Thomas Miller
Principal and Housing & Hospitality team leader, Kahler Slater
111 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
www.kahlerslater.com
Industry: Architecture
Employees: 120
What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year?
“Increasing the number of market sectors represented by our Madison office was a component of our team’s strategic plan that has really taken hold. We have office, hotel, residential, higher education and health care projects based out of our Madison office as we speak. The variety of projects there now resembles our Milwaukee office portfolio much more closely.”
What’s new at your company?
“The amount of multi-family residential we are doing locally has increased dramatically over the last two years. For years, we’ve been working around the country on housing projects, all the way from Florida to Minnesota. More recently though, we are bringing these projects home.”
Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year?
“We are increasingly busy and have several posted positions on our website. We’re looking for every-thing from group leaders to interns. All of our markets are trending upward.”
What will be your company’s main challenges in the next year?
“Finding new, talented team members. We’re busy, but we aren’t the only ones.”
What is the hottest trend in your industry?
“Hospitality is on fire. We have hotels in various states of design and construction in communities across the country – eight to 10 in the metro Milwaukee area alone. Multi-family housing is strong, too, hopefully for a while to come. Milwaukee is seeing a boom in urban development that rivals other cities across the nation.”
From a business standpoint, who do you look up to?
“A bunch of dead architects.”
Do you have a business mantra?
“Confidence breeds success. Or maybe Mark Twain had it right when he said, ‘All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.’”
What was the best advice you ever received?
“Don’t take life too seriously. Have fun along the way.”
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you in your career?
“Now that I’ve had a few years to reflect on it, falling through the floor of an abandoned historic paper mill into the Fox River is pretty funny. That, and when I launched my boss’ car off of a berm and got stuck between two trees about 10 feet in the air was a good one, too. I’m lucky he found that as funny as I did.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“Travel. It may sound cliché, but it’s a great way to experience new things, new places and new people.”
