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.

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Steve Oliver,
President
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Steve Oliver, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

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 60 people working out of five locations. He has a gift for managing people and problems, where he strives to effectively finding 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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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.
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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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Carson Durham, Principal
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Carson Durham, AIA

Principal

​Director of the Religious Design Group
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 the Boys and Girls Club.
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Scott Likins,
Principal
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Scott Likins, AIA, NCARB

Principal

​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 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.
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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, NCARB, LEED AP

Principal

​Director of the Higher Education Design Group
John is someone to be counted on... you can count on him to be a valuable resource to you and your team, a leader that will make your vision a reality, a partner that will bring levity to any situation, and someone you'd like to have an adult cocktail with after a long work week.  John leads BLDD's Higher Education Design Group, but also has a passion for fitness and athletic facilities and an expertise in the design of secure and safe educational environments.  John will be your partner and friend from the conception of an idea to its ultimate conclusion. 

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When John isn't developing 21st century learning environments, he is busy practicing what he preaches…reading a good book, watching his kids play a plethora of sports, water skiing, or playing guitar. 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
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Lead Designer

​Director of the PK-12 Design Group
Todd has been a passionate designer and planner for BLDD for over 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 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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Damien Schlitt, Principal
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Damien Schlitt, AIA, LEED AP

Principal

​Associate Director of the PK12 Design Group
​Damien started with BLDD right out of graduate school and has been a part of the rapid growth the firm has been experiencing in the past several years, including serving as the Co-Director of the K-12 design group.
His focus and passion are in PK-12 education - long range planning, programming, user group engagement, design and construction of PK-12 educational spaces and the impacts those environments can have on the learners of our communities. Damien works hard to further his own knowledge in the ever-changing landscape of the education field. With a deep passion for the importance of education and the ways in which it can directly and indirectly better a community, Damien looks to support his clients with creative design or planning solutions, striving to deliver ideas that exceed his clients' expectations . As a problem solver, he enjoys the challenge of the next project, the design opportunities that it provides, and the chance to help a district accomplish more goals, for less.
   
Damien is a lifelong learner - reading and exploring a variety of subjects - from education, sports, history, and finance, to his deep love of technology and sneakers. A husband and father of two, he lives his life to provide for and enjoy every moment with his family to the fullest.This includes time at the soccer pitch, or watching the gymnastics competitions of his children. Damien and his family find solace hiking or biking through the woods near their home, or kayaking the Sangamon, or countless other regional rivers with close family friends.
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Ryan Fuqua,
Senior Associate
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Ryan Fuqua, AIA

Senior Associate
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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Justin Placek,
Senior Associate
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Justin Placek, LEED AP, Senior Associate

Licensed Architect
Justin has always had a passion for architecture and the ability to help create and manipulate the built environment. He is very detailed-oriented and enjoys the complexities of understanding how a building is constructed using various materials. Justin strives to create an exceptional client experience from design through construction.

Outside of the office, Justin enjoys spending time with family and friends. He is a college sports fanatic who follows anything involving the University of Illinois. If the Illini are not playing, there is a good chance he is either watching other college games or professional sports. When Justin isn't cheering on college teams, he can be found hiking and backpacking. 
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Kimberly Kurtenbach, Associate
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Kimberly Kurtenbach, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, REFP, Associate

Licensed Architect
Kim truly believes that the most rewarding experience as an architect is being of service to others and influencing their lives with the built environment she inspired. Living in India with her family and traveling around the world was her early inspiration, after Legos, Lincoln Logs, and dollhouses. As the daughter of lifelong educators, she had planned to teach high school art, but was encouraged by her parents to consider an architecture education. Designing a school in college allowed her to combine the two things she loved, architecture and education. After college Kim sought out BLDD Architects and has dedicated herself to the profession, and committed herself to seeing every project succeed. 

Kim’s commitment in service to others extends outside of the office as well. She currently serves on the Architecture Licensing Board for the State of Illinois, the Rochester Public Library District Board of Trustees, the Boy Scouts of America Abraham Lincoln Council Executive Board, and BSA Troop 58 Committee. She is a past president of the Illinois Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIAIL) and finds various opportunities to share with others how cool it is to be an architect.

