Currently steering design integration at the Los Angeles Convention Center project, Matt has spent years mastering Design-Build management—a path that wasn't always smooth.
After earning his architecture degree from the University of Kansas in 1994, job prospects were slim for the Colorado native. Matt worked for an architecture firm in Memphis, Tennessee, before pursuing a master's degree at UC Berkeley. Graduating in 1997, he joined a San Francisco architecture practice that eventually merged with Webcor partner Perkins+Will.
"I spent two years on the Pier One project, west of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. I put my heart and soul into that project," Matt recalls, only to see the contractor "slash and burn" the design. "It was a value-engineered project, so everything changed. As a young designer, I was like, 'What the hell just happened?'"
That frustration led him to Nibbi Brothers, where he hoped learning the construction side would make him a better Architect. "I planned to return to architecture," Matt says. "That never happened." Instead, Nibbi allowed him to work on the Pier One renovation—the very project he had helped design.
"That was a unique experience," he says. His time at Nibbi shifted his focus, and he soon found himself drawn to preconstruction and Design-Build. "I really started to get into it," he says.
His next stop was San Diego.
A new chapter began in San Diego. "My wife is an architect," he says; they met in architecture school. "We realized two architects in the Bay Area would have a tough time making a living." So, he took a job with a small residential Design-Build company. That work slowed down with the 2008 recession, and Matt jumped at the opportunity to join Webcor in 2010 to work on the design-build 41 Area project at Camp Pendleton.
When Webcor later closed its San Diego office, Matt faced a choice: relocate to Los Angeles or San Francisco or stay put. "Some staff moved, but I didn't want to leave San Diego," he says. Instead, he joined Skanska's San Diego team, where he worked for five years.
His next stop was to the “owner’s side” with a developer, overseeing high-end luxury apartments from land acquisition to project completion. "I loved working for a developer," Matt reflects. "It was fun to call the shots and make decisions, to see things through from start to finish. I gained real empathy for the pressures owners are under."
However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, and Matt found himself one of 84 employees laid off. His wife's architecture studio, however, was holding its own. "COVID was good for her," he says. "People stuck at home were doing remodels and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), keeping her busy."
Matt then joined Balfour Beatty, but after only eight months, Cecilia Kucharki—returning to Webcor to open its new San Diego office—reached out. She wanted Matt to join her. "I didn't feel good about leaving Balfour Beatty so soon," Matt admits, "but Cecilia and I are good friends, and I trust her…plus she was persistent, and I appreciated her passion for restarting the San Diego office." When Webcor's President and CEO Matt Rossie, along with Executive VP Jit Pahilajani, visited San Diego to share their vision for the region, Matt reconsidered.
"I realized that if Webcor hadn't left San Diego the first time, I probably never would have left. It's an awesome company with great people and culture—a great fit for me."
Matt dove into the design-build UCSD Ridge Walk student housing pursuit with Mithun, a project in which Webcor came in second place. While that loss was difficult for the entire pursuit team, it created a strong bond between Matt and the Mithun team, which eventually led to the pursuit of the UCI student housing pursuit that Webcor and Mithun successfully won. "Being in the trenches with Mithun for a tough loss like Ridge Walk definitely created collective trust and respect between our companies. It was exciting that we could take the loss of Ridge Walk and turn it into the UCI win.”
Matt recently moved on from the UCI project and is now working on the Los Angeles Convention project as the Design Integrator, working with Populous Architects out of Kansas City and interfacing with multiple stakeholders for the City of LA.
Looking back on his career, Matt is grateful for his various roles—working for owners, architects, and developers. "It's made me more empathetic to all sides," he says.
