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PROFILE
Hit the ground running: Petro Megits CEO of Kaas Wilson Architects (Bloomington, MN), an architecture and interior design firm specializing in all types of multi-family housing.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
K aas Wilson Architects was started during the Great Recession in the kitchen of Link Wilson, one of the company’s founding partners. Petro Megits was its first hire. He was still in graduate school and had just returned from a study abroad trip to Istanbul. His interview took place on Wilson’s couch and Megits was asked to start the next day. With little time to unpack, he hit the ground running and never looked back. Flash forward 17 years later and Megits was promoted to CEO. He admits it was a bit unexpected as he was not in pursuit of such a position – at first. It was during a leadership retreat where all the partners were analyzing each other’s strengths that the board elected Megits to the position. “I’m very fortunate to have some amazing business partners who have shown confidence in my abilities to lead us into the next chapter,” he says. In this fairly fresh role, Megits has a long to-do list of things he’d like to accomplish. They include:
■ Solidifying the business’ presence in the southeast and southwest states. ■ Developing a presence in one more market (currently in the research and development phase). ■ Establishing a self-sustaining succession program for future leaders across various markets. The first to-do item has already been executed with KWA’s recent acquisition of Watts Leaf Architects in Charlotte, North Carolina. The acquisition was geographic in nature because Watts Leaf, which also specializes in multi-family housing, has decades old, deep-rooted relationships in the southeast. The synergy, cultures, and design aesthetics were all well- aligned. Establishing an international housing opportunity is also a key goal. For example, Ukraine will need rebuilding and he
See HIT THE GROUND RUNNING, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 11, 2024, ISSUE 1528
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