Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight: Gensler
November 7th, 2024
Member Spotlight by [Sheryl Schulze, NCIDQ, RID and Jonathan Barnes, FAIA, NCARB, LEED, AP, Co-Managing Directors of Gensler Columbus]
Provide us with a brief summary of your business’ services
Gensler is the world’s leading architecture, design and planning firm that offers services including branding, master planning, digital experience design, strategy, space management, and sustainability consulting.
Founded in 1965, Gensler has built a team of 6,000 professionals who partner with clients in over 100 countries each year. Everything we do is guided by our mission: to create a better world through the power of design.
Recognizing Columbus’ rapid economic growth in recent years, Gensler Columbus opened in August 2024 to focus on expanding project work and strong client relationships in the Midwest.
To date, Gensler has worked with prominent clients across the state in various capacities including Nationwide Children’s Hospital Data Center + Conference Center in Columbus; Avon Lake Renewable Master Plan in Avon Lake; Kent State University School of Fashion in Kent; and the M/I Homes Headquarters in Columbus. Currently in progress, the John Glenn Columbus International Airport New Terminal Project, which Gensler is designing in partnership with Moody Nolan, is slated to be completed in 2029.
Tell us about your company’s mission and values
At Gensler, the value of our work stems from its positive impact on the human experience. We are a dynamic and collaborative design firm uniting creativity, research, and innovation to solve complex problems for our clients. Our work challenges conventional ideas about architecture and the built environment. We aren’t just designing buildings — we are reimagining cities and places that make a difference in people’s lives.
Gensler leads the industry in sustainability efforts including a goal to achieve a net zero carbon portfolio by 2030. A new initiative focused on green products was spearheaded this year as one step towards reducing materials and construction-related carbon emissions.
We also believe that our people’s diverse voices, experiences, and perspectives make our design work exponentially more powerful. The principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly aligned with our core values and have been embedded in our DNA since the founding of the firm.
What are the services you use the most (or are looking forward to using) from the Columbus Chamber?
Jonathan: We look forward to utilizing The Chamber’s vast network to make new connections. Gensler will be engaging and building relationships with a range of clients, partners, and consultants in the real estate industry.
How do you stay engaged with trends that you see in your industry?
Sheryl: I speak around the country about building transformation and adaptive reuse, sharing my ideas and the firm’s research about how to unlock value through repositioning. Gensler has a unique tool to leverage in this market–an in-house conversion algorithm that can help us determine the best path forward for an underused or vacant office building.
It’s exciting work. We’ve shifted from speaking primarily about office-to-residential conversions to exploring a myriad of typologies that buildings can take on through renovations.
What is your company culture like?
Sheryl: There is a focus on people. Our team of talented design professionals, strategists, innovators, and leaders are dedicated to improving the human experience through the built environment. We’re also committed to working towards better solutions for our communities. Each Gensler office donates time and skills to volunteer service, pro, and low bono work.
Jonathan: Gensler has a culture of creativity, collaboration, and learning. The firm hosts numerous internal design competitions that celebrate our most innovative work, sharing it across the firm. We also continuously build our talent and skills at every level, from internships to continuing education opportunities.
What does it take to be a successful employee at your company?
Jonathan: At Gensler, successful employees are entrepreneurial and embrace innovation. They engage with a high level of collaboration and know how to listen deeply.
Sheryl: We value people who want to make a positive change in the world. Employees are encouraged to keep their impact as designers in mind every day.
What makes Columbus such a great place to do business?
Jonathan: Columbus is on a strong growth trajectory, attracting people and businesses at record rates. But it’s more than just numbers. People are bringing new Ideas, perspectives, and expectations with them. They deserve to be understood and offered new design strategies and solutions. Gensler brings their global experience with a local Columbus lens to address those issues thoughtfully.
Sheryl: To date Gensler has completed more than 360 projects and built significant relationships in Columbus and greater Ohio, showcasing our collaborative relationships within the real estate, design, contractor, and consultant communities. We want to continue to offer new design ideas to the region and have a greater ability to do so with our expanded presence in Columbus.
Not only are we working on one of the city’s most exciting long-term projects, the John Glenn Columbus International Airport new terminal, we have more great projects on the horizon supported by our workplace, lifestyle, cities, and health sectors.
Social Media:
Twitter: @gensler_design
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenslerDesign
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylschulze/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-barnes-06246b/
Instagram: @genslercolumbus
Website: www.gensler.com/offices/columbus
