It’s time to discover another great mind behind the design and today we are excited to feature team architect, Deborah Smith. Deborah is no stranger to setting BIG goals for herself and is a tremendous support to others in her role as an architect and as a servant leader in the community.
Originally raised on a sheep farm in Rockingham County, she naturally gravitated towards hobbies involving drawing, combing through house plans, watching HGTV, and solving puzzles. She has a remarkable green thumb from helping in the garden during her childhood and originally thought this would lend well to a career in landscape architecture. It wasn’t until she visited Virginia Tech and wandered through the hallways of the architectural school that her dream of pursuing architecture was realized. Seeing the architecture studios through its pyramid skylights and feeling the creativity exuding from the desks covered in drawings and 3D models set her on a path that would become her very successful career. Looking back at this inspirational visit, she didn’t know at the time just how much work would be involved to achieve her goals, but this memory stands out as a big influence in her journey.
After a rigorous 5 years of studying at the Virginia Tech School of Architecture and Design, Deborah graduated and joined the Gaines Group in 2012. She dove into working at the firm headfirst and was the single employee working with Charles in the Harrisonburg office for the first few years. After one year of working at the firm, Deborah knew this was the path for her and set the goal to eventually tackle the architecture licensing examination process to become a registered architect. Because she likes an added challenge and she was curious about the innerworkings of running a small business, Deborah started an MBA program at Eastern Mennonite University while working full time at the firm. Years of hard work paid off when she received her MBA in 2016 and passed her final architectural licensing exam in 2018 to finally be able to call herself Deborah Smith, Registered Architect.
Deborah’s years of experience and education provide a great depth and level of detail to each project she works on. There are parts of each project she enjoys, but she especially appreciates working on adaptive reuse projects in which older buildings are brought back to life for new purposes. These types of projects require a lot of problem-solving during the design and construction process to either make an existing building fit the new use or to expand an existing building to serve a growing organization. Addition and renovation projects are also some of her most memorable projects, especially if it is a historical building! Our office building (the Depot), Eastern Mennonite Elementary School, Deering Hall, and the Blue Ridge Area Foodbank are just a few of her favorite projects to date.
Outside of her life as an architect, Deborah has a dedication to serving the greater community. While studying at Virginia Tech, she served on the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad which is the oldest collegiate student-run, student-led, all-volunteer rescue agency in the country. Currently, she continues to make a big impact in the community by serving as the president of Harrisonburg Women’s Service League; which is committed to supporting women and children in the community through volunteering time and fundraising for local nonprofits. She also recently graduated from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program in which she worked with colleagues to open a pop-up shop providing business and interview clothing to anyone in need, free of charge.
When Deborah isn’t working hard in the studio or volunteering in the community, she loves spending her time reading, gardening, painting, drawing, traveling, and attending the many wonderful community events that happen throughout the year (Red Wing Music Festival being a favorite!) She has a special love for animals and welcomes many rescue animals into her home through fostering and adoption.
Whether it’s setting big goals, serving the community, harnessing her creativity, or having a soft spot for animals in need, Deborah is a team player who makes an impact wherever she lands.
Everyone who works closely with Charles knows of his heart for serving others and his mission to build a better community. His leadership and efforts were officially recognized by Rotary as he was the recipient of the 110% Award in 2022. This special designation is given to an individual who grows the mission of Rotary, carries out responsibilities exceptionally, and makes significant leadership contributions. He intentionally looks for ways to put #servicebeforeself and shares his intentions with others. He points out that his work is just a small part of what Rotary does for the community and a small part of what the Rotary Club of Rockingham County does in the community.
Charles being awarded the 110% Award.
Whether volunteering with fellow Rotarians or tackling pro-bono architecture projects, Charles is making a lasting impact in our community and we are so proud of him. His efforts are a small piece of the puzzle in creating a stronger, better community and he inspires many of us to do the same. As he says, the power of Rotary is the people you volunteer with and the difference you can make when you all come together.
Deborah receiving her certificate upon completion of the program.
Gaines Group Architects has a graduate to celebrate! Congratulations to Deborah on her recent graduation from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber Leadership Program! This ten-month leadership program is designed for participants to learn about our community’s past, present, and future all while building valuable relationships. Deborah was accepted into this program in the summer of 2021. She attended monthly community-based meetings that educated her on our community’s strengths and future growth opportunities.
Deborah is a self-proclaimed introvert, and we are proud of her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and participate in this program that required her to regularly engage in a large group setting. She reflected on her experience and greatly appreciates the opportunity to participate in this program saying it has been “a wonderful experience.” She believes the program did a great job of going beyond typical speed networking events (which tend to be difficult for an introvert). Deborah appreciated the opportunity to connect with others on a deeper level during each session while simultaneously learning more about our community. She specifically enjoyed being able to hear from the community, non-profit, educational, public safety, and local government leaders who gave her a new understanding of what it takes for a community to sustain itself and evolve with the times.
