements to the Electric Works projec t.

Sincerely,

Philip Storch Vice President, Construction

Thank you