Nuts and Bolts: The Brain Behind the Operations at KDG Architectural Firm
Behind every architecture project is a million tiny details. From early sketches and plans to exploratory conversations and collaborative meetings — the process of designing a home, church, school, or business is complex.
While working at architectural firms typically appeals to artists and creatives, there is always a need for someone who can work behind the scenes to make sure the business is viable, the accounts are balanced, and the invoices have been paid. True to a building design project, someone in the company has to take care of the nuts and bolts.
At KDG, this is Renee Keiser. Director of Business Management, Renee oversees all aspects of the business that aren’t architecture related.
KDG ‘Magic’
One month before leaving for college, Renee caught the eye of Dan Keiser, a young man attending her church who was a Kent State student at the time. The two began dating long distance as Renee earned her bachelor’s in economics and financial planning from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
After five years of long-distance dating, the two were married and settled down in Columbus, Ohio. She landed a job at State Farm Insurance, where she worked for 13 years.
“I explored the corporate world and climbed the ladder at State Farm, going from an underwriter to operation supervisor to systems coordinator,” she said.
As Renee was finding success in her field, her husband was beginning to launch his dream of owning his own architectural firm. As Dan took on side projects for KDG, Renee began doing the books on the side. Shortly after Dan left teaching to run KDG full-time, Renee followed suit. In 2006 she left her job at State Farm and devoted the bulk of her time to lifting the company off the ground.
“Having his own architectural firm has always been Dan’s dream,” said Renee. “As a wife, my goal was always to come alongside him and support him in that.”
“Supportive” is an understatement according to Dan.
“Renee is our CFO, which is a big picture role, but she is also in the details of invoicing, HR, and managing benefits,” said Dan. “She is the magic in our company.”
Beyond a Mold
While Renee admits she’s not the creative one, she has an appreciation for the creative genius around her at the firm.
“It is such a cool thing to be surrounded by architects,” said Renee. “I’ve come to greatly appreciate the passion they have for design and for helping people create spaces that positively impact their lives. It’s fun to see them work with clients and see an end result come to fruition.”
While KDG has been in business for nearly 30 years, a few favorite design projects immediately come to mind for Renee. The first of which is a lake house Dan designed for her parents not long after they were married.
“My mom had very detailed ideas of what she wanted so it was fun to watch her new son-in-law come in and pull it together in a cohesive way that they were very happy with in the end,” said Renee.
The second project is Five14 Church. Renee gets to enjoy the final product every Sunday as an active member of the church’s congregation.
“We had been meeting in a local school for ten years, which meant that every Sunday things were being set up and torn down,” said Renee. “Now having dedicated and beautiful spaces for people to gather allows the church to do so much more than they could do before.”
Projects like these — highly personal and meaningful projects — point to what Renee says sets KDG apart from other architecture firms.
“We’re not too big where every project has to fit a mold,” says Renee. “We treat each client as an individual. We provide one-on-one services, working directly with clients to dig deep, discover their needs, and come up with a plan that meets their goals.”
