Market: Client Programs

Meet Our Team

Mai-Lee Lam

Principal

With over 28 years of experience at her back, Mai-Lee Lam excels in bringing to life international projects that skillfully fuse function, efficiency, and practicality. Hand-selecting diverse teams of experts for each project, she immerses herself in the culture, regulations, and complex local requirements, partnering closely with clients to deliver on-time, on-budget solutions that go above and beyond.

Mai-Lee is often inspired by the passion and dedication of her teams in bringing even the most complex spaces and footprints to fruition. When she’s not focused on budgeting or project design efficiency, you’ll find her exploring exotic corners of the world, or simply wiling away the hours gardening.

Meet Our Team

Terry Odle

Principal

A jack-of-all-trades and strategic advisor, Terry Odle loves the complex challenges and client coordination that comes with bringing environments to life. With over 35 years in the industry, deeply understands the value of nimble, constant communication, investing himself wholly in the success of a client’s projects, and viewing their teams as his own.

Terry’s background his highly diversified, having worked across numerous facets of architecture—from entitlements and design to construction administration. This legacy grants him the unique ability to step in and add value at any point during a program without missing a beat, ensuring that results are beyond expectations. When he’s not collaborating with clients, Terry enjoys traveling or simply kicking back with a good book.

Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale has partnered with MG2 for over 30 years.
Costco Wholesale Santa Fe La Mexicana by MG2

An enduring partnership with a global leader

Over 30 years ago, our partnership with Costco Wholesale began with one warehouse. At the time, the wholesale leader was putting down roots in rural and suburban communities, where space was ample. However, as the brand gained popularity and expanded its reach into urban neighborhoods, development became more challenging with greater constraints. Simultaneously, Costco Wholesale boldly began to broaden its offering, with services such as optical and hearing centers, pharmacy, gas stations, and fresh, high-quality meat, deli, and seafood selections. As jurisdictional codes became more complex and demanding, creative design solutions were required. A dedicated partner—one who understood their goals, embraced their values, and sought to grow with them—was needed. They went all-in on MG2.

Three decades and 780+ locations worldwide later, MG2 remains that partner today. Our relationship has grown and strengthened, both personally and professionally. We have worked together to streamline organizational efficiencies in building design and delivery, cost management, entitlement services, built asset management, and program management. MG2 anticipates Costco Wholesale’s needs, evolving alongside, and elevating the speed and consistency of our results over time.

Costco warehouse: New Orleans, LA (Photo Credit: George Kuchler)

With MG2 as their program partner, Costco Wholesale has set the bar by creating and maintaining the platinum standard in optimized rollouts: It takes just 110 days from the time construction begins to the moment doors open to their members. Their “high quality, best price” approach toward building design—also reflected in their products and customer services—is an inherent part of Costco Wholesale’s brand promise. 

MG2 evolves the Costco Wholesale warehouse prototype every month, finding innovative ways to update and improve the concept while upholding our swift construction schedule and high-quality standards.

Our relationship goes beyond the depth of resources and broadness of services MG2 provides; there’s a consensus-driven approach across a joint team that keeps the proverbial ship moving forward. We work together to create modern, industrial retail environments that are contemporary, clean, safe, and never compromise Costco Wholesale’s standard of delivering quality. We’ve tackled countless new challenges together, leaning into the seemingly impossible to come up with solutions foundationally based on our co-journey. 

And along the way, we’ve optimized Costco Wholesale’s program to the business benefit of millions of dollars per year, while continuing to help them grow and expand to new consumer markets across the globe.

Press Coverage

Awards

Public Storage

public-storage-interior

An experience as valuable as their storage solutions

The leader in self-storage across the U.S. and Europe, Public Storage, remains wholly dedicated to customer service by going above and beyond merely leasing storage space. They are steadfast in their commitment to long-term energy efficiency and sustainability. To help them continue to shine in an increasingly crowded marketplace, Public Storage partnered with MG2 to refresh and reimagine the customer journey. 

The partnership has resulted in a prototype design solution slated to stitch together and cohesively unite 2,400 existing locations and future property acquisitions under one brand. In tandem, the team innovates on new construction projects through a unique, patent-pending “office of tomorrow” prototype design. These initiatives set the stage for an instantly recognizable brand to offer a seamless transformative experience, regardless of location, that stands out from the competition.

