Ozarks Profile: Robert Stockdale, AIA

Tell us about your company.

Creative Ink Architects LLC is a young, fast-growing company. In less than two years we've grown from two to nine staff members. The company is founded on the principle of positive architecture. Positive architecture is an attitude, obligation and understanding that natural and man-built environments influence our ability to worship, live, learn and work productively. They affect the way we feel and interact with each other every day. And they determine how we thrive as human beings.

How did you arrive in this position?

After graduating from Kansas University in 1981, I took a design position at Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. in St. Louis. For 13 years I mentored directly under Gyo Obata, FAIA, the founding principal, and consequently had significant involvement in many of the large and important commissions awarded the firm. By 1990 I had been promoted to vice president and was the design director for HOK's Justice Studio.

In 1995, I moved my family to Springfield and took a position as architectural manager for Bass Pro Shop (where) I helped develop the first prototype Outdoor World in Gurnee, Illinois. In 1997, after a brief sabbatical in Columbus, Ohio, as corporate architect for the Limited Corporation developing Galyan's Stores, I returned to Springfield to head up a small local office for The Wischmeyer Architects, headquartered in St. Louis.

By mid-2000 it was time to start thinking about my own practice.

In July of 2001, we began Creative Ink Architects, LLC.

What types of buildings do you design?

Our projects cover a broad range of building types, including religious, civic, hospitality, corporate, retail, high-end residential and specialty. We see an increasing amount of strategic planning work; that is testing and evaluating new sites for their development potential as part of the due diligence process for developers and investors.

What's the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is the diversity of the type of work we do and the clients we work with. In the past 12 months I've done product development for Caterpillar Tractor, participated in design brainstorming for Celebration City in Branson, worked with Bass Pro Shops on a unique thematic direction, participated in development master planning for hundreds of acres of undeveloped land, and assisted fund-raising efforts for The Writers Hall of Fame of America and The United Campus Ministries at SMSU.

Tell us about your family.

My wife Mickey is a great help taking on much of the day-to-day paperwork duties at the office. We have two children. Brad, who just graduated from Central High School with honors, is enrolled in pre-med at Drury University. Sadie will be a sophomore at Glendale High School in the fall and is working toward attending Baylor University.

What are your spare-time interests?

When time allows I work on my novel it's been a passion/project of mine for almost 10 years now. It's a very personal expression very much apart from what I do each day at the studio. And when I'm not working, writing or doing things with the family, chances are real good you'll find me sailing Breathless' on Beaver Lake in Arkansas.