Kim enjoys hanging out with her husband (Tom), two sons (Gregory and Johnathan), and their extended neighborhood family. Whether their time is spent relaxing to an action movie, scuba diving, or participating in various BSA activities, there is never a dull moment in the Kurtenbach house. Art is Kim’s oasis. She can be found making scale miniatures and renovating dollhouses. When the weather is nice, Kim loves to be n her garden growing a variety of flowers. She keeps a sketch book on her night stand, for when inspiration strikes, and can’t help but pull out the old Legos from time to time.
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Liz Kessinger, Associate
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Liz Kessinger, Associate

Project Administrator
Liz started with BLDD on a two-week temporary assignment and several years later that assignment proved to become a challenging and rewarding career for her.

In Liz’s world laughter makes everything better and she shares that laughter with her husband and son, as well as her furry family members, a chocolate lab and several cats. She loves to cook and work around her house and yard on the weekends. Any chance she gets she heads off to a Cardinal’s game to cheer on her favorite baseball team. Don’t forget to ask her about her lifelong goal of making Dwight Yoakam, know he is her soul mate.
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Emiel Guede, Associate
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Emiel Guede, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Associate

Licensed Architect
Emiel started with BLDD in 2002 and every day since has enjoyed the multi-faceted project experiences that working at BLDD offers. During his time with BLDD, he has collaborated on projects that range from research laboratories to senior living facilities to elementary schools. Emiel is passionate about building science and enjoys creating details that are both energy efficient and sustainable while also enhancing the overall building design.
 
In his free time Emiel loves reading, watching early silent films, gardening, cooking, and exploring as many of Chicago’s great restaurants as possible. Each spring one of the highlights of his year occurs when Emiel takes a day off to hunt for the ever elusive morel mushroom with fellow co-worker, Scott Likins.
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Ryan Jacobs,
Associate
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Ryan Jacobs, LEED AP

Licensed Architect
Ryan views building design as a “puzzle” to be put together to provide innovative and attractive solutions for the client’s needs. Every project in which Ryan is involved is another creative opportunity and design challenge to find inspired solutions working with the internal BLDD team, consultants, and contractors. Seeing the design and construction documents become a reality during the construction process is a passion of Ryan’s.


Outside of the office, Ryan is passionate about traveling, cooking, golfing, sports, getting some quality pool time with the family in the summer, and trying to fill the winter months with as much downhill skiing as possible. Ryan stays busy at home with continuous home improvement projects and loves spending time with his wife, Alison, and kids, Mea and Mason before they're too old to need their parents.

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Shannon Richards Director of Business Development
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Shannon Richards

Director of Business Development
Shannon joined BLDD with a wealth of experience building relationships. She loves getting people excited about the things that excite her. As BLDD’s Director of Business Development, Shannon enjoys making connections and bringing good people together. Previously, she worked in corporate retail for over a decade, creating and implementing change management, growing client base, and increasing retention.
 
Shannon can often be found drinking iced coffee, scrolling Instagram with an aspiration to be a “cool mom”, and staying up to date on reality TV. Donuts, White Claws, and shopping are also part of her love language. She stays busy with her daughter, dog, and husband, creating fun memories with new adventures.
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Beth Payne
Director of People & Culture
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Beth Payne

Director of People & Culture
Beth joined BLDD with 15+ years of HR experience, including the functions of Recruiting, Employee Relations and Engagement, Benefit Administration and Compliance. Beth graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management, and a minor in Insurance. Upon graduating, Beth started her career at Motorola in Schaumburg, IL as an Employee Relations Specialist. Upon moving back to her hometown of Decatur, she worked as an HR & Safety Manager for Ag Growth International headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada. Beth is the Vice Chair for the Macon County Workforce Board and is also a member of the local SHRM chapter. 

Beth enjoys spending time with her husband (Maurice), her two children (Leah-10, Logan-8), and her dog Addison. She is an avid Cub's fan and enjoys attending sporting events at Wrigley Field and her alma mater, Illinois State University. Additionally, she enjoys watching her children flourish in sports and other extra curricular activities including Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis and Band. To start her day, Beth enjoys an Iced Caramel Macchiato each morning and spends her free time shopping for the latest trends, gardening and traveling.