HKGI - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Key Contributor to Many
Aimee has been a key contributor to many of HKGi's recent projects by providing graphic design expertise and technical support for the firm's community design and planning initiatives. She has designed community engagement materials, infographics, engagement summaries, online materials, and plan reports for a variety of projects. Her graphic design work clearly and concisely conveys key themes and messages to community members and decision-makers.
Aimee also has a photographer's eye and she has lent her photography skills to HKGi's marketing efforts. With her excellent sense of composition she is able to capture many of the qualities that make both our staff members and the landscapes in the communities where we work so special.
Awards
Nominated for Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts Design Excellence Student Award
Selected for Student Presentation at 2016 ACEC Annual Roads and Streets Conference
Amy provides design expertise for the schematic, and design development, and construction documentation and administration phases of public space improvement projects. She has more than two decades of experience providing landscape architecture services for projects throughout the state and the metropolitan region and has designed all kinds of site and streetscape improvements, wayfinding and monument signage, and trails, parks, and outdoor athletic facilities. Her award-winning work can be seen throughout Minnesota.
Amy's background in industrial design, combined with her experience as a landscape architect, enables her to understand how to transform planning and design concepts into built work. She also provides valuable cost estimation services that aid clients in planning and budgeting for planning improvements.
Awards
2020 MRPA Excellence Award, 2013 MN ASLA Merit Award and 2009 MRPA Award of Excellence Rivers Edge Commons - Elk River
2020 MRPA Excellence Award - Fernbrook Athletic Fields Complex - Maple Grove
2017 MN APA Success Stories in Implementation Award - Downtown Master Plan and Streetscape - Chaska, MN
Beth provides general planning services to several of HKGi's municipal clients. She is a skilled, knowledgeable, and efficient planner who provides her clients with outstanding service for the review of development proposals, ordinance writing, and planning communications. In addition to general planning services, Beth assists with zoning ordinance writing and amendments, comprehensive planning, and grant writing. She is a seasoned professional who has a strong working knowledge of planning practices and trends and is skilled at working with clients and presenting important information to community boards, commissions, and decision makers.
Brad has provided leadership and service for community planning initiatives throughout his three-decade-long career. He has been a leader at HKGi in the innovative use of technology to create community planning solutions, and he has been at the forefront of the firm's continuous efforts to monitor and enhance its planning approach, enabling HKGi staff to leverage new technologies and employ new methods that make the planning process more fun, efficient, equitable, and thorough.
Brad's primary project experiences include comprehensive planning, neighborhood redevelopment master planning, transit-oriented development, and regulatory tools. He has also provided general planning services for several communities throughout the state and the metropolitan region, assisting them with development application reviews and zoning ordinance interpretation and revision.
Awards
2019 WI APA Innovation in Planning Award - Comprehensive Plan for the City of New Richmond
2019 MN APA Excellence in Community Engagement Award - 2040 Red Wing Community Plan
2015 MI APA Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan - Comprehensive Plan for the City of Ironwood
Bryan has provided design leadership for a broad range of projects, from park plans and site improvements to downtown concepts, from station area plans to neighborhood redevelopment planning. His involvement in numerous award-winning projects attests to his expertise and creativity as a community designer whose work emphasizes community needs such as enhancing connectivity, promoting sustainability, and planning for market and fiscal viability.
He brings creativity, an ability to lead and facilitate idea generation, and strong critical thinking skills to his project work. His contributions are particularly effective in public workshop and charrette environments. His ability to listen to ideas and transform them into drawings better enables participants to envision and evaluate potential development scenarios.
Bryan is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Awards
2021 ASLA-MN Honor Award for Planning and Urban Design - Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan
2018 ASLA-MN Merit Award for Planning and Urban Design - St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail Master Plan - Duluth-Superior
2014 APA-IA Innovation in Economic Planning and Development Award - Merle Hay Road Gateway Redevelopment Master Plan, Johnston, IA
Eric is a communications professional with over twenty years of experience coordinating marketing communications campaigns and developing communications materials. He manages HKGi's communications resources, including proposal and business development submissions, performs copywriting and editing, and leads strategic communications planning and marketing collateral design and production.
Gabrielle has conducted park and recreation system planning, park and trail master planning, and designed park, trail, and site improvements for clients throughout the state of Minnesota as well as for communities in Wisconsin and Iowa. She has been involved in planning efforts for Dakota County's innovative greenway network since its inception, and she has also helped numerous clients in greater Minnesota plan and develop their regional park and trail facilities.
Gabrielle's ability to engage with stakeholders has been a key element in her professional success. She is able to work with staff and stakeholders to develop a broad vision for the community's future, but she is also able to work with community members to develop creative solutions to more specific planning and design challenges.
