What does that mean? It simply means that Jeff will be taking more time off while remaining active in the firm’s marketing and presence in the Bellingham community. “We’ve created relationships in this community that are as enduring as our buildings and want to continue on that path. Part of my new role will be to help facilitate those relationships.”
Jeff is a founding partner of RMC who started the firm with Bob Ross in 1986. He tells us his most significant first project was the design of a new residence for Joe and Margee Orem, the owners of Bellingham Sash & Door, now known as Builders Alliance. Located off Chuckanut Drive and built primarily of recycled Douglas Fir, Jeff recalls Joe’s commitment to craftsmanship and quality and his deep respect for what each person brought to the project. The Orem residence became a prominent home in Bellingham that was used for many fundraising and community events.
Early in his career, after Bellis Fair Mall was developed and all the major retail stores exited the city, Jeff became deeply involved in the revitalization of downtown Bellingham. He served as President of the City Center Development
Authority, a precursor to today’s Bellingham Downtown Partnership. It was during this time that Jeff was introduced to Morrie Piha who then owned a significant amount of buildings downtown. Jeff worked closely with Morrie to reestablish the retail core with projects like the renovation of the Greenhouse building which was featured in VM+SD (Visual Merchandising + Store Design) Magazine.
Jeff has filled the role of both designer and developer on a few projects throughout his years at RMC, including MARKETplace, which opened in 2003. MARKETplace played a significant part in the revitalization of downtown Bellingham. The high-profile, mixed-use commercial/residential building on the corner of Railroad and Holly—a primary entrance route to the downtown core—literally filled a gap known by locals as “the pit.” MARKETplace came to fruition at a time when the downtown core was struggling. Jeff’s idea, to create a place where people would live and work, ushered in a new era for downtown Bellingham and provided a new home for RMC’s offices.
Jeff enjoys the firm’s broad diversity of projects resulting in its involvement in a more limited geographical area. His work ranges from the intimacy of single-family residential design to the macro scale of large master plans such as the 50-acre development for the Port of Everett Marina District. Ultimately, each project provides its own set of challenges and opportunities. As for his design style, he tends to shy away from anything too rigorous or confining. Life is too messy to commit to one lane. “I would like to think our work in some way elevates the human experience…and in so doing, perhaps design makes a difference by shifting our collective focus from the helter-skelter, throw-away world we live in to the more enduring values of simplicity, peacefulness, connection, and beauty. In the best of circumstances, well-designed spaces create the opportunity for diverse personal interactions.”
A few of Jeff’s more recent notable projects for RMC are Bellingham Public Schools Administrative Offices and Port of Anacortes Subarea Master Plan. He also designed Samish Commons, a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development that provides affordable housing for diverse populations and includes an early learning center as well as offices for the Bellingham Housing Authority. The project has won several design awards.
Jeff values the collaborative process of running the firm alongside his partners Brad Cornwell, Neil McCarthy, and Jason Williard who will continue to lead the charge along with RMC Associates Lexie Costic and Robbie Wright.
Jeff’s partners emphasize his numerous contributions over the years as both an RMC leader and a leader in the community. His standards of design excellence draws talented staff, his emphasis on community gives the firm purpose, and his sense of fun and comradery has contributed to employee longevity. His example of established relationships with clients has provided the model for the rest of the firm to follow.
RMC partner Brad Cornwell said, “With a service-based leadership style, Jeff has embodied the long arc of his architectural practice with warm contextual designs that naturally and instinctually reflect our place here in NW Washington. RMC remains committed to that same delivery ethos and design excellence for our many valued clients.”
Jeff recognizes that none of the work RMC has accomplished would be as successful without the contributions of the talented architecture and administrative staff he’s been fortunate to work with over the years. In his Principal Emeritus role, he aims to continue to provide mentorship to the RMC team.
