My name is Kevin Michael Welch, and I have been working in the architecture, engineering, and interior design profession since 1999. To put it in its simplest terms, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else in life except design, and I live a life fully immersed and devoted to it. I am incredibly passionate and motivated by the work I do and the people around me who have supported and encouraged my efforts. I also attribute this devotion, passion, and motivation to the development and play in my childhood, which I firmly believe in turn acted as a catalyst and propelled me into a life of art, design and technical awareness that I am able to express in my service to the design profession.
The path that has led me to where I am today is not the most traditional, as I began working in the profession long before I went to architecture school. So, in essence, I am the product of the profession through great mentorship and training. My experience, creativity, skill, and motivation is what has propelled me through my career and allowed me to hold positions that most firms require a degree for. In general, there isn’t much I can’t do when put to the task, as I am a bit of a renaissance man, very self-sufficient, with strong business acumen and can work independently with speed, accuracy and great attention to detail.
Through my career, I have been incredibly privileged and fortunate to work with so many talented architects, engineers, and designers, who have all motivated, inspired, and fostered an environment that has allowed me to grow as a design professional. I come highly recommended by many of these professionals as well as business leaders and educators from higher learning institutions and have references from them upon request.
I am a proven leader in the design, production, and construction of architecture and interior design projects. With over 18 years serving in variously roles in the design industry, the bulk of my experience has been with hospitality, mixed-use developments, urban high-density residential, large-scale commercial office, industrial, public infrastructure, exhibition, retail, healthcare, and restaurant project types. I also have experience working in luxury interior design as well as luxury custom homes and renovations. With many of the projects I have been a part of, I have helped the firms I worked for and their leadership achieve regional and national recognition from professional industry related organizations and public institutions.
In my current role, I conceive, develop and produce concepts and deliverables for the bulk of projects that the firm is commissioned to create. In addition to this, I also mentor, supervise and direct design and production team members with the project objectives, project vision, written narratives, storyboards, precedent studies, graphic design, and three-dimensional visualization renderings for architectural design, interior design, marketing, and other creative projects for the firm. I utilize the latest technology and software which continues to excite not only myself but the firms' principals and staff which allows me to have a higher technical edge in the production of the work I do. As a problem solver, I like to approach any design or construction issue with a well thought out creative solution. However, I do prefer a more open and collaborative environment where great ideas are generated as a group and put those ideas to use in developing the final design solution as a team.
Novus Architecture + Interiors, Las Vegas, Studio Leader
As Studio Leader, I lead our firm in day-to-day operations, spearhead our collaborative design processes, contribute to and manage the technical work as well as provide our team with technical guidance, and mentorship to staff, and promote inter-office collaboration. In addition to this, I also bring a business philosophy focused on leadership, healthy work/life balance, and fostering a positive learning/academic type studio culture through employing inclusionary strategies with all staff members regardless of position or title.
Ed Vance & Associates Architects, Las Vegas, NV, US, Design Director
As Design Director, I used a high level of creativity and experience to conceive and execute design projects, while being mindful of the clients’ needs, requirements, budget, schedule, and site issues.
• Acted as a mentor: guiding, coaching and motivating design and technical team members.
• Helped the firm attract new talent through proactive measures, by upholding a reputation of the design excellence for myself and the firm.
Design and Design Management:
• Conceive project designs, their development by overseeing and guide design and technical teams to maintain design intent.
• Establish standards and procedures for the design department, its documents, and presentations.
• Represent the firm with neighborhood advisory boards, city councils, county commissions and various governmental agencies involved in the approval and influence of projects.
• Supports an environment of design exploration, innovation, and high level of creativity to achieve excellence in collaboration with others in the design process.
• Manages existing design technology and continually explores, improves on and evaluates the best technology solutions for the design department.
• Manages and supports the design and technical portions of assigned projects to respect budget and schedule constraints.
• Embraces and incorporates sustainable design principles for select projects.
Client Relations:
• Builds and strengthens connections and relationships with clients through a comprehensive understanding of their needs and goals.
• Pro-actively seeks information about client requirements and demonstrate how the information and specifications are interpreted into design solutions presented.
