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2018 Men of the Year: Rob Haik

H Design Group LLC

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Just as his company’s own website touts, H Design Group LLC founder Rob Haik stresses the architectural firm doesn’t have clients, it has relationships.

Many buildings around Springfield represent the end results of those relationships: the Discovery Center of Springfield, O’Reilly Family Event Center and the Fieldhouse Sportscenter, for instance. For the Discovery Center downtown and the O’Reilly Center at Drury University, Haik says the firm trained to become Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified architects that resulted in both buildings becoming LEED Gold-certified.

Along with advancing energy-efficient designs, Haik says he encourages employees to explore and utilize the industry’s cutting-edge technology, such as virtual reality and 3D visuals, along with sustaining the lost art of hand sketches.

He says these strides “reflect not only my desire to have an outstanding design group but a design group here for the people and places of our area.”

Family, faith and community are what Haik says drives and sustains his passion for architecture and design over the past quarter century. He adds the firm strives to incorporate those values into each project it completes.

“I believe that true leadership comes from a genuine place of passion and not the pursuit of personal notoriety or financial gains,” he says. “I invest and believe in my team. I am a strong advocate of being more than just an employer. I want to be a mentor, adviser and advocate for my associates.”

Ultimately, the firm is successful when its client relationship is successful, Haik says, with a ripple effect created throughout the community with each project the firm tackles.
 
“Much like patience and kindness, passion and perfection are needed ingredients for success,” he says. “This inward philosophy goes beyond just being aware of our immediate surroundings. To succeed and have a positive impact, we must be aware beyond the boundaries of our own confines. Our success not only benefits our team members, but our clients, contractors and collaborative partners who we all consider part of the team.”

As one of the board members for Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, Haik says he feels responsible to share his gift and passion to provide housing solutions to those who temporarily, or due to circumstances beyond their control, need a helping hand. Still, he admits when it comes to civic involvement, he typically tries to fly under the radar and involve himself quietly.

“I take my role in impacting our community seriously,” he says. “I believe individually, as well as professionally, I have a sense of pride and obligation to make a difference – whether that be to a well-known not-for-profit organization or the lady at the grocery store who needs money to feed her family. I try to be aware and act with purpose.”

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