Visionaries at the Helm: Matt Hamm & Malcolm Watkins

Opening the door to opportunity starts with staffing exceptional people in positions that make the most impact. Our firm’s culture of treating our staff with dignity and respect has resulted in an average tenure of 14 years. This is most prominently reflected in our leadership team, which includes our president, two senior vice presidents, and four vice presidents. Remarkably, almost every one of our current partners began their journey in architecture as interns at Schaefer, serving their entire careers with our firm.

Matt Hamm, AIA

VICE PRESIDENT

Matt Hamm, Board Member, Vice President, and architect with Schaefer for 25 years, demonstrates a true knack for stellar client relations, efficient conceptual designs, and intuitive problem-solving skills. “Schaefer has blessed me with the ability to explore diverse design work opportunities,” Matt states. “I have enjoyed learning from each of our clients, and converting their unique needs into long-lasting, functional, and beautiful buildings.” Creativity and compassion stand at the forefront of Matt’s philosophy for his work and are reflected in the success of his completed projects.

Treating every new day and challenge as an opportunity to learn and create, Matt finds excitement in all facets of his work. Reaping the benefits of the open and collaborative nature of our office, he optimizes this freedom to join minds with our design teams, incubating remarkable ideas that develop into well-thought-out plans. When asked what he attributes his design success to, Matt said, “I credit any success I have had to a strong work ethic I learned from my parents, and to their continuous encouragement. I could not succeed in architecture without great teachers who taught me the importance of good written and verbal communication, and professors who opened my eyes to the art and science of architecture.”

Malcolm Watkins, AIA, LEED AP

VICE PRESIDENT

Similarly, Malcolm Watkins, Vice President and architect with Schaefer for 15 years, exemplifies the same commitment to excellence and innovation. Malcolm is one of those employees whose contribution and quality of work only improve with time. Boasting impressive in-depth expertise across educational, recreational, housing, and corporate sectors, he excels in large project design and management. Further demonstrating his talent and leadership, Malcolm has been honored on multiple occasions by various publications for his dedication to the design community, receiving acclaim in the Wichita Business Journal 40 under 40 class of 2020 and was recognized again as a member of the 40 under 40 class of 2023 by the Building Design and Construction publication, a national program highlighting the next generation of rising stars in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry.

A strength of our firm that Malcolm highlights is our undeniably talented staff. At Schaefer, we benefit from the synergy of our knowledgeable veteran staff and early-career professionals bursting with fresh new ideas. With a supportive team behind him and the opportunity to design buildings that positively impact the community, Malcolm finds great fulfillment in his work at Schaefer. When asked about what drives his success now, he said, “I am always working to do what is right and to serve our clients and the community well.”

Building a lasting legacy hinges on establishing strong leadership, a goal Schaefer diligently pursues. Each generation of our architects and designers lay the groundwork for the next, and the story they leave behind manifests into a rich and abundant reality of endless possibilities.