Building owner’s ally: Legat Architects’ Iowa City studio director Jim Hollenback merges design prowess with business and leadership expertise to help building owners optimize operations.
A school district looking for help approached Jim Hollenback and his team — the district had a neighborhood middle school with an undersized gym and no cafeteria. A limited budget prevented both a gym addition and a cafeteria addition. To address this, Hollenback and team designed a hybrid space where a half-court-sized cafeteria could easily convert to gym activity space outside of the lunch period.
Value-driven solutions like this are par for the course for Hollenback. Thanks to his architectural and financial acumen, Hollenback has helped clients stretch their capital improvement dollars throughout his 20-plus year career.
Legat Architects welcomes Hollenback as director of the firm’s Iowa City studio. The licensed architect and accomplished business coach will oversee all studio projects based in the studio. He will also manage studio operations, staff development, and client relationships.
MBA Architect Balances Design Excellence with Financial Responsibility
Hollenback is unique among architects in that he holds both an architectural degree (from Ball State University’s five-year program) and an MBA (from Bradley University). This gives him an understanding of design nuances as well as the financial challenges that building owners face.
“I emphasize to my clients and project teams that the decisions made during the design and construction phases need to consider operations and maintenance for the life of building,” said Hollenback.
To intensify his commitment to the post-occupancy side of industry, Hollenback earned a Certified Facility Manager designation from the International Facility Management Association. The accreditation demonstrates expertise in 11 core competencies such as operations and maintenance, leadership and strategy, and business and finance.
Door Replacements to Award-Winning Designs: A Trusted Resource
Hollenback was a partner at Peoria, Illinois-based pcm + design architects for nearly 17 years. He not only led the firm’s operations and preK-12 projects but also had a hand in everything from marketing and accounting to HR and IT.
One of Hollenback’s longest-standing clients was Peoria Public School District 150. His firm started serving the district with non-glamorous projects ranging from door replacements and toilet room remodels to parking lot overlays and roofing repairs. When the district challenged architects to compete for a five-year contract, Hollenback’s firm beat out two much larger competitors due to its proven track record in the district.
“The district knew we cared about the operations of a building beyond just creating beautiful design and taking photos for magazines,” said Hollenback.
Under Jim’s leadership, pcm + design architects led more than 100 projects totaling $50 million at the district. These included small projects, multi-facility HVAC system overhauls, and major additions.
The first large-scale project Jim led was a 72,000-square-foot addition to East Peoria Elementary School District 86’s Central Junior High School. It went on to be the sole Award of Merit recipient in the Illinois Association of School Boards’ annual competition.
Accountability for Every Project
Hollenback enjoys studying leadership in his spare time — he’s even been a professional business coach for organizations ranging from a financial technology start-up to a nearly 150-year-old distillery.
He subscribes to the “extreme ownership” principle popularized by former U.S. Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Leaders who embrace this philosophy accept responsibility for everything that happens within their organization.
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