We recently connected with Chris Veum and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
I am fortunate to be in a profession that has the ability to have a somewhat long-lasting legacy attached to it. Buildings tend to be around longer than the architect or or designer that created them. If I/we do a good job, the buildings will leave a positive, lasting legacy. However, there is one side of the design profession that I do try to avoid and that is the design ego. Buildings and the built environment are for all people, not me. This leads me to what I hope my legacy will be. My dad passed away when I was in my mid-thirties. He was simply a hard working business owner. But, to him, the most important part of his business was how he treated people. Not only the people that he worked for but his customers too. He respected all walks of life. He didn’t care of you had loads of money or material things. He respected you if you were nice to others – my wife is the exact same way! One of my favorite quotes is: “I am not impressed by money, social status, or job title. I am impressed by the way you treat other human beings.” That parallels what I hope my legacy will be – how I treated other human beings fairly and equally.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Let’s start with how I got in to my profession. As a young kid, my mom said that I was very focused. Once I stared something, I was all-in, dedicated to what ever I was doing. I became very focused on creating and building things – apparently for hours on end. I would sit endlessly with Lego sets or build snow forts over and over. I did have a photo me when I as about fours years old of me on the floor with a plastic construction set; beams, columns, wall and roof panels, etc. that would all snap together (wish I had that now!). I would build over and over trying different things. Then when I was in junior high, my dad had an architect over to our house; he was designing his new car dealership. I was fascinated by the way the architect spoke and his drawings (floor plans, renderings, etc.). I thought at one point, I would become a doctor but design sucked me back in! When I as in architecture school, I couldn’t wait to get started so I interned every summer while my friends traveled and took it easy. I think that gave me a real head start when I graduated. I also believe that extra effort and dedication pointed me in a direction where I am constantly challenging and thinking of new ways in which we do design or what we design for people. Our firm is known for design. It is also known for innovation. I think that all stems from partners and people that have that same mindset. as an example, we were one of the first design firms in the courtly to use virtual reality (VR) as a design tool, not a presentation tool. We are now looking how that, along with augmented reality (AR), can involve our clients into a deeper understanding of the environments we create.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
If you follow poker, we tend to ‘go all in’ on design competitions! We have a client, that to secure a new project from them, you have to submit a design. The design also has to meet the cost criteria. When we approach these competitions, we assemble the best subject matter experts. We are constantly evaluating the best options and how we create ‘our story’. Design is about and for people, first. That thread is imperative to our approach – it can look pretty but does it function and does positively impact your human experience? One the biggest risks we took was for a $180m new hospital bed tower. As we got deeper and deeper (cost-wise) into the competition, doubts started to surface….did we get it right? Do we have the right solution? Is the cost in line with the budget? Instead of pulling back, we went deeper into the details. Little things started making a difference. The attitude of the team as monumental. We kept saying ‘we’ve got this!’. We won the project and looking back, the mental fortitude, drive and team spirit (along with good design!), got us the project.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I would say that I am constantly learning. I actually have several resources and I read quite a bit – I am passionate about doing research. But there are a few resources that have impacted me personally and professionally. One of the most impactful has been my involvement with Young Presidents Organization (YPO). YPO is a organization comprised of larger companies that are comprised of entrepreneurs, presidents snd CEO’s of companies worldwide. Not only have I made dear friends in my 21 years in the Organization, but the power of shared knowledge, experiences, leadership skills, management skills and personal growth, have been impactful for me personally. The involvement has afforded me the attitude and skill sets to approach challenges and opportunities in a whole different light.
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AVRP Studios