WHO WE ARE
Creating & Building
A Better World
FROM SPORTS TO SOLAR | FROM EARTH TO SKY | FROM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE TO WELLS IN AFRICA
Our Focus
KC Global Design is a collective of design community firms and leaders based in the Kansas City region. With more than 500 architecture, engineering, and construction firms, KC is home to some of the largest and most impactful firms in the building industry. Through a focus on Innovation, Awareness and Talent, KC Global design elevates Kansas City’s collective status as the world champion of design.
Member Firms
KC Global Design exists to elevate KC as the premier design community through our collective efforts and expertise.
We strive to create a robust industry concentration, a sustainable workforce pipeline, and status as a global destination for industry expertise and innovation.
Building Equity
within the Industry
KC Global Design is rich in people and we lead with inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in our community.
Because we have this existing community, we want to be able to make a difference in our industry and provide our people the opportunity to work towards a bigger purpose. We help people understand what’s next in the world and how coming together we
can solve problems.
We have an immense concentration of
firms with access to resources and people.
By uniting our firms we are providing our employees, talent pipeline and partners, an opportunity to be a part of something bigger, to create solutions and innovations beyond the capabilities of our individual firms, and to connect across disciplines to gain new insights. The building industry inherently attracts some of the most passionate, creative, thoughtful, solution-oriented and growth-minded individuals, KC Global Design exists to connect these people to make the world better through design.
Bottom Line, there is
passion in this industry.
Serving Kansas City
KC Global Design was launched in 2019 as an initiative to establish Kansas City as the global destination for talent and innovation in the AEC industry.
KC Global Design is part of the KC Rising program created in 2015 to create a sustainable 20-year-plus vision to accelerate economic growth in the Kansas City region.
We offer Member firms alliance, collaboration, innovation, regional marketing, regional talent acquisition and pipelining, collective experience and expertise in the design industry.
Community Partners
Leadership
Mary McCann
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
An AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industry talent acquisition veteran, McCann will focus on supporting and growing the KC Global Design effort by providing strategic leadership for priority areas, executing workgroup plans, and providing ongoing communication to member firms. She will serve as a consultant to the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City.
Click here to read the full press release.
CO-CHAIRS
Rich Smith
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER HENDERSON ENGINEERS LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIR
Tom O’Grady
PRESIDENT HNTB LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIR
Dominique Davison
FOUNDING PRINCIPAL DRAW ARCHITECTURE LEADERSHIP CO-CHAIR
Robin Broder
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER HENDERSON ENGINEERS AWARENESS CO-CHAIR
Maria Maffry
CHIEF BD OFFICER BNIM AWARENESS CO-CHAIR
Chris Migneron
NATIONAL DESIGN DIRECTOR JE DUNN INNOVATION CO-CHAIR
Steve McDowell
PRESIDENT BNIM INNOVATION CO-CHAIR
Lesley Elwell
CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER JE DUNN TALENT CO-CHAIR
Joan Redhair
VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES BRR ARCHITECTURE TALENT CO-CHAIR
WORKGROUPS
Talent Workgroup
The Talent Workgroup creates and implements short and long-term recruitment plans to create a robust, diverse, and sustainable workforce pipeline. Through partnerships with universities and nonprofits focused on industry education, the Talent Workgroup reaches students in schools and universities to share the story of why AEC and why KC.
Awareness Workgroup
The Awareness Workgroup establishes KC’s position in the national and international market to attract talent, supplier relocations, and new business for partner firms.
Innovation Workgroup
The Innovation Workgroup leverages advances across firms to demonstrate KC’s industry leadership. In 2021 the Innovation Workgroup has four focus areas: Rethinking the Public Realm, Support of the Regional Climate Action Plan, Creating an equitable database of drawings for development & disruption of industry.
Welcome to The Heartland.
This is Kansas City
We have all the connectedness of being a “hometown” with all the benefits of being a major metro. Big without being too big. Small without being too small. Lots of neighborhoods without a lot of traffic. Deep and rich culture where you can get inspired and get involved.
