Gene Brown, FSB Architects and Engineers principal and CEO, spends his days managing projects in multiple times zones from Puerto Rico to Hawaii – including constructing a new facility to house operations for Air Force One.
5 a.m. Wake up truly excited for the busy day ahead of me. Let my dog Breck out in the backyard.
6 a.m. Head over to Panera and order my usual – dark roast coffee. I grab a back corner booth for quiet reflection of the day’s schedule, including planning out my main objectives and talking points for each meeting.
7 a.m. Arrive at the FSB office and work on priority projects, responding to client inquiries and conversing with colleagues who stop by to talk before my day gets busy.
9 a.m. Attend weekly staffing meeting with the firm directors to make sure projects have the necessary resources allocated.
9:30 a.m. Leave staff meeting early for our shareholders meeting. After reviewing last year’s financials and finalizing this year’s budget, we elect the new Board of Directors.
10:30 a.m. A celebratory BOD meeting takes place immediately after elections. Officially, the BOD meets quarterly; unofficially, we meet at least once a week.
Noon. It’s a working lunch day! With projects in multiple time zones from Puerto Rico to Hawaii, client communications can start early, overlap with lunch and not end until late. Today’s lunch-time video conference includes key leaders from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy in a joint effort to design and construct a new facility for all daily operations associated with the new fleet of aircraft, which will serve as Air Force One.
1 p.m. Meet with Christy Gillenwater, the new President and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, to learn more about her goals and vision for the community we both care about deeply.
2 p.m. Jump on a call for the renovation of an historic office building and courthouse in downtown OKC. We are working through phased scheduling of this multi-year, multi-building project with more than $100 million in planned upgrades.
3 p.m. Join a telephone call for ASTEC Charter Schools to finalize a couple of key details for the new $30 million middle-high school in the OKC metro.
4 p.m. Quick sync meeting with our Federal Studio Director. FSB’s culture is heavily dependent on collaboration and mentorship, and so we meet at least daily to ensure he’s got all the resources and background information he needs.
4:30 p.m. Quickly review email for important inquiries. A project in Denver, Colorado, is now funded and the client is ready to sign a contract. And a client in Jacksonville, Florida, is getting ready to start construction and had some last-minute questions.
6:15 p.m. My wife arrives at the office, and we chat as I wrap up some final items for the day. We meet up with my oldest daughter and her boyfriend for dinner at Bellini’s. This is the first time she’s ever brought someone home to meet me. We have a nice dinner conversation, and I sip an Angel’s Envy Port Cask Finished Bourbon neat while I try to get to know the young man without making him feel like he is being interrogated.
9 p.m. Head home after dinner and finish up the day by watching the next episode of “Only Murders in the Building” with my wife and youngest daughter.
10:30 p.m. After responding to a few more emails and reviewing the major news stories for the day, I set my alarm and curl up in bed.
