ANDREA SMITH

Bio:

Born and raised in SD, I graduated from SD State University with Mech Eng, served as an active-duty Army officer, then built $300M+ in work around the US before coming back to SD. A large sports project brought me back home to where I now support $150M+ in annual building projects across the state. My husband and I own/operate a heating and cooling company, are raising five boys, and enjoy our three dogs. We love to travel, watch our kids, food, and giving back to our community.

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How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?

My uncle is a mechanical engineer that graduated from SDSM&T. He and his family lived in the big city of Sioux Falls when I was growing up in South Dakota. The life he built, and the happiness of those times, inspired me to strive for the same.

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What do you do?

I build buildings. More specifically: I help make dreams come true by partnering with design professionals to make client's visions a reality, I put bounds around projects to make them executable, and I care for the humans that put the work in place.

 

What excites you in the work you do?

Continuous improvement. When our teams and subcontractors find a better/safer way to work, I get really excited. Their lives become easier, and the project has better outcomes.

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Who or what inspires you professionally?

The incredibly talented and creative humans I am blessed to work with on these projects.

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What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?

When I put a system or process in place for the humans in my care it empowers them with the tools to be more effective in their roles. This makes them more efficient and frees up more time for them to create work-life balance.

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Featured Project Name: 

Butterfly House and Aquarium Addition

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Featured Project Location: 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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Featured Project Completion Date: 

Unbuilt

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Role in Featured Project: 

Board Chair, Building Committee Member, Fundraiser, Project Executive

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Featured Project Description:

This featured project created the initial grand vision of what an aquarium in Sioux Falls could look like. This vision gained significant support from donors and community leaders. The campaign funds raised quickly exceeded the amount that campaign leaders expected, and then COVID-19 shut down the project. Pause and pivot. Now this seed of an idea has grown into a more impactful vision, with more community organizations and high profile leaders in support...more to come soon!

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Photography Credit:

Sean Ervin