INTERVIEW BY FRAN PRUYN, CPSM Key Takeaways • Integrity, environmental responsibility, collaborative culture and intentional growth are GSBS’s hallmarks. • The firm embraces a unique, interdisciplinary mix of design and consulting services. • Inclusive and diverse by design, GSBS employees come from 16 countries. GSBS was founded in January 1978. Four highly respected and charismatic architects formed the firm, which has now grown to nearly 100 people, with services that include architecture, community planning, landscape architecture, interior design, sustainability, graphic design, experiential design and economic consulting. The firm’s portfolio is extensive, and they have been known from the very early days for environmentally responsible design, the quality of documents, inventive design solutions, business savvy, community involvement, and involvement in local and national AIA offices and movements. Since ‘78, the firm has grown deliberately and steadily, with a clear focus on company culture, inclusion and professional integrity. That has meant never missing a payroll, never stiffing a consultant and not stepping on anyone to make it happen. 50 Years from Start-Up to Respected Firm As Mike Stransky, FAIA, remembered it in his “Legends” interview: “The work was grueling at times trying to get the work done, trying to figure out how to get the new job to keep a flow of projects into the office. Those are struggles, but those are all just meaningful moments in your career. You just find a way and make it happen. “I knew Abe (Gillies, who passed away in 2022) in school. He was one year ahead of me. He had a partner — Bob Brotherton. They were looking for help, and I said, ‘I am interested, but not just in a job.’ Within a year, I had bought into the firm. He plowed the ground; I joined the team. “We did everything. I ran projects. Abe ran the business and ran projects too. I started doing the marketing; I was the outside guy. Abe said, ‘You be AIA for the firm, I’ll take care of this, I’ll be the ballast.’ A couple of years later, through AIA, I got to know David. I knew Steve before, a little bit — he was a neighbor of Abe’s. We brought our firms and talents together. By ‘86, we got all the initials in there.” Salt Lake Public Safety Building 17
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