Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremiah Russell.
Hi Jeremiah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started Rogue Architecture after about 10 years of practice working for other firms throughout the Southeast and Eastern US. I started the firm in Arkansas and since branched out into multiple states including Colorado. When I started the firm I had a relatively broad goal of service clients who, generally, had never worked with an architect before. They were mostly middle class and upper middle class clients who understood that they needed help with design but didn’t necessarily know how to go about finding that help. Luckily they found me and I have spent the bulk of my career helping those clients realize some incredible projects – single family, multifamily, commercial retail, office, and historic preservation. We’ve touched almost every facet of architecture in the last 12 years.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No one who has been in business for any length of time will tell you that the road is smooth. I think architecture, specifically, is a harder road because we are taught nothing about business in our education. The entire focus is on design and constructibility which leaves and incredible wealth of knowledge open for us to discover. I started my firm with a modest list of clients who were gracious enough to trust me with some really amazing projects, but the business was entirely left to me to figure out. There have been many bumps over the last 12 years and I’m still learning how to do things well. Some of the biggest struggles that I overcame early on were client management, project management, time management, financial management. These are all broad subjects, but each one is vital to the success of a small architectural firm.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Early in my career I specialized mostly in custom single family design. This included new homes, additions, remodels, and historic preservation. Over the last 12 years my specialty, and my real passion, has morphed into a desire to help developers provide housing for our most needy citizens. For the last 2-3 years we have specialized in multi-family and affordable housing. Having a secondary specialty in historic preservation has helped us in this area because many historic buildings are prime for adaptive reuse as apartments and condos. We have done this in Arkansas, Washington DC, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. We are hoping to continue this work in Colorado, especially the Denver area which is desperate for more unique and affordable housing options.
The one project we are most proud of is a prototype duplex design we created for a national non-profit that provides housing and services for those experiencing homelessness. That one design has been replicated 10 times in Arkansas and Kansas providing housing for 20 individuals. That kind of impact and satisfaction can’t be adequately expressed in words.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Anytime someone decides to start a new business they are taking a risk. Even if they have a “day job”. The hope is the new venture will lead to something they can sustain themselves financial with. But more than that, maintaining a business is a risk in and of itself because you have to keep your eye on the market and be willing to pivot if necessary to follow the work. And you have to be able to follow the work that you’re qualified to do. In that regard being a generalist, or at least having experience in multiple markets as a small firm architect is to your advantage. I’ve been lucky in my career that I’ve been exposed to almost every architectural building type. But my niche, if you can call it that, is generally limited to residential and historic preservation. I’ve been able to diversify my company more than once within those two niches which has allowed us to ride out some lean times in the market.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.roguearch.com
- Instagram: @rogue.architect
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roguearchitect
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiahrussell/
