Partners in every aspect of your project.

With over 26 talented people on staff, Bird Houk Collaborative stands ready to partner with you to provide the right solutions for your project. Meet some of the key people behind our success.

 

Jim Houk, ASLA, AICP

President & CEO

Jim is co-founder and President & CEO of Bird Houk Collaborative. He is responsible for visioning, business, and financial management of the firm; and leads the core planning and architectural sides of the business. A certified Planner and Landscape Architect, Jim is instrumental in concept design and project development for all land-based projects. He matches extensive knowledge of site design and planning with a solid economic understanding of land development and the requirements needed for his clients’ success. He is committed to shaping communities, revitalizing urban corridors and generating economic growth through smart, market-based planning solutions and sustainable design practices. Jim is professionally licensed in Ohio, Indiana, Florida and South Carolina. His professional memberships include the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the Congress for New Urbansim (CNU). Currrently, he is on the Board of the Homeless Families Foundation and is active with the Rotary Club of Columbus.

Gerry Bird, AIA, MBA

Chariman, Director of Strategic Initiatives

In his role as Chariman, Gerry provides strategic leadership for the firm. His focus is on markets of specialization - hotels, mixed use developments, schools, and real estate strategy. Additionally,  he is the leader of BHC's Hospitality and Economic Consulting Studios. Having two master’s degrees, in Architecture and Business Administration, and more than 35 years experience in Architecture and Real Estate Development, Gerry understands both the creative possibilities of design and the realities of economics. His solutions are reflective of this ‘blended’ perspective, and are based on innovation and market feasibility. Prior to founding Bird Houk Collaborative, he was the Director of Development for a Midwest Development Company for seven years, a VP/Commercial Studio Manager at NBBJ and a Principal at Kellam, Bird Johnson. Gerry is professionally licensed in seven states and is certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Currently, he serves on the Board of Building Standards for the State of Ohio and First Lady Francis Strickland's Educational Task Force. Formerly, Gerry was an Advisory Board Member for the Capital University School of Management, served as President and Director of the Columbus Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for seven years, and was a member of the AIA National Professional Development Committee.

Gary Sebach, AIA, LEED AP

Managing Partner, Director of Architectural Services

Gary Sebach has been with Bird Houk Collaborative since 1993. As Managing Partner and Director of Architectural Services, he oversees Architecture Studio operations and has responsibility for creative execution, strategic accounts management and new business development. With more than 25 years of design and project management experience, Gary brings broad marketplace understanding and a depth of knowledge in education, office, retail, healthcare and residential design to our multidisciplinary team. Gary is licensed in Ohio and Indiana, certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and LEED accredited by U.S. Green Building Council. Serving as a Board Member for the Columbus Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Co-Chairman of ‘Canstruction’ – the primary fundraising project for the Columbus Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) – he is active in promoting the local design community. . Prior to joining BHC, Gary built an extensive educational design portfolio while working as a Project Manager at Firestone, Jaros, and Mullin (FJM) and Richard Dittmar & Associates.

Wayne Johnson, AIA, MBA, LEED AP

Principal

A specialist in facility master planning and programming and a LEED accredited professional, Wayne offers more than 35 years of experience to his clients. His portfolio demonstrates a strong emphasis on space planning and programming for offices, laboratories, hospitality facilities and academic buildings from the elementary through university level. He has served as Project Architect and Project Manager on such projects, overseeing space needs analysis and facility master planning. Additional involvement includes design, budgeting, code research, ADA review, specification writing, construction documents and field observation. Wayne adds value to the design process through his extensive knowledge of all phases of architecture, his ability to listen, evaluate options and organize the most responsive solution for each unique situation. He believes that to provide the most efficient, flexible and cost-effective space solutions, the process should be collaborative between service providers and stakeholders.

Gary Smith, RLA, ASLA

Associate, Community Planning Market Leader

As an Associate and Community Planning Practice Leader, Gary is committed to providing planning and design services that add long-term value to his clients. His 13 years of professional practice experience include large-scale land planning and design, detailed landscape design, and site engineering. Gary has managed and designed projects ranging from community master plans, 800+ acre mixed-use master plans, golf course communities, residential communities, corporate campuses, public parks and educational sports facilities. He has authored zoning standards and design guidelines for a number of master-planned developments and has prepared preliminary financial analysis for several residential developments. Gary's experience working with the both the public and private sector has enabled him to develop the distinct ability to guide these complex projects through the public entitlement process in a manner that yields positive results for both the developer and the community. His wide range of project experience gives him the knowledge to provide big picture conceptual thinking and the vision to carry those concepts through the process into the built environment. This makes him uniquely positioned to manage projects from the early planning stages through detailed design.

 

Gary  Schmidt, ASLA, AICP

Senior Planner, Development Planning Market Leader

 

Gary Schmidt is the BHC Development Planning Practice Leader. During his nearly 25 year career, Gary has amassed an extensive body of work. A certified planner and a registered landscape architect, his experience includes site design, vision studies, master planning, and zoning for mixed-use, residential, urban, and office environments - with special focus on large-scale development utilizing sustainable and New Urbanism planning practices. When combined with a Masters Degree in Real Estate Development Studies from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Gary experience complements and strengthens BHC's current portfolio, market-based planning philosophies, and multidisciplinary core capacities. Prior to joining the firm, Gary was a partner at POD Design and the founder of Schmidt Landesign.

 

Tony Slanec

Associate, Urban Redevelopment Market Leader

As an Associate and the Urban Redevelopment Practice Leader, Tony is committed to the enhancement of communities through high-quality urban design. He provides design leadership on a variety of planning and landscape architecture projects recognized with design awards. Tony’s creative talents and professional drive push past standard solutions to achieve a higher level of urban design addressing both project function and construction budget. His portfolio contains an array of projects that express his design beliefs. Tony’s commitment to sustainable development is the cornerstone of his personal and professional goals that translates to an intense interest and experience in the urban environment. Prior to joining Bird Houk Collaborative, Tony worked on many award-winning projects as an Urban Designer for NBBJ Inc. and MSi Design.

 

Tracy June, LEED AP

Associate, Architecture

 

As Project Manager, Tracy is responsible for project organization and delivery. Typical duties include client relations, scheduling, code research, construction documentation and construction administration. Additionally, her attention to detail has been key to the firm’s quality control efforts. As part of the Operational Committee, she is continually working to improve internal processes. Tracy believes design should be the synthesis of the client’s needs and budget, the designer’s expertise and the environmental conditions dictated by the project site. This synthesis results in a project that is functional, efficient, artful and beneficial to the community. Tracy has served as the project architect for a variety of project types including commercial office buildings (up to 180,000 square feet), multi-family, single family residential and retail stores. Outside of work, Tracy likes to travel and has been to Ireland and Scotland.

Georgie Cline

Associate, Office Manager

As Office Manager, Georgie wears many hats. Her role is continually changing with the evolution of the firm. Routinely, she is responsible for accounting, human resources and administrative management. Since joining the firm in 2000, Georgie has been integral in streamlining financial and administrative operations - fine tuning the employee benefits program and establishing professional practice guidelines. Georgie travels extensively, often using her travels as subject matter for her passion – fiber art. An accomplished fiber artist, her work has been featured in several national and international exhibits, most notably the prestigious Quilt National. Her work has also been highlighted in various publications, including Columbus Monthly Magazine. Prior to joining Bird Houk, Georgie worked for a title insurance company for 24 years.