WE ARE a passionate community of friends & designers who believe in the power of design to positively impact the world.
YOU ARE looking for someone who will listen to your passions and empower them through design to transform your community.

Let's get connected.

Meet our team, you'll like them! (if you don't, they're fired...)
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Steve Oliver, President
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Steve Oliver, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB

President

​Director of the Healthcare Design Group
Steve joined BLDD right out of graduate school and has watched the firm grow from 17 people working out of one office, to over 80 people working out of five offices. He has a gift for managing people and problems, where he strives to effectively find positive solutions. Steve is a goal oriented leader and has a vision for the bigger picture and an intense drive to see every project exceed client expectations. A good listener – Steve truly wants to make sure all voices are heard and their project dreams are accounted for. His experience has been founded on strong relationships with clients – relationships built on honesty and integrity.

​Outside of the office, Steve enjoys spending time with his wife and family. Steve’s hobbies include fishing, traveling, exercising, playing the guitar, and he is a pretty good cook – especially when it involves the grill. Steve is also actively involved in leadership at his church.  An avid Illini fan, Steve enjoys attending sporting events from his alma mater. 
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Sam Johnson, Principal
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Sam Johnson, AIA, LEED AP, REFP

Principal

​Director of the PK-12 Design Group
Sam joined BLDD in 1986, and quickly found a niche in educational facility planning and design, when he was inspired by the opportunity to make a difference in the future of educational communities.  In his role as Director of the firm’s PK-12 Design Group, Sam has had the great fortune to work on incredible projects and work with amazing people across the Midwest.  His goal is to use that experience to help communities secure their educational future.

​Sam's life is full and he likes to bite off as much as he can chew.  He sees life as a collection of experiences, with a new chapter written every day, so he works to create experiences worth living. Whether it’s exploring new places with his wife, traveling to visit family, playing trumpet in the office band, playing softball, waterskiing, listening to live music, working out, relaxing on his deck, following University of Illinois athletics, or any other activity that inspires, Sam is active.  He enjoys growing, learning, and experiencing.....well, except for golf. 
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Bruce Maxey, Principal
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Bruce Maxey, AIA, LEED AP

Principal
Bruce started working for BLDD after graduate school and thanks to his strong affinity for numbers and spreadsheets he now serves as the Treasurer for the firm as well as the Principal overseeing Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Information Technology (IT). This passion, along with his educational background in structural design, makes him the perfect person to manage many of the firm’s largest projects.

​When he’s not at work it’s pretty common to see Bruce with his two daughters or spending time with his wife, Jill, at an Illinois basketball game – they are season ticket holders. He also enjoys designing and building furniture or kicking back with a glass of wine and some sushi. 
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Barbara Meek, Principal
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Barbara Meek, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, LEED AP

Principal
Barb’s passion for mentoring began when she taught high school math and computer science. But her love for architecture eventually brought her to BLDD Architects. Her teaching background has given her a unique point of view when working with both clients and in developing and nurturing the BLDD staff. Not one to back down from any challenge, Barb expertly juggles many projects for BLDD including PK-12, Higher Education, Religious, Healthcare and Business to Business – she really enjoys complex remodeling projects.

​With her family’s roots planted deep on a farm in Iowa that Barb still owns and manages, it’s easy to see where her love for cooking (ask her about her grape jelly and smoked cheese) and vegetable farming stems. She manages to balance work and life, which is a challenge considering she has a blended family of five kids, 20 in her “nuclear” family, and eight adorable granddaughters. But when she gets an itch to get away, she loves to travel and has been to every state, almost every large city, and national park in the U.S. And if none of this seems like enough, she serves on the City of Bloomington Zoning Board of Appeals and was on the original appointed Cultural District Board for the City of Bloomington.
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Carson Durham, Principal
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Carson  Durham, AIA

Principal

Director of the Religious Design Group
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Lead Designer
With a little bit of southern charm and an infectious smile, Carson’s passion lies in creating great places that make a difference in his community. His architectural designs are inspired by history, nature, technology and human behavior. This Georgia native believes architecture and design is all about invention and innovation - inspiring built environment is all a part of human expression. He is also inspired by his lasting relationships with his clients; and you can definitely find him in his element when he is connecting with people of all walks of life.

​Outside the office you can find Carson watching college sports, playing basketball, traveling, and finding a little happiness in just about every situation in life. But what really sparks that smile are his “two girls” – wife, Nicole, and daughter, Greer. They always make him laugh.
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Mark Ritz, Principal
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Mark Ritz, AIA, LEED AP

Principal
Mark is most inspired about the way architecture serves as a vehicle to help people achieve their dreams and aspirations. He believes that architecture is not about the physical structures; it's about what happens inside them. He enjoys getting involved in the in-depth problem solving required to develop solutions for clients that bring about high-quality outcomes, but more than anything he loves the excitement on our clients’ faces in early phases of design when BLDD helps them envision what the project could be. His commitment to our clients doesn’t end there;  he feels equally rewarded to experience their reactions as the building takes shape and comes to life, exceeding their expectations.