Awards
2020 MRPA Award of Excellence - Hutchinson Parks, Recreation and Community Education System Plan
2015 MNDOT Stewardship Award in Transportation and the Natural Environment - River to River Greenway, Dakota County, MN
2015 ASLA-MN Merit Award for Analysis and Planning - Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Duluth, MN
Hannah provides graphic design services for the creation of engagement materials, plan reports, project branding, marketing collateral and other digital resources. Hannah's contributions enable the planning and design teams to deliver strong visual communication materials to attract interest in the process, project a professional identity across all materials, and raise awareness of the project throughout the community. Her work can also play a role in promoting and marketing subsequent implementation efforts.
Hannah provides landscape design, engagement, and visualization support for projects throughout the design process. She has contributed to several high-profile community park planning and improvement projects and has also provided service for park system planning, corridor planning, and site design initiatives. Hannah is one of HKGi's visualization experts and is adept at using a variety of visualization tools to create renderings that bring design concepts to life. Her contributions have helped the firm develop efficient methods for creating high-quality, enhanced graphics.
Awards
2020 Ubuilt Design Award - Frisco Public Library - Frisco, TX
Jason has twenty-five years of experience in community planning and urban design and provides service on comprehensive and land use planning, zoning ordinance updates, day-to-day consulting planning, and other community planning initiatives that can benefit from his experience and knowledge of community development and design. His experience includes serving as a municipal planning manager and a research fellow at the University of Minnesota's Design Center for the American Urban Landscape.
Jason grew up in a small town, has lived in a city, and has worked in a suburb, which enables him to provide meaningful perspectives for a variety of planning contexts. He recognizes the ways in which the physical design of a place can shape and influence human behavior. Jason also brings a particular interest in analyzing zoning codes and shaping or re-shaping them so they will achieve the goals of the client.
Professional Activities
2023 Past President, American Planning Association, Minnesota Chapter
2022 President, American Planning Association, Minnesota Chapter
2021 Vice President, American Planning Association, Minnesota Chapter
2017-2020 Treasurer, American Planning Association, Minnesota Chapter
Jeff is a veteran planner who also has experience serving as a municipal planner and as an urban design and planning research fellow. His project work includes zoning ordinances, comprehensive plans, downtown and neighborhood planning, station area planning, and housing studies. He enjoys working with clients to create strategies that help communities generate economic development opportunities, expand their housing stock, and create vibrant neighborhoods that are bike- and pedestrian-friendly.
Jeff is valued by clients for his listening and communication skills, his thoughtful approach, and his emphasis on providing outstanding client service. His leadership qualities and his ability to build trust has enabled him to tackle challenging projects. He leverages his problem solving and critical thinking skills to address stakeholder concerns and find appropriate planning and design solutions.
Awards
2019 MN APA Excellence in Community Engagement Award - Red Wing 2040 Community Plan
2017 MN APA Success Stories in Implementation Award - Chaska Downtown Master Plan
2017 MN APA Context in Planning Award - Eliot School Site Reuse Study - St. Louis Park, MN
Jody provides design and planning services for park and trail improvements, park and trail plans, bike-ped plans, and redevelopment initiatives, especially related to multi-modal transportation and connectivity. In recent years she has also provided grant writing services for several clients, helping them secure funding for improvement projects that enhance multi-modal connectivity and provide a safer environment for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Jody is committed to conducting community planning and design that promotes healthy living, sustainable ecosystems, and quality of life. She understands the ways in which design impacts and enhances vibrancy, quality of life, connectivity, and accessibility and she strives to ensure that everyone benefits from well-designed communities.
Jordan is a versatile designer who provides service on a variety of projects including site design, concept planning, asset management planning, park and recreation system planning, and a wide range of park improvement projects. He also has several years of experience providing project management for a playground design/build firm, which means he is experienced at working with clients, product vendors, and contractors.
Jordan also has an aptitude for technology and has played an important role in helping the firm expand its use of technology to make the design process more efficient and user-friendly. He has conducted extensive field testing of new online tools, and he has worked with our other visualization experts to continue to refine and enhance our 3D rendering capabilities.
Kendra is a versatile planner who can provide expertise and support on a wide variety of planning projects including zoning ordinance reviews and revisions, development application reviews, grant writing, comprehensive planning, and data research and analysis. She has experience facilitating community engagement events, activities, and online marketing for planning processes, and through her professional and academic experience she has cultivated strong skills in policy research, data analysis and visualization, site plan and design work, and manuscript development.
Kendra's previous experience includes serving as a municipal planner and GIS technician where she contributed to city visioning and comprehensive planning as well as outdoor recreation and bike-ped planning initiatives. She is committed to helping clients conduct planning that promotes vibrant communities that are equitable, sustainable, and resilient.
