We believe design can build a better future and the next generation of students will be the architects tasked with designing our beloved communities. Therefore, we prioritize regularly hosting students into our office to gain exposure and explore a career in architecture. Adam Hatter is a local high school student from Eastern Mennonite School who recently took advantage of a career shadowing experience with our team. He shared a few thoughts on his experience learning about our industry and the career path of an architect.
From Adam Hatter:
This year I am exploring a career in architecture as part of the Eastern Mennonite School job shadow program. This innovative program at my high school allows students to partner with area businesses to spend time in their offices (or other workplaces) to help them decide on a career path. I have not figured out my path yet so I thought this would be a great opportunity to explore some options. I am job shadowing at the Gaines Group Architect’s office located in the historic Chesapeake Wester Depot in Harrisonburg three days a week.
Adam joined Charles and Trevor on a site visit to a custom home designed by our team on Afton Mountain.
This experience with Charles is the first time I have tried to branch out and learn more about any possible careers for myself. I hadn’t really thought about architecture a lot before talking with Chance Church this past summer about it. He and I played basketball together at EMS and he is now studying architecture at Virginia Tech. We were having a conversation about my interests in a college major next year, and I asked him about architecture because it sounded pretty interesting.
One of Adam’s projects while in the office was to design a single story house and floor plan using our design software SketchUp.
During my time job shadowing so far, I have had a really good time learning more about what it is that Charles does as an architect. He has helped me understand more about architecture school and the different paths to take after high school if I decide to go into this profession. I have learned more about building structures and how to think like an architect whenever I see a new house even just driving down the street. This job shadow experience has given me insight into a professional office and allowed me to explore one career path. I encourage everyone to find a job shadowing option before graduating high school, whether you are unsure of your career path or have one interest that you are almost certain you want to do. Without learning what the job actually entails, there is no way to judge if you are actually interested in it. I am still undecided on my major for next year, but now I at least have a good idea of what architecture is like, as opposed to knowing nothing about it only a few months ago. I am grateful for my school for creating this opportunity for me and know it will help me make career decisions in the future.
“Samuel Mockbee said, ‘Everyone, rich or poor, deserves a shelter for the soul.’ That is the architect I want to be, one that helps others through design.” – Charles Hendricks
Our team had the pleasure of spending time with Amelia Schmidt, the creative mind behind the “At Home with” series featuring inside looks into local homes and businesses. As architects and designers, we love what we do and are grateful to Amelia for capturing more of our story and sharing why we believe in the power of design. Led by her curiosity and armed with a camera, Amelia tagged along as we chatted in our office at the Depot and checked in on a project on-site. She asked thoughtful questions and snapped a few pictures of the various stages of the design process.
Below and throughout this week on social media, we will be sharing some of Amelia’s work from our time together. Thank you, Amelia, for capturing us so well and helping tell our story! You can visit her website or follow along on social media to see our series along with many other “at home with” insider views of homes and businesses.
“The design process is at the core, a series of conversations that define a dream and enable me to record it in the form of a design”- Charles Hendricks
We feel the challenges faced in our community every day as we work to build a better community. In today’s climate, there is a shortage of affordable housing, flexible childcare, efficient transportation options, and food accessibility challenges. We know these problems can be solved and there are good people determined to find solutions, but complications continue to hinder progress. These are not simple challenges, but rather systemic problems with many challenges and barriers to face before finding a solution. We want to be a part of the solution and believe that paying a living wage is essential to building a healthy, vibrant, and livable community. Thus, we are encouraging business owners to begin the journey of paying a living wage and spread the message about its importance.
The Harrisonburg Rockingham Living Wage Certification serves to enhance the health, vitality, and livability of our community. Foundationally, our team at Gaines Group Architects strives to build a better community through design, this guides our decisions in projects, pro-bono work, and where we invest our time and resources. Our mission gives us a baseline in accomplishing business ethically and with care, which led us to learn more about obtaining the Living Wage Gold Certification. We understand there is a relationship between thriving team and community members who feel valued for their contributions and the subsequent positive impacts on our client’s experience.
As an architecture firm, we exceeded the baseline for gold-level certification without modifying pay scales. The process of learning about the impacts of paying a fair wage gave us the opportunity to engage in intentional and clarifying discussions concerning our most valuable asset: our team members. We are accustomed to adjusting pay rates along with advancement in careers and inflation, but this was the first time we discussed what it takes to live comfortably in a community. Some of the areas we identified as essential in promoting quality of life ranged from access to childcare, the ability to pay utility bills, or appropriately budget for groceries.
