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Serving others: Mike Schnaare President of Lawrence Group (St. Louis, MO), an integrated design, development, and construction firm using the power of people with great ideas to bring clients’ dreams to life.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
C ollectively, Lawrence Group believes in the power of design to bring people together. And, Schnaare knows that good design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It takes people with a broad range of talents and perspectives to create something beautiful and effective. Schnaare also co- leads the firm’s healthcare studio and under his leadership, the healthcare team has managed more than $350 million in healthcare construction over the last five years. He has multiple years of experience in managing award-winning healthcare projects and designing creative, yet practical healing environments and wellness facilities. “It’s also important to connect with clients on a personal level beyond business – asking about their families, interests, challenges they may be facing – to show we value them as an individual, not just a business partner,” Schnaare says. “If you’re doing it right, your clients should feel like they are the only client you have because you’re so focused on them.”
A CONVERSATION WITH MIKE SCHNAARE. The Zweig Letter: Your website says that Lawrence Group culture is about “finding new ways to bring people together.” Can you provide a recent example of this? Mike Schnaare: From the beginning, we’ve built our culture around ideas, inspiration, and working together to provide meaningful solutions. A great example of this is City Foundry STL which is an urban redevelopment project led by Lawrence Group and located in the heart of St. Louis. This project started as an idea for an abandoned foundry complex that had been vacant for nearly a decade. Inspired by the foundry’s history and popular public markets, the vision was to reimagine the 15-acre industrial site into a destination that celebrates creative concepts in food, commerce, and entrepreneurship.
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