• Communicates design solutions to clients in a clear, compelling and inspiring way.
Staff Relations:
• Participate in annual employee performance evaluations.
• Work directly with clients, the firm executive principals
• Participate in office design charettes with senior design, junior design, and technical production staff.
Design Consultant, Las Vegas, Designer
• Provided independent design support services to professional architects, interior designers, contractors, and engineers.
• Collaborated on design concepts with design professionals on various projects within their respective areas of expertise.
• Utilize experience and skills to earn income during the great economic recession while attending architecture school at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Ed Vance & Associates Architects, Las Vegas, NV, US, Senior Designer
• Provided leadership for the entire design process to ensure design continuity.
• Created, developed and implemented project design concepts.
• Established and maintained ongoing, positive and productive client relationships.
• Assured design conforms to a contractual agreement with the client.
• Assured that project needs are satisfied by effectively managing design staff to ensure efficient utilization of resources.
• Understood and implemented processes to reduce risks and exposure.
• Monitored initial design through completion of construction.
• Effectively and proactively coached, mentored and provided performance-enhancing feedback to team members.
JMA Architecture Studios, Las Vegas, NV, US, Designer I/Job Captain
• Began working at JMA as a senior Architectural Drafter III, promoted to Job Captain for the Hospitality Studio within the firm shortly thereafter.
• Managed assigned projects construction document creation and development process, set daily tasks for drafting with architectural and interior design team members.
• Later worked into the core Design Studio as a Designer I where I explored and enhanced my creativity and experience conceiving design projects.
Design work:
• Created three-dimensional computer models to render digitally for marketing and project presentation.
• Researched and incorporated sustainable design principles for select projects.
• Assisted core design studio team members with their assigned projects when needed.
• Maintained/monitored design intent with technical team members.
Client relations:
• Built and strengthened connections with clients through a comprehensive understanding of their needs and goals.
• Pro-actively sought information about client requirements and demonstrated how they are interpreted in the design solutions presented.
Staff Relations:
• Assigned work tasks to design and technical team members and reviewed / red-lined completed work.
BJG Engineering & Architecture, Reno/Las Vegas, NV, US, Senior Architectural Drafter III
• Assisted architects and engineers with client interaction and consultant coordination processes.
• Assisted the architects, structural engineers, civil engineers and others in the team to deliver a quality product on schedule and within the project budget and the budgeted hours provided for in the contract.
• Created and coordinated architectural, structural engineering and civil engineering construction documents.
• Analyzed and implemented building/zoning codes, as well as accessibility regulations.
• Ensured compliance with design intent and coordination with the specification.
• Interfaced with the client and building agencies.
• Responded to bid inquiries regarding pre-bid approvals and prepared addendum’s.
• Conducted on-site observations as directed by architects, structural engineers, civil engineers, and prepared field observation reports when appropriate.
• Assisted in project close-out efforts including punch lists.
Vachon Drafting, Reno, NV, US, Structural Steel Detailer
• Prepared detailed plans, drawings and other documents for the manufacture and erection of steel members (columns, beams, braces, trusses, stairs, handrails, joists, metal decking, etc.) used in the construction of buildings, bridges, industrial plants, and non- building structures.
• Identified the scope of work from construction drawings created by architects, structural engineers, civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, landscape architects, and interior designers.
• Analyzed, interpreted and identified structural steel within a projects construction documents and recorded on a ledger.
• Knowledge of general engineering principles and the methods of structural and miscellaneous steel fabrication, however, acquired, were essential to the practice of steel detailing.
• Itemized into a bill of materials list and detailed each individual piece of steel on a project on for fabrication and installation purposes.
• Visited job sites and checked elevations and dimensions.
• Submitted copies of the drawings to the architects and engineers for review and approval.
• Communicated with contractors, architects, engineers, and other tradesmen to obtain accurate information needed to create shop drawings.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, US, Architecture
Architecture Studies related to Bachelor of Science - Currently Attending Full-Time courses
Key Realty School, Las Vegas, NV, US, Real Estate
Nevada Real Estate Salesperson license acquired
Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV, US, Architecture
Architecture Studies, degree not acquired, Transferred to UNLV in 2003