Paying a living wage directly affects the overall community and supports a robust local economy. There is a chain reaction that occurs when we invest in our workforce, and we encourage all businesses in Harrisonburg and Rockingham to consider this certification. Even if your organization is unable to currently meet the standard, it will open up a thoughtful conversation about the cost of living in our community. For more information on this program, visit www.hrlivingwage.org or watch the video here https://www.facebook.com/hrlivingwage/videos/387194656280216/.
Rotary is celebrating a birthday. This organization founded by Paul Harris on February 23, 1905, is 115 today!! With a core mission of #serviceaboveself, these business leaders in Chicago set out to build a better community. Using their influence and power they used service, the act of reaching out and helping others, and a way to bring business leaders together for the greater good.
Rotary is #serviceaboveself
Locally we have a variety of Rotary Clubs doing good in our community while Rotary international works on their core mission of eradicating Polio worldwide. The 7 pillars of Rotary include Peace and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development, and sustainability. Rotary is open to everyone to join. Most clubs have weekly meetings including a meal to build community within the club members and have a speaker usually telling us about local organizations or activities. These weekly meetings bring us together and allow us to better know each other and our community.
I encourage you to look at the local Rotary Clubs in your area, each has a different vibe, and find the right fit to magnify your service in your community. Want to visit our breakfast club next Tuesday at 7 a.m.? Just reach out to me and I am happy to have you as my guest.
Happy Birthday Rotary! Thanks to all Rotarians for putting #serviceaboveself.
Meredith Charlton is a student at Blue Ridge Community College. She is the latest student to job shadow in our Harrisonburg office. This experience is a chance to see the profession to get a better sense of daily life in an architectural firm. We have hosted more than a dozen students in the office over the last 10 years, some have continued on into architecture and some have taken other paths. It is a wonderful experience for us to see these young people explore career options.
Guest post by Meredith Charlton:
As a college student, you are given many opportunities to explore career options if you take the risk to do so. Attending Blue Ridge Community CollegeI was able to meet the College President, Dr. John Downey, and talk with him about my career. He was kind to listen to my struggle with finding the right career path and when I mentioned architecture he immediately thought to connect me with Gaines Group Architects. That is one of the great things about going to a community college, you get to make real connections with your professors and even the President of the College. I reached out to Charles with Gaines Group Architects to ask about job shadow opportunities at his firm. I was a little nervous meeting with Charles the first time but was welcomed into the office to talk about my goals. Charles and I set a job shadow schedule that would allow me to balance my school work, job, and spending time in his office to see what really happens in architecture. Shadowing at the firm has allowed me to see different areas of the profession and it helped me find my calling. I am grateful for the opportunity to shadow and very grateful to Dr. Downey for taking the time to help me find the right connections. I encourage others to take the time to explore career options, talk to professionals that are doing what you think you will love, and find the right path for yourself. If you are interested in architecture, I suggest you job shadow with Gaines Group Architects to see the design process in action, learn a 3D modeling software, and hear from a variety of people how their path led them to their current positions.
Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is paving the way in theatre productions with their creation of ‘U2 Romeo and Juliet‘ under the direction of Justin Poole with musical direction by Jerry Holsopple featuring Prince Bellerose. This original performance features a classic story with a twist, utilizing the intense music from the legendary band, U2.
The show was excellent according to Charles’s summary, saying “as always the students at EMU have shown that they have exceptional acting skills and musical talents.”
We could not be more proud to have been a sponsor of this amazing performance and thrilled to sponsor many more art-focused events such as First Friday, featuring Matty Tesch and Andrew Stronge. Supporting the arts community is a primary focus for our firm as we believe beauty in all forms builds a better community for all.
While you might have missed out on viewing this season’s performance, community members know to expect another amazing theatre experience next year featuring Eastern Mennonite University’s talented ensemble. For those yearning for an immersion in the arts, stay tuned for the upcoming EMS High School Musical, Alice in Wonderland, the SVCC Choir Christmas performance, and for those seeking a little more adventure, the Any Given Child as we root for Nathan May (who has an amazing singing voice that he will not get to use in this competition).
