During his 23-year career at Gensler, Germany native Deeg Snyder has worked on projects at 12 Gensler offices, ranging from retail prototype and roll-out programs to large-scale commercial and mixed-use repositioning. As co-managing director, Snyder leads 200 employees across 29 practice areas. Over the last year Gensler’s Dallas office was selected to lead the 45-acre Trinity Groves district and the Universal Studios theme park and hotel in Frisco.
Birthplace: Augsburg, Germany
Education: Mississippi State University (BArch)
First Job: “One of my first jobs was driving beer cart at a nearby country club. I learned you made more money and tips holding up on par 3 instead of par 5 with a bunch of hazards. People are more motivated when they are happy and had a good score. You can translate that to a lot of things in life.”
Best Advice: “My managing director in Gensler’s Chicago office after being disappointed about not getting a design role told me to focus on client relationships. ‘People with relationships make decisions about how a project is going to run, be designed…they can steer the project because they are the trusted voice to the client in the end.'”
Destinations of Choice: “I have been fortunate to travel throughout my life, and places have meant different things at various times in my life. Shanghai, London, New York, and for vacation, The Amalfi Coast are all favorites.”
I Collect: “I’m a huge car guy. I have been obsessed with cars and racing with my father since I was small. I have his 1964.5 Mustang he bought when he was 15, recently sold a ’64 Jeep, and am still trying to negotiate (unsuccessfully) with my wife for a 1967 Corvette with a 427 or early model Dodge Viper. It’s childish and impractical, but hope is on my side.”
Hobby/Passion: “I enjoy sea kayaking and mountain biking, and nursing my yard back to health which has been a full-time job this summer.”
Industry Change: “I don’t begrudge a developer-centric market, but I feel it has changed the way companies and clients create physical examples of their culture, identity, and role in architecture. It’s more prevalent in other cities, and it does still exist here, but not as much as I would like. Large companies would rather turn that over, not take as much of a role in collaborating and guiding the end-product. I think we have much less variation in the built environment for that reason. A lot of developers have begun to change and seek differentiation of product, and I think that is helping.”
Local Fare: “As a transfer from Chicago, I do love to eat, and Dallas has so many great places. My wife and I have a few reliable spots like Gemma, Mot Hai Ba, Uchi, and we sorely miss Chicken Scratch.”
Guilty Pleasure: “I’m a weekend car show junkie and enjoy weekly trips to Taco Deli for a Deli Belly pork belly taco.”
Fun Fact: “It’s become internal Gensler knowledge, but I was a NCAA mascot for Mississippi State for two years. You can really get away with a lot as a mascot. It was unfettered access to sports and endless opportunities to prank people and have fun.”
Go-to Adviser: “Jim Follet, who was one of the founding members of Gensler and ran the Chicago office, was exceptionally inspirational. Co-Regional Managing Principal Cindy Simpson here in Dallas is rooted in modeling great relationship, business focus, and empathetic leadership in our office culture. And Carl Sewell, who through years of working with the organization, most epitomizes the value proposition of quality, relationship, and professionalism which has translated through great work, and fundamentally a singular focus on human experience.”
Toughest Challenge: “There have been several, but each of them was having to admit we disappointed a client, and it was going to impact them whether a cost, or a project deadline, and in each case, it was admitting fault, apologizing on behalf of our team, and making a personal commitment to do better. It’s rare that people say they are sorry, and admit failure, and will work to correct the situation. You must own mistakes, and that’s not something people run toward quickly enough as problems arise.”
First Car: “1960 Willies Jeep. My grandfather bought it from the Florida National Guard, and I have pictures of me sitting in it when I was 2 years old and driving it to high school 14 years later. Once a Jeep person always a Jeep person.”
A Better DFW: “We have an amazing pro-business platform for growth. I think there is disparity both in resources and vision when you move from downtown Dallas north to Plano, Frisco, Prosper, and all the smaller communities in between. I think the city is at the precipice with the convention center and ancillary development to reinvent itself again, but it has to be ready for this surge, and there has to be a willingness to advance work in timelines that the investments will see clear paths forward. Dallas has to want to be great, by allowing great things to happen at a pace to take advantage of this moment.”
Pivotal Moment: “Cindy Simpson called and asked me to move from Chicago to Dallas about six weeks after we found out we were expecting our son. It was the last conceivable moment you probably want to talk to your spouse about picking up, moving to a place with no family and no support. I think risk and uncertainly, and some discomfort is where we grow. The past 10 years has been a case in point of knowing where risk and uncertainty are needed, to push myself and others around me.”
Walk-up Song: “A lot of days I’d probably choose ‘How You Like Me Now’ by The Heavy. I think I carry a certain intensity, I like to push, and I think the song has a lot of alignment with taking on the day. Also, The Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’, but honestly while more authentic, nobody under 50 probably can relate to classic punk.”
Must-read/Must-listen: “Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. In the context of understanding the power of development of the world the geopolitical alignments, and the ecological and economic consequences, its very enlightening. As for podcasts, just about anything on Business Wars on Wondery. You can learn so much about both success and failure of some of the most iconic companies in the world.”
Spirit Animal: “Maybe a good bird dog. They’re confident and disciplined, loyal and focused; able to go from rolling around in the grass for fun to strictly business on cue.”
Alternate Reality: “If I wasn’t in architecture I’d be doing landscape design. The satisfaction of having my hands in the dirt and cultivating design with living medium is very satisfying. I think it’s extremely important to human experience with architecture as well.”
Embarrassing Moment: “Years ago, I was working on a design project in Chicago called the Center on Halsted, and the design director asked me to find supporting images for a design presentation. The project was the first LGBT community center in the city and Googling a variety of topics which aligned with the community activities seemed reasonable. A week later, the firmwide IT director presented a list of topics in my search history which had been flagged. I think it was represented at an all staff as ‘best practice’ of what not to do on the company internet, but the design presentation went great.”
Bucket List: “A few years ago, I flew to Tanzania and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.”
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