TESSERE Architecture in Wichita, Kansas announced that Matt Cortez, AIA LEED AP BD+C, MBA will be stepping in as President effective immediately. Cortez has been serving as Senior Vice President and Opportunities Studio Lead. In addition, Jeff Weiford, AIA LEED AP BD+C will become Executive Vice President. Weiford has been Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing and Business Development.
TESSERE evolved from the 2010 merger of Gossen Livingston Associates and McCluggage Van Sickle and Perry (known as MVP). Cortez joined MVP in 2003 after graduating from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Weiford earned a bachelor of architecture degree from Kansas State University in 1993 and started with OMMV, an MVP predecessor firm. Both remained with the firm during its merger with Gossen Livingston Associates to form TESSERE Architecture, benefitting from the lessons of those processes, and emerged as leaders with a talent for bringing people together.
“Matt and Jeff are the right leaders for TESSERE, not just for today but for our future. They were an easy choice,“ said Bill Livingston, founder and chairman. “Mark McCluggage and I have spent a great deal of time with them; mentoring them and preparing them to lead the company forward. TESSERE has a culture of continuous training and development designed to prepare leaders and professionals to take us into the future. All employee-owners are offered the tools they need to succeed personally and to contribute their best to this firm as a stakeholder.
According to Cortez, “We have a strong history of working with great clients and excellent employee-owners. We plan to continue to focus on our staff and build a system of training that allows our team to hone their skill sets and take on new challenges and opportunities. We will continue to offer exceptional value to our clients, and we look forward to expanding our client base and our creative reach throughout the region.”
Weiford echoed those beliefs and explained that, “as a team, Matt and I are in sync professionally and that benefits our clients as well as our fellow employee-owners. The communication is consistent as we are both very client focused. We see limitless opportunities for growth.”
Cortez and Weiford will be filling the roles left by Bill Livingston and Mark McCluggage. Livingston has already announced his retirement internally and McCluggage is stepping back from his role to focus on training and nurturing employee-owners. McCluggage said, “we are putting the reins in the hands of Matt and Jeff with the utmost confidence that they will lead TESSERE to new levels of creativity and growth.”
