AIA EMERITUS
Vice President
Education:
- B.A. Architecture, 1975
- M.A. Architecture, 1976
- M.S. Management, 1982
Registration:
- NCARB Certificate
Affiliations:
- Emeritus Member, American Institute of Architects
- International Association of Venue Managers
Rick, co-founder of Conventional Wisdom Corp., brings over 45 years of expertise in land use planning, programming, conceptual design, feasibility studies, and budget and schedule analysis. He has held leadership roles as project executive, project manager, planner, and architect on convention centers, airports, and large-scale mixed-use developments.
A recognized industry leader, Rick has driven the establishment of performance-based criteria for convention center design and advocated for modernization programs that integrate cost-effective technologies. Most recently, he has developed analytical tools to model crowd behavior, optimizing event space size, mix, and divisibility to enhance operational efficiency and guest experience.
Recent Project Experience:
Austin Convention Center
Programmer and Senior Project Manager: Rick led the master planning and programming activities and developed the financial modeling for the various iterations of the expansion program over the past five years. The project ultimately settled on a redevelopment approach, demolishing the existing facility and expanding by densifying on the original site. The project nearly doubles exhibition space to 440,000 SF, adds a 50,000 SF ballroom and triples the previous amount of flexible meeting space. Rick directed the proof-of-concept team, coordinating with adjacent proposed developments for light rail, district cooling and reconstruction of Interstate 35 through downtown Austin.
Rick continues to advise the convention center on program compliance through design evolution and construction services.
Phoenix Convention Center
The City of Phoenix retained Conventional Wisdom (CW) to lead a multi-disciplinary team to master plan the expansion of the Phoenix Civic Plaza, now renamed as the Phoenix Convention Center. CW developed a plan for a multi-phased expansion/reconstruction of the existing facility to ultimately house one million square feet of exhibit space, a 50,000 square-foot ballroom, 300,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and two full-service hotels totaling over 1,000 rooms.
Through three separate Milestone Reports, CW guided the master planning and programming efforts for the expansion project and supported the Center’s management team through legislative approval and two design phases. CW also assisted with identifying and procuring FF&E through to the pre-opening activities.
CW continues to serve as management consultant to the convention center, conducting a staffing and organizational analysis, and post-occupancy evaluation of the facilities.
Colorado Convention Center Expansion
Rick was involved in all phases of the expansion project as part of the owner rep team, starting as strategic advisor for the design-build competition, negotiating scope revisions to meet the fixed-cost budget, reviewing the design for program compliance, coordinating integration of old/new technical (AV, IT) systems and assisting with selection and procurement of furniture and equipment for the expansion. The project involved constructing an 80,00 SF ballroom, banquet kitchen, service and support space in the air rights above the existing exhibit hall, solving complex challenges to vertical movement (threading exit stairs, elevators and escalators through the existing structure) and constructability requiring placement of a 300-ton mobile crane over the existing roof structure.
Broward County Convention Center Expansion & HQ Hotel
Programmer and Senior Project Manager: Rick was involved in the preconstruction phases of the expansion project as part of the owner rep team, starting as strategic advisor to Broward County for the developer selection, serving as design manager to verify program compliance, negotiating scope revisions to meet the fixed-cost budget and reviewing the design for operating efficiency.
The two-stage final design involved constructing a new loading dock, demolishing the back wall of the facility and creating deeper exhibit halls on a restricted site. This approach was simplified when the facility was closed during the COVID-19 outbreak and shutdown of public access. The second phase involves bridging across internal roadways and constructing a ballroom and meeting complex to address security issues related to the adjacent to the Port of Fort Lauderdale area serving cruise ships.
Pictured above: Phoenix Convention Center