Every October, we take a moment to look back at where it all began. In 1968, Eugene J. Mackey III founded our firm with a simple but powerful belief that good design grows from collaboration, curiosity, and creativity. More than five decades later, those same values continue to guide how we think, collaborate, and care for the world around us.

Founders Day is our chance to honor that legacy not by talking about it, but by living it. Across our offices, teams stepped away from drawings and deadlines to serve the communities that inspire our work. In every city, the act of giving back became its own kind of design, shaping connection, empathy, and a shared sense of purpose.

In St. Louis, team members joined LitShop STL to mentor girls in building and making, and supported Springboard to Learning, which helps students find their voices through creativity and the arts.

In Dallas, volunteers worked with the Women’s Center of Tarrant County, helping create a welcoming environment for those seeking safety, healing, and hope.

And in Colorado Springs, our team joined Creek Week with the Fountain Creek Watershed District, helping clean and restore waterways that sustain both people and ecosystems.

After a morning of service, our teams came together again, sharing stories, laughter, and a few friendly rounds of pickleball over food and drinks. These small moments of joy and connection remind us that what we build together extends far beyond architecture.

As we celebrate another Founders Day, we carry forward Gene Mackey’s spirit of curiosity, collaboration, and heart. His legacy lives on not only in the buildings we design but in the ways we care for our communities and one another.