1. Your impressive career as a licensed architect spans decades and encompasses an incredible array of projects including high rise office buildings, residences, cutting edge gymnastics facilities and restaurants. Where did it all begin? When and how did you decide this was the path you were meant to take?
I have always been interested in patterns and order, even when just a young child growing up in Miami. I played with wooden blocks, built models of cars and rockets, drew fanciful creatures, and was always piecing together tree forts in the huge ficus trees in our neighborhood. Science and geometry were my favorite subjects in middle school, and I was starting to get into trouble at school for not listening, preferring instead to draw doodles all over the paper instead of taking notes.
I began classes at the University of Florida in the fall of 1979 and was on a Pre-Med course. After coming very close to failing calculus and chemistry, I decided I would become a fine arts major. My dear mother, Connie, said "Oh no you don't! Why not go into architecture? You would earn a professional degree and probably be good at it!" Not having a lot of other options, I listened to her and began taking architecture classes and excelling in them.
2. You have an extensive list and variety of featured commercial projects around Mount Juliet and beyond that many of our readers will recognize and most likely have visited at some point showcasing your presence in the community. That presence continues with the discussion group you created called Leadership by the Book. Could you expound a little on the history of this group and what it entails?
Way back in April of 2014, Mark Hinesley, president of the Mt. Juliet Chamber, asked me if I would consider being on the Chamber Board of Directors. I told him I would be honored but didn't know where I might fit in and be of service. I was growing in my Christian faith at the time and thought that it would be interesting and helpful if perhaps there was a way to incorporate scriptural ethics and principles into business operations. I brought my idea to Mark, calling it "Business By the Book" and Mark suggested meeting every third Thursday of the month, so naturally it became "Third Thursday Business By the Book", or 2T3B. I even created a logo for it!
Our first-ever meeting was at my small office at 48 West Caldwell Street on May 15, 2014, and we had 15 in attendance! So it will be 10 years old this May! Lee Campbell was available and willing to take over the leadership of the group several years ago, the name was modified to "Leadership By the Book" and we have been going strong ever since!
3. How does your family inspire you both personally and as an architect?
When I talk about my family, I always start with my faithful wife of 35 years, Leigh Ann! We met at church in Atlanta while I was a graduate student at Georgia Tech, and we have always been faithful to the Lord in church attendance and service through the ups and downs. I have three adult children: Ashley McCormack (Ethan), Samuel Morris Anderson, and Jaqueline Sorrels (Jameson) and one granddaughter, Andie Kate McCormack. I'm very tempted to use a lot of corny architectural words right now to describe how I "built" character into them by laying a strong "foundation" of faith and service, and "modeled" what love and forgiveness look like. I will resist that temptation, and instead sketch out my plan of parenting: always keep it light and fun, laugh often, and at times, laugh at myself! I read the Bible to them, sang songs, drew drawings with them, played video games, and loved their mom! My main goal was to be there for them and now they are being there for me!
I have tried to keep a good reputation in the community so they will not be ashamed. I know there are some projects and clients out there where we dropped the ball, but I hope that I made things right in the end. It is amazing to think that most of my buildings will outlive me and my ancestors may say "DohDad designed that!" Yes, DohDad is my grampa name!! Don't ask!
4. Not only do you pride yourself on the undoubtedly beautiful work you've done but you also make it known that you place Biblical values at the forefront of everything you do. Can you elaborate on how this is intertwined in your interactions with clients?
I really do believe that all people desperately need the cure for sin and death, which is found only in Jesus, Son of God. Therefore, it is important for my work and my ethics to show that I am a product of this cure, and that what He has done for me, he can do for others. Biblical values can be summed up as the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Therefore I try to put myself in my client's shoes, and also in my employee's shoes, and ask myself if I would be pleased with Sam Anderson.
5. At this time, you’re focusing more on commercial work. Looking at your residential projects in the past, is there a favorite?
We will always do residential projects because they are smaller in scope and duration and are good for our interns to hone their computer skills. While naming a specific "favorite" project might get me in trouble, I would say that I enjoy meeting my clients and learning about who they are and how they got to the place where they are successful enough to do a large custom house or add on to their house so that they can entertain their large family! It is always interesting to see how husbands and wives interact in the stressful process of getting plans drawn up!
6.What are your goals personally and for Anderson Architects in the next 5 years?
When I first started Anderson Architects, I prayed to the Lord that he would use me to be a blessing to others. That is still my priority, and for that reason, I would take on some of the more difficult and messy projects and help people realize their dreams. We have been upgrading all aspects of our practice and have many more upgrades to accomplish. We have been doing almost all of our projects in 3D design software and more of our staff are learning to do photo-realistic renderings in our Lumion software. In 5 years I will be 68 and I will most likely be working on designing buildings!
A previous personal goal I had was to read the Bible through in a year, and I have since read it through every year for many years now. That has been very enriching, but I realize that now I need to strive for a deeper prayer life and I am working on that. To God Be the Glory!
Article by Kourtney McComb
Photography by Kimberlee Brooke & Co.
Originally published in Mount Juliet City Lifestyle