In addition to the monthly leadership sessions, Deborah’s cohort worked together on a community service project of their choosing. Her group opened a “pop-up” shop called First Impressions that provided an opportunity for the public to pick out professional clothes for an interview or job transition. Their group collected professional clothes and welcomed anyone to shop, free of charge. It was a valuable experience for Deborah and her colleagues to work collaboratively on an impactful community event after spending significant time together.
Overall, this program is a wonderful experience to engage with our community and build relationships. Gaines Group Architects’ team member Annie Frazier also participated in the same program and is a graduate of the 2017 cohort. If you are interested in learning more about our community and building new relationships, we encourage you to check out the program here.
Service to my community is my why. It has shaped our business mission statement and it drives my decisions. How can I do the most good for others often allows me to decide what committee to give time to and what non-profit to support. The one organization that does it better than any other, the one that allows me to serve your community and mine and serve those around the world, is Rotary International. So I want to invite you to come to learn more about Rotary on June 7th from 5 pm – 7 pm at Beyond Restaurant.
Service to your community, with Rotary, starts with weekly meetings to build deep friendships while learning more about the community. Each week we have speakers join us to talk about a topic, often are area non-profit, that is also doing good. These weekly meetings are important to build the community among members so when it comes time to do a service project, such as hosting the Harrisonburg Soap Box Derby, we join together not just as Rotarians, but as friends.
I am proud to be a Rotarian and would be proud to invite you to our meeting to learn more. If our weekly Tuesday morning breakfast club is not the right fit for your schedule there are other incredible groups. We often join forces in the valley and team up with other Rotary Clubs to have an even bigger impact.
Our club has helped support some amazing efforts across the valley and around the world. From the Harrisonburg Soap Box Derby to PurMadi to supporting First Step to picking up trash along Rt 42, we work hard together to do good.
When the war started Rotarians immediately sprung into action and started feeding people. The train workers did not leave their posts for a full month as they volunteered to help evacuate and Rotarians provided hot meals to the workers. They also were delivering food and heaters to bomb shelters. They had to use small vans because large trucks could not navigate the broken roads. In Kyiv, they worked hard to distribute medicine and supplies to the elderly that could not leave their homes. Many Rotarians started taking in pets that were left behind to the point where their homes appeared to be small zoos. They also worked to set up shelters in schools for those displaced, setting up sleeping and eating areas. Rotarians also started setting up water filter systems as the public water distribution systems are destroyed and wells are contaminated.
The Rotary Clubs in Ukraine have added members since the war started as they continue to recruit others that want to put #serviceaboveself. Their Rotary Club committee members meet daily to be able to have a rapid response to needs. The clubs are purchasing medical vehicles, generators, and fire trucks using Rotary Grant funds.
There are 62 Rotary clubs in Ukraine and membership is growing.
You can sponsor a family relocating to the USA HERE.
We feel the challenges faced in our community every day as we work to build a better community. In today’s climate, there is a shortage of affordable housing, flexible childcare, efficient transportation options, and food accessibility challenges. We know these problems can be solved and there are good people determined to find solutions, but complications continue to hinder progress. These are not simple challenges, but rather systemic problems with many challenges and barriers to face before finding a solution. We want to be a part of the solution and believe that paying a living wage is essential to building a healthy, vibrant, and livable community. Thus, we are encouraging business owners to begin the journey of paying a living wage and spread the message about its importance.
The Harrisonburg Rockingham Living Wage Certification serves to enhance the health, vitality, and livability of our community. Foundationally, our team at Gaines Group Architects strives to build a better community through design, this guides our decisions in projects, pro-bono work, and where we invest our time and resources. Our mission gives us a baseline in accomplishing business ethically and with care, which led us to learn more about obtaining the Living Wage Gold Certification. We understand there is a relationship between thriving team and community members who feel valued for their contributions and the subsequent positive impacts on our client’s experience.
As an architecture firm, we exceeded the baseline for gold-level certification without modifying pay scales. The process of learning about the impacts of paying a fair wage gave us the opportunity to engage in intentional and clarifying discussions concerning our most valuable asset: our team members. We are accustomed to adjusting pay rates along with advancement in careers and inflation, but this was the first time we discussed what it takes to live comfortably in a community. Some of the areas we identified as essential in promoting quality of life ranged from access to childcare, the ability to pay utility bills, or appropriately budget for groceries.
Paying a living wage directly affects the overall community and supports a robust local economy. There is a chain reaction that occurs when we invest in our workforce, and we encourage all businesses in Harrisonburg and Rockingham to consider this certification. Even if your organization is unable to currently meet the standard, it will open up a thoughtful conversation about the cost of living in our community. For more information on this program, visit www.hrlivingwage.org or watch the video here https://www.facebook.com/hrlivingwage/videos/387194656280216/.