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Costco Wholesale Headquarters Campus

Costco Wholesale first opened its global headquarters campus in the mid-1990s and has continued to expand as the company grows. Working closely with the City of Issaquah, MG2 has been partnering with Costco on developing a 30-year agreement to expand on the original master plan, which features up to 1.5 million additional square feet of office space. 

The design aims to evolve Costco’s corporate campus by reimagining working environments, enhancing connectivity to the surrounding natural environment and community, and integrating modern, efficient, and sustainable practices and materials. In its current phase, open, collaborative workspaces, multi-functional parking facilities, and high-efficiency sustainable materials and operations take center stage.

Flexible Workspaces for Wellness and Collaboration

MG2’s interior design programming for Costco’s new nine-story building serves as the standard and foundation for all office spaces across the company. Layouts and furnishings place a consistent emphasis on health and wellness, providing employees with open-concept workspaces and flexible meeting areas. To further promote collaboration and culture, three new food and beverage spaces, an auditorium, and an art-centric exhibit space contribute to the brand’s principles of “campus, connection, and community” that it has envisioned for its evolved headquarters.

The expanded fitness center, which now includes a gym in the parking garage, allows for more daylight and promotes overall employee well-being. The flexible exhibit area on the ground floor of the new parking garage provides a space for vendors to showcase their products to employees.

A Multi-Functional Parking Garage

In tandem with Costco Wholesale’s new nine-story office building, MG2 also designed a complimentary parking structure for employees, featuring 1,694 stalls and 712,000 square feet of space. Connected to the workspaces via a sky bridge, the first floor of the parking garage features a 13,130-square-foot staff wellness center—complete with a fitness gym, aerobics room, full-service locker rooms, and secure interior bicycle storage—a 14,500-square-foot exhibit hall—which provides a space for vendors to showcase their products to employees—and a catering kitchen.

Building a Greener Future Inside and Out

Costco and MG2 prioritized sustainability throughout the design, targeting sustainable certifications and sourcing local materials. Key sustainability features include:

  1. Triple-glazing: The building envelope utilizes triple-pane glazing and strategic positioning of north vs south facades to reduce energy demand and optimize natural daylighting.
  2. Daylighting: Daylight sensors, LEDs, narrow floor plans, and an intelligent interior layout maximize natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting.
  3. DOAS System: The dedicated outdoor air system efficiently recovers energy and reduces heating demand by using interior building heat to warm up outside air, reducing fossil fuel usage.

Additionally, a 43.75 kW solar photovoltaic system on the roof trellises—equating to roughly 2,250 square feet of solar panels—is installed atop the parking garage, while the interior of the garage houses three large backup generators to support the adjacent offices.

Costco’s commitment to sustainability is further demonstrated by providing real-time feedback through a display in the Headquarters lobby, helping inform employees on how they can improve their energy and water consumption.

Setting a New Standard for Corporate Campuses

As the 30-year master plan continues to evolve and take shape, MG2’s forward-looking design approach for Costco’s Headquarters expansion creates a dynamic, interconnected, and sustainable work environment that fosters collaboration and well-being. 

The emphasis on a healthy interior design language, multi-functional environments such as its new parking garage, and sustainability features both inside and out showcase the brand’s dedication to its employees, the local community, and the environment.

Press Coverage

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Nordstrom Rack

The next evolution of mission-driven design

Today’s retail customers crave simplicity, fun, and personalization in their shopper journeys. To meet this rising demand, Nordstrom enlisted the help of MG2 and challenged us to design an innovative, flexible ‘Store of the Future’ concept for their Nordstrom Rack locations. 

The resulting design granted Nordstrom a new direction they could trust in, complete with elegant, bold details such as impactful in-store diagrams, signage, and fixtures that highlight merchandise stories. MG2 also delivered gender-neutral fitting areas and user-friendly check out zones. These cost-neutral solutions advance Nordstrom’s mission to offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality, and value.

MG2 continues to work with Nordstrom in evolving the store planning and design of this concept, positively impacting the customer experience for over 25 locations across the US and Canada. The innovative design remains active today, helping consumers achieve their immediate goals while providing moments of delight.

Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers

Ritchie Bros

Program unification through iteration

MG2, Ritchie Bros.’ select corporate architect, has worked on more than fifteen of the auctioneer’s projects around the world since 2007. Before our partnership, the company replicated outmoded concepts for all their new builds without iteration, resulting in each location running into the same problems time and again.

