Monthly Archives

December 2017

Inaugural WHOA Award Presented

By | News

At this year’s Christmas party, our leadership team presented the inaugural WHOA Award, a recognition created in memory of our friend and colleague, Jerry Hammerlun. Jerry joined Huckabee in 2001 and served our firm, our team and our clients with integrity, focus and enthusiasm. He was an incredible man whose legacy lives on in so many ways.

The WHOA Award is a special distinction that recognizes an individual who “took hold of the reins” and expertly guided the team with wisdom, integrity and spirit—in the same way that Jerry guided our team throughout his tenure at Huckabee. The honor was bestowed on Larry Cousin in our Fort Worth office. Larry was critical to our team this year, and we were pleased to recognize his contribution, commitment and wisdom.

The award was originally presented to Jerry many years ago by Chris Huckabee in the form of actual reins. Our founder, Tommie Huckabee, felt the reins needed a place to rest, aptly, a horse. Tommie, a skilled woodworker, sculpted the piece as a gift to Jerry. The reins were a perfect fit, and the award became a legacy, referred to as others at Huckabee exhibited similar fortitude and ingenuity. Its resurgence is one of the many ways that Jerry continues to touch our lives.

Huckabee Achievement Awards

By | News

As our 50th year came to a close, we took one more opportunity to celebrate as a family at our annual Christmas party. More than 350 people gathered for the celebration, which brought together employees and their loved ones from each of our five offices. It’s one of our favorite events of the year, a time when we reflect on the incredible people we’ve met, projects we’ve embarked on and experiences we’ve shared. 

During the event, our team honored employees for years of service and achievement. Notably, Huckabee recognized Daren Kirbo for 20 years of service. Daren joined the firm in the summer of 1997, working first in Stephenville and later in Fort Worth before opening our Austin office in 2011. He is beloved by our team and clients, and he is known for his spirit and deep care for each of the communities he serves.

Congratulations to Daren and all of our colleagues who were recognized for their years of service!

  • Erin Evans, five years of service
  • Courtney Foster, five years of service
  • Brian Green, five years of service
  • Lauren Hoyle, five years of service
  • Laura McCollum, five years of service
  • Megan Smith, five years of service
  • Levi Swinney, five years of service
  • Roberto Zuniga, five years of service
  • Jay Graham, 10 years of service
  • Pam Riley, 10 years of service
  • Daren Kirbo, 20 years of service

During the event, our team had the privilege of recognizing a dear colleague and friend who left us too early in 2017. In memory of Jerry Hammerlun, we established the WHOA Award, a special distinction that recognizes an individual who “took hold of the reins” and expertly guided the team with wisdom, integrity and spirit—in the same way that Jerry guided our team throughout his tenure at Huckabee. The honor was bestowed on Larry Cousin in our Fort Worth office. Larry was critical to our team this year, and we were pleased to recognize his commitment and wisdom.

Other employees were honored with the Huckabee Achievement Award and the Best Practices Award. The prestigious Achievement Award recognizes an individual who is characterized by their commitment to excellence and dedication to our clients and to our team. It was presented to Les Reddin from our Austin office, an individual who represents all of these attributes and more. The Best Practices Award was given to Javier Rosero in Houston for taking an innovative approach to establishing new ideas and processes.

Groundbreaking in Boerne ISD

By | Clients

Boerne ISD and Huckabee broke ground on Capt. Mark Tyler Voss Middle School this month. In a special ceremony, the district recognized the school’s namesake, the late Mark “Tyler” Voss, who was a Boerne graduate and Aircraft Commander in the U.S. Air Force.

The school serves grades 6-8 with a full complement of fine arts, CTE and athletic amenities. The library, which is centrally located to three classroom wings, offers access to a unique exterior courtyard. The outdoor space features tiered seating and a small platform that can be used as a stage. The 2-story facility was built on a greenfield site in one of the fastest growing communities in the district. It opens in fall 2019 and will be the district’s third middle school.

Huckabee Wins Trifecta Award

By | News

Huckabee was one of only nine firms to accept Zweig Group’s esteemed Trifecta Award at the 2017 Hot Firm Conference. This distinction recognizes companies that have received Best Firms to Work For, Hot Firms and Marketing Excellence awards within the same year. We are happy to share this special honor with every member of our team.

Notably, Huckabee was proud to rank as the #1 Best Firm to Work For in the architecture category. A combination of employee surveys and corporate evaluations were conducted to determine rankings for the award. Huckabee is continuously dedicated to being more than a workplace, and you can learn more about what this award means to us here.

Zweig’s Hot Firm Award recognizes the fastest growing companies in the architecture, engineering and planning industry. This year, Huckabee was ranked #8 out of 100. 

Huckabee also entered into the Special Event Category for the Marketing Excellence Award, submitting our campaign for the internal launch of our 50th anniversary celebration. The event was recognized for its “outstanding and effective” marketing effort. It featured spontaneous launch parties at each office with a “swag grab” and branding campaign focused on the meaning of 50 years. The campaign continued throughout the year, culminating in a 50th anniversary celebration, Huckapalooza, for our employees and their families.

Chris Huckabee, Chief Executive Officer; Kim Hopper, Chief Human Resources Officer; and Kenny Martin, Director of Project Practice, travelled to Seattle to accept the awards on behalf of the team.

“Receiving the Trifecta Award in our 50th year is the icing on the cake. This kind of recognition is the perfect way to kick off the next 50 years,” said Kim.

Wagner Middle School Opens

By | Clients

Students from George Wagner Middle School in Georgetown ISD moved in to their new facility, welcomed by a parade of students, community members, teachers and Mr. Wagner himself. The campus is one of two new schools that support a more progressive approach to teaching and learning.

In recent years, Georgetown ISD adopted a learner profile that promotes critical thinking, innovation, exploration and personal responsibility. The schools, including Wagner Middle School and Purl Elementary School, along with renovations to Tippit Middle School, Georgetown High School and an administration building, are designed to support the new learning model. They are highly collaborative and flexible, technology rich and supportive of not only student learning, but also, professional development for educators.

At Wagner, Learning centers for STEM, humanities and a 6th grade wing include classrooms, labs and teacher planning rooms. Movable walls, flexible furniture and overhead reels for power maximize adaptability for small and large group instruction. In each space, four central classrooms can open into one large area, promoting collaboration and transparency.

Other unique features include an expansive art patio and learning courtyard adjacent to the library. The library also features a maker space and movable walls that open to create a multi-purpose area that overlooks the student commons. The commons and cafeteria feature a learning stair, pre-event space and large stage that adapts to multiple purposes. The central Design Lab, located adjacent to the core of the building, has direct views into the commons, providing a key opportunity for teachers and administrators to collaborate and design engaging learning experiences while modeling the expectations of all learners in the building. Direct views allow the teachers to passively supervise students who choose to learn in the commons between, and even during, dining activities.