In this third chapter of Foundations + Futures: By the Decade, we step into the 1990s, a decade of dial-up connections, AutoCAD debuts, and a firm that was growing up fast. For Schmidt Associates, it was the era of intention.

Kevin Shelley, chief operations officer and principal, and Steve Schaecher, design architect and firm principal, join host Sarah Hempstead to bring the decade to life. Both joined the firm at the start of the decade and have been part of its story ever since. Together, they share the stories behind the firm's expanding ambitions and the culture that made it worth staying for.

Listeners will hear about:

• Just get over the wall: the retreat story that captures Wayne Schmidt's leadership in one unforgettable moment
• The NCAA announcement: a foam basketball, a surprise, a private plane to Princeton, and the firm's first brush with a star architect
• Perry Clark Aquatic Center: the project that quietly launched an entirely new market segment
• Adding disciplines: how landscape architecture, interior design, and MEP engineering transformed the firm in a single decade
• The throughline: servant leadership, owner focus, and the people who made it all possible

This decade was about structure, layering intention onto entrepreneurial energy and trusting that a firm built on the right values could grow without losing itself. The 1990s gave Schmidt Associates its staying power, and you can still feel it in every studio today.

🔗 Subscribe and follow us at @SchmidtAssociates on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. #Schmidt50

In this second chapter of Foundations + Futures: By the Decade, we step into the 1980s—cassette tapes, big hair, and a decade that wasn't afraid to reinvent itself. For Schmidt Associates, it was the era of finding direction.

Wes Harrison, structural engineer and longtime collaborator, joins host Sarah Hempstead to bring the decade to life. From hand-drafted drawings and eraser crumbs to a bold bet on a dilapidated building on Massachusetts Avenue, Wes shares the stories behind the firm's early momentum and the leader who made it possible.

Listeners will hear about:

• The IPS school projects that launched Schmidt Claffey's first big break and a K–12 legacy
• Wayne Schmidt's vision for an old building on Mass Ave that helped spark a neighborhood's transformation
• The Soldiers and Sailors Monument restoration and the controversy over tilted glass that ultimately became beloved
• The Tippecanoe County Courthouse renovation and the hidden floor discovered inside the walls
• The Indiana University Auditorium project and the bouncing balcony that became an engineering challenge worth solving
• Wayne's servant leadership quietly shaped a generation of young professionals

This decade was about direction, discovering what the firm was built for and building the trust to prove it. The 1980s gave Schmidt Associates its pattern, and you can still see it in every studio today.

🔗 Subscribe and follow us at @SchmidtAssociates on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. #WeAreSchmidt

In this first chapter of Foundations + Futures: By the Decade, we travel back to 1976—when Schmidt Associates was born from a bold idea, one chair, two employees, and a deep belief that architecture should serve people first.

Dean Illingworth, a longtime Schmidt Associates team member and firsthand witness to the firm's earliest days, joins host Sarah Hempstead to bring the 1970s to life. From hand-drafted drawings on repurposed doors to animal safaris for third graders, Dean shares the stories that reveal who Wayne Schmidt was—not just as a founder, but as a leader who practiced servant leadership long before it had a name.

Listeners will hear about:

• The real story behind "one chair, two employees"—and the doors that became drafting tables
• How a staged job interview landed Dean his first day at the firm (and why he was left alone in the office)
• The Hammond Block, Mass Ave, and the birth of the firm's historic preservation expertise
• The restoration of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument—a project that shaped the firm's identity and its place in Indianapolis
• The roots of Schmidt's K–12 education practice and early community-centered work

This decade was about conviction—showing up for communities, leading with empathy, and building something bigger than a business. The 1970s gave Schmidt Associates its DNA, and you can still feel it today.

🔗 Subscribe and follow us at @SchmidtAssociates on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. #WeAreSchmidt