Kevin's work experience includes park and recreation planning, development concept planning, land use planning, and site and streetscape design. He also has a background in data collection and analysis related to economics and markets, which has enabled him to provide market and industry research and analysis to several of HKGi's redevelopment, park and recreation, and comprehensive planning projects.
His engagement approach enables him to build a rapport with stakeholders with a variety of perspectives and interests. He has demonstrated his ability to listen to stakeholder input and then find solutions that build on common desires and interests.
Awards
2017 MN APA Success Stories in Implementation Award - Downtown Master Plan and Streetscape Design - Chaska, MN
2015 MI APA Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan - Comprehensive Plan for the City of Ironwood
Natalie provides planning services for comprehensive plans, corridor and neighborhood redevelopment plans, land use plans, trail plans, bike-ped plans, park system plans, grant writing, and zoning ordinance revisions. Her work includes engagement support, report writing, planning context research, stakeholder outreach, and GIS data collection. She is interested in finding ways to encourage youth participatioin in the planning process, and she is also interested in helping rural communities create and refine economic development strategies.
Her education included a concentration on environmental planning and food systems, and she has training and experience in the areas of GIS, entrepreneurship, microfinance, statistics, civic participation, farmers market organizing, and youth program management.
As a Principal, Paul has provided leadership for the development of HKGi's philosophy and approach, and as a landscape architect, he has provided design leadership for hundreds of park, trail, streetscape, and public space improvement projects. Paul has also provided valuable service to numerous clients, assisting them with land use concept planning and other community development and redevelopment initiatives.
Paul is a creative thinker who can also evaluate ideas through a critical lens and ensure the right balance between innovation, feasibility, functionality, and aesthetics. He values his relationships with clients and colleagues and takes pride in helping them achieve their community development objectives. He also enjoys working with HKGi's staff, providing them with guidance, encouragement, and opportunity as they build their professional careers.
Awards
2020 MRPA Excellence Award, 2013 MN ASLA Merit Award and 2009 MRPA Award of Excellence - River's Edge Commons Expansion - Elk River
2020 MRPA Excellence Award - Fernbrook Athletic Fields Complex - Maple Grove
2017 MN APA Success Stories in Implementation - Downtown Chaska Master Plan and Streetscape
Rita blends technical planning knowledge with exceptional communication and management skills to provide clients with outstanding project leadership and efficient community engagement processes. Her ability to work with stakeholders to facilitate a greater understanding of the community's needs and vision for the future provides a solid foundation for planning initiatives.
Throughout her career Rita has provided day-to-day planning services to communities throughout the state. In this role she reviews development applications, drafts reports for planning commission and city council consideration, and assists communities with a range of planning services. Rita also provides leadership for comprehensive plans, zoning ordinance revisions, park and recreation planning, and grant writing. She has helped local agencies secure millions of dollars for active living initiatives and outdoor recreation improvements.
Awards
2018 MN APA Excellence in Community Engagement Award - Chanhassen Parks and Recreation System Plan
2017 National APA President's Council Leadership Award
2009 ASLA-MN Honor Award for Planning and Research - Saint Paul Park and Recreation Vision Plan
Sarah brings strong technical and design skills to her project work, which includes park and trail master planning, park improvements, site plans and improvements, and community design for corridor and neighborhood planning. She has a strong background in ecology and green infrastructure, so Sarah frequently contributes to projects that involve sustainability, resiliency, and natural resource conservation and restoration.
Sarah is passionate about community design and working with clients and stakeholders to brainstorm and refine design concepts. She monitors developments and trends in the landscape architecture profession and enjoys introducing creative new ideas into the planning process for consideration. Sarah is an excellent communicator and works to ensure that the desires of the community are incorporated into the design process.
Awards
2021 ASLA Honor Award in Planning and Urban Design, Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail Master Plan, Minneapolis
2019 MN APA Excellence in Community Engagement Award, 2040 Community Plan, Red Wing
2015 MN APA Excellence in Community Engagement Award, Great River Passage Interpretive Plan, Saint Paul
Tim provides landscape architecture services on site, streetscape, public space, and trail and park design projects. He contributes to conceptual design, design development, construction documentation, cost estimation, and construction administration and spends a lot of time doing field work during "construction season." Tim also has graduate level training in urban planning and provides planning support for a variety of community planning and urban design initiatives, including visualization and GIS mapping.
Tim is a military service veteran who has worked and interacted with a diverse range of peoples and cultures. He excels at working with other design and planning professionals, product vendors, and contractors to develop design ideas and ensure that the client receives high-quality construction services.
Awards
2018 ASLA-MN Merit Award for Planning and Urban Design - St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail Master Plan
2017 MN APA Success Stories in Implementation Award - Downtown Master Plan and Streetscape Reconstruction, Chaska, MN
2015 MN APA Planning in Context Award - Red River Corridor Master Plan, Moorhead, MN