2025-Innovators in Commercial Real Estate-Thomas Stack of H2M architects + engineers

Corporate Culture: How does your organization foster a culture of innovation among employees and leadership? I stay in regular contact with my 25-person team by walking around in the studio daily, holding monthly team member check-ins, weekly “dashboard” updates, monthly studio discussions, and quarterly activities. We also conduct project “pin-ups,” where team members present to the rest of our team on one of their current projects. This helps enhance their ability to think critically and creatively, collaborate effectively, and lead with confidence.

Beyond Buildings: How do you see innovation in commercial real estate creating a broader impact on communities and the people who live and work in them? The housing shortage has led to a greater demand for multifamily housing. Municipalities are developing overlay zones to attract multifamily, mixed-use, and transit-oriented development. We have seen that projects are more likely to be successful when developers and community leaders work together alongside architects early in the process to respond with inclusion from groups such as boards of education, fire departments, and civic associations.