​Mark enjoys spending time with his wife, Raquel, and his children; Stefan, Isabella, Beckham, and Cohen. He especially enjoys sharing his passion for sports with Stefan and playing golf with Isabella. He admits that he isn’t a great golfer, but that occasional beautiful shot makes him forever optimistic that he will get better. Lately, he spends most of his time with Raquel and their two young sons Beckham and Cohen, traveling, eating well, listening to live music, and spending time with friends and family. Mark’s community is important to him, and he contributes through his service to Rotary or by fundraising for the Boys and Girls Club.
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Scott Likins, Principal
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Scott Likins, AIA, LEED AP

Principal
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Director of the Senior Living Design Group
Scott is the early bird in the office, which helps him get a little work done before staff arrives each morning. As managing Principal of BLDD’s Chicago office, each day centers on directing and mentoring staff to insure projects run smoothly and efficiently. Scott works hard with each team to deliver complex projects within tight schedules. As Director of BLDD’s senior living design group, Scott also markets his experience and passion to deliver culture change within senior living environments.

​After work, Scott enjoys time with his wife and three sons who love to fish, play baseball and golf. Scott also squeezes in time to serve on committees at his local church, the Lockport Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as the alumni board of his college fraternity, Alpha Delta Phi.
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John Whitlock, Principal
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John Whitlock, AIA, LEED AP

Principal
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Director of the Higher Education Design Group
John epitomizes one of BLDD's Core Values, passion and fun. It is this zest for life that John brings to his position as BLDD's Director of Higher Education Design Group. John infuses his enthusiasm into his work and his attitude will bring life to your projects. He also has extensive experience in the fitness and recreation market. John's unique personality and ability to develop creative solutions for the most difficult of projects has made him an indispensable resource to his clients.

​When John isn't developing 21st century learning environments for his clients, he is busy practicing what he preaches...reading a good book, watching his kids play a plethora of sports, water skiing, playing guitar, or singing in the office band. You can be sure that John is always seeking solutions that will benefit and advance the education environment.
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Todd Cyrulik, Principal
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Todd Cyrulik, AIA, LEED AP

Principal

Lead Designer

Co-director of the PreK-12 Design Group.
Todd has been a passionate designer and planner for BLDD for almost 20 years. He has spent his life devoted to improving the built environment around him and is dedicated to helping every project reach its full potential as an asset to the community in which it resides. Todd believes that the architect's supreme mission is to elevate the aspirations of everyone that comes in contact with the built environment, clients, users, community members and even pets.

​Todd's passion for planning and designing extends to his personal life as well. He enjoys serving alongside his neighbors and friends to plan community festivals, neighborhood clean-ups, and bringing Santa to town. He is also a former member of his local school board. Todd loves discovering new things and looks forward to sharing his passion for discovery with his entire family. In their free time, he and his wife, Angie, can be found trekking all corners of the United States in search of fun and memories with their own little group of explorers: oldest son, Evan and triplets, Claire, Owen, and Olivia.
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John Maynerich, Associate
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John Maynerich, AIA, LEED AP

Associate
Like so many budding architects, John realized his love for his craft when he was a kid, creating buildings from Legos and Lincoln Logs or any other miscellaneous item around the house that would satisfy his imagination of the built environment. Today, John’s clients cite his attention to detail and perfectionism as a few of the many reasons they love working with him. He has managed to blend his love of art (passed down from his grandfather who was an amateur painter), graphic design, and software knowledge to develop some amazing and relevant projects for them. 

​John came from a large and loving Catholic family that instilled a great sense of faith and loyalty in him. He and his wife Margo have started a large family of their own with four children. He enjoys sharing his love of art, architecture and design with them. His good nature and experience inventing games with his six siblings is easily shared in the office, where he has come up the Office Olympic Games and various contests – all in the effort to promote laughter and camaraderie. He also enjoys putting his graphic design skills to the test designing bottle labels for his family’s winery, traveling, sports, and just appreciating the finer things in life, whether that’s food, drink, art or industry.
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Ryan Fuqua, Associate
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Ryan Fuqua, AIA

Associate

​Structural Designer
Ryan started his career with BLDD as a summer intern while still in graduate school, joining the firm full time once he graduated. Ryan has an enthusiasm for structural design and has become a leader of the firm’s structural group. He enjoys problem solving and developing creative solutions to difficult problems. Ryan's favorite part of the job? Visiting construction sites. He enjoys seeing what he has designed become a reality as well as learning how to improve his designs to make them more efficient.

​Outside of work, Ryan enjoys the outdoors. Most evenings he can typically be found taking his children to ball practice or to their next ice hockey game. When not at the ballpark, Ryan can be found riding his bike or working in the yard. Sundays are all about NASCAR. Ryan has made it a point to visit at least one new track every year. 
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Jean Underwood, Senior Associate
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Jean Underwood, AIA, LEED AP O+M

Senior Associate
Jean strives to not only meet her clients’ needs but to also exceed their expectations. She loves being a project architect and finds it truly fulfilling when a project is complete and her client is happy. Her goal is to make every client a repeat client. As the Architect Licensing Adviser, she has a passion for mentoring interns and young architects. 

​A big fan of the outdoors, Jean camps, hikes, travels, and kayaks with her family during the warmer months, but she runs year-round. She also quilts and has her own small business, showing her work at local craft shows and fairs. She is involved in her son, Peyton’s, school serving as PTA treasurer.