Webster's defines "inspire" several ways:
"To spur on; to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on."
I am blessed to be involved with people who inspire me almost daily. We are currently working with staff from our local school district about creating curriculum in their Futures Lab that may be called something like the "Architectural Engineering and Construction Pathway". This can be a unique opportunity to help young people connect with many careers associated with community building such as traditional architecture practices, place making community design, renewable energy systems, engineering and building roads, creation of parks/trials/natural areas, planning transportation systems, providing utilities, creation and operation of a farm for local food production, construction of high performance homes and buildings for the health of people and our planet, just to name a few opportunities with potential.
This has encouraged me to reflect on our team and the incredible work they do:
DPZ, what an amazing community planning group who literally "wrote the book".
Lew Oliver is a true living master of both architecture and town building.
Gene Myers leads his team at Thrive Home Builders achieving the nations highest average HERS scores in 2020 for home energy efficiency. This is the fruit of remarkable effort and innovation.
Angie Milewski runs the landscape architecture firm BHA. She inspires me with her commitment to the natural world and also just her daily consistency.
Bryan Willson created and leads the CSU Powerhouse which is an international energy institute changing the world. We are lucky to have our office located there.
Caleb Roope is part of our investment team and works every day to bring affordable housing to people who desperately need it. Plus they are doing this in amazingly innovative ways.
The Drinkard family who has allowed us to invest so much time in bringing Montava to life.
P. Allen Smith who is not only an internet design sensation, but recently purchased The Extreme Panel Company because of his commitment to the natural world and improving home construction practices and community design.
Community building is both art and math, beauty and science. Few understand the math and science of place making and town building like Bob Gibbs.
The City of Fort Collins staff and leaders who work incredibly hard to make this a special town.
Nic and the team at Native Hill Farms who along with the Poudre Valley Community Farms are helping create a larger local food support structure at Montava and the Fort Collins community as a whole.
This isn't even the entire group that inspire me every day. What a gift it is to be inspired, and when we have a chance, to inspire others. Today I'm feeling incredibly grateful to know these folks and have an opportunity to work with them. You all inspire me and together my hope is we can inspire the next generation as well.
Who inspires you.........and who are you inspiring today?
