HFG Architecture Firm Announces New Leadership.
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2023
Contact: Chelsea Burns
Director of Marketing and Branding
316-262-2500 x127
chelseab@hfgarchitecture.com
WICHITA, Kansas – HFG Architecture announced its new leadership team as the company moves into its 29th year in business and another sequential year of growth. The Wichita-based company has continued to expand over the years, resulting in new office locations in Tulsa, OK., Kansas City, MO., and Bentonville, AR. The company’s strategic succession plan marks a new era for the industry-leading healthcare architecture firm.
Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer David Wright says the succession planning was placed into perspective 20-plus years ago when he and Founder, now Chairman, Steve Lewallen first began envisioning the future of HFG – Health Facilities Group.
“The beginnings of our plan started with our name – we intentionally did not include people’s names because we wanted the firm to be well sustained beyond the founders,” said Wright. “Now we’re here and moving into a new generation of leadership.”
Currently an 80-person firm specializing solely in healthcare design, HFG Architecture is a proven leader in safe, sustainable, and innovative solutions for a wide range of hospitals, including tertiary urban and regional hospitals, critical access hospitals, clinics, specialty offices and health science facilities for regional and urban, government, specialty, and rural healthcare systems.
“We’ve developed an organization that has real assets in the sense of people with the abilities, expertise and experience to provide continuity and growth – all the things you want to have in a business,” said Lewallen.
The rapid growth of the past five years propelled HFG Architecture to a new level of national prominence and reputable brand name in healthcare architecture and has led the firm to promoting two new leaders into managing principals and senior vice presidents.
Andrew Rutenbeck and Dwayne Robinett lead the Kansas City and Tulsa offices, respectively. They bring years of industry experience, strong leadership skills and strategic, innovative design to HFG’s team and established portfolio.
“When I first met with Dwayne, we knew we were going to build a great firm in Tulsa and expand our impact in the region,” said Wright. “And Andrew has been with us since the start of his career. After his move to Kansas City, he continued to emerge as a dynamic leader, and we knew he was the one to lead that office.”
HFG centers its work around its people and their passion for improving the lives of others by designing the future of healthcare. Leadership development is a critical part of the company’s strategic direction.
“Beyond these promotions, we’re always thinking about building leaders. We really want to be a leadership development organization,” said Wright.
Lewallen adds that by hiring and advancing people with the same vision and core values as the existing company leadership the team is overall more aligned, cohesive and in a position to make solid decisions and keep momentum driving forward. <
The new generation of leadership embodies the same sentiment and ideology on leadership development.
“The emphasis on values has allowed us to identify the potential for leadership that exists throughout the organization,” said Rutenbeck. “It puts our people on their own path to firm leadership and responsibility. These promotions are just some of the visible steps in that intentional process at HFG.”
That intentionality serves as a critical driver to the company’s long-term success and is something the leadership team is dedicated to continuing as the firm nears the 30-year mark next April.
“The world we live in now is different than it was just a few years ago. Now more than ever we must pay close attention to our environment as we move forward,” said Robinett. “Decisions made now will shape our future for generations. Succession planning is a critical step for our firm – not only for the next generation but for each future generation after this one. This is a living, breathing plan and it is critical to firm success that we identify the next generation of leaders, and continuously develop our future leaders.”
In addition to the advancements in the Kansas City and Tulsa offices, John Adams was promoted to Vice President of Business Development and Principal in the Wichita office. Adams previously served as the Director of Communications and Business Development and has elevated through the company over the past five years.
“I believe this succession plan gives our clients, partners, and employees peace of mind knowing a plan is in place,” said Adams. “We want to make sure our organization continues to get stronger as we move forward.”
Stronger is the path for HFG as the firm was recently recognized as a 2023 Top Architecture Firm by the Wichita Business Journal, listed as 2022 Giant by Building Design + Construction and continues to make an impact on healthcare projects locally, nationally and around the world. Recent and ongoing notable projects include: The Studios at HumanKind in Wichita, KS, Citizens Medical Center in Colby, KS, Pueblo Pintado Health Center in Navajo Nation, NM, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs in Ardmore, OK, and Tenwek Cardiothoracic Hospital in Bomet, Kenya.
The company’s full succession plan included advancements and promotions as follows: Founder Steve Lewallen, AIA, NCARB from Chief Executive Officer and Managing Principal to Chairman and Managing Principal. David Wright, AIA, ACHA from President and Managing
Principal to Chief Executive Officer and Managing Principal. Andrew Rutenbeck, AIA, NCARB from Vice President and Principal to Senior Vice President and Managing Principal. Dwayne Robinett, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP from Vice President and Principal to Senior Vice President and Managing Principal. John Adams from Director of Communications and Business Development and Associate Principal to Vice President of Business Development and Principal.