Each location presented MG2 with unique challenges and opportunities for innovation, from navigating site conditions internationally to undertaking master planning in Dubai and Beijing, to determining how to establish new utility infrastructure in rural areas.

From the onset, MG2 immersed ourselves in the program by leveraging lean design methodologies and benchmarking analysis. The team toured existing, preferred facilities, spending time with the construction teams, vendors, and staff, learning their pain points, and documenting areas of opportunity.

Based on what they learned and leveraging a fresh perspective of the barriers the client was facing, MG2 created a new prototype, set of design guidelines, and specs. For each build, we were able to customize, observe, and refine solutions, making each new location better than the last. Finally, we worked hand-in-hand with Ritchie Bros. teams to successfully maintain their facilities and implement behavioral changes, ensuring guidelines were followed both now and in the future.

Ritchie Bros

Through it all, MG2 provided comprehensive architectural services while providing coordination with Ritchie Bros.’ other project partners and consultants to deliver project success again and again.

Meet Our Team

Eric Marks, LEED GA, RA

Principal

For over two decades, Eric has been using his creative problem-solving skills to lead clients and teams down the road to success. Heading up MG2’s Washington DC office, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of the built environment. Furthermore, his technical knowledge allows him to create innovative solutions that influence customer behaviors, deepening brand engagement for clients.

Eric thrives on solving complex puzzles; the more challenging, the better. By living in one of the United States’ most historic cities, Eric finds inspiration in creative design solutions where change rarely happens. The inclusion of technology in adaptive reuse projects are of particular interest. When he’s not master-planning new initiatives or designing mixed-use environments, Eric is recreating restaurant dishes in the comforts of his kitchen, often with great success.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

Meet Our Team

Risa Yuki, LEED GA

Principal

With more than 20 years of experience, Risa has been with MG2 since the beginning of her career. Her passion spans multiple areas of expertise, including design and delivery for new construction, prototyping, and adaptive reuse projects. Risa is the go-to person on every team. She consistently pioneers effective solutions that translate into new business practices for clients.

Risa not only cares about the work but the people associated with it. Her focus on collaboration and team-building has helped her foster long-term partnerships with internal and external teams. She is not only an inspiring leader but the glue that holds projects together. Her colleagues often request to work with her on critical challenges to observe and emulate her ability to develop authentic, trusting relationships with clients. A “foodie” at her core, if Risa isn’t driving new solutions for dynamic projects, she’s exploring new restaurants and learning about emerging cuisines.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

Meet Our Team

Mostafa Ahanchi

Principal

Since joining MG2 in 1994, Mostafa has spent more than two decades growing the relationship with MG2’s longest-existing partner, Costco Wholesale. As the MG2 leader of the account, he plays an integral role in supporting Costco’s strategic expansion by delivering high quality in service, process and product. Mostafa is responsible for leading a team of over 140 professionals in prototype development, project implementation and senior architect supervision for a program delivering over 30 new warehouse projects a year worldwide.

With more than 23 years of experience at MG2, Mostafa is relied on heavily to research, validate and implement architectural solutions for Costco as the company continues to refine their warehouse prototype through monthly cumulative modifications. Both Costco and his colleagues hold Mostafa in high esteem for his persistent management style and ability to overcome challenges without jeopardizing budgets or construction schedules.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

Meet Our Team

Matthew Goelzer, AIA, LEED AP

Principal

Matthew’s extensive background designing warehouse, distribution, food process and cold storage facilities has resulted in his emergence as one of MG2’s most valued design experts. His diverse experience working for both architectural and engineering firms, as well as time spent at a design-build construction company early in his career, has provided Matthew the ability to bring integrated design solutions to projects.

Project stakeholders rely on Matthew for his comprehensive understanding of complex design and entitlement processes. The vast technical knowledge Matthew possesses enables him to serve as MG2’s professional practice lead and sit on the executive committee responsible for maintaining the firm’s overall QA/QC standards and professional risk mitigation.

Throughout his time at MG2, Matthew has been a catalyst for change, overseeing the mentorship of several young architects and working with internal partners to implement a formalized talent development program to foster their progress. The totality of his efforts has ensured MG2 is primed to meet the demands of clients today and tomorrow.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

Meet Our Team

Brian Bonar, AIA, NCARB

Principal

With almost three decades of experience designing and developing across everything from education and aviation to residential and retail, Brian Bonar excels at architectural versatility. He’s spent his career leading clients and teams through complex programs and processes, honing each step of development, strengthening relationships, and pushing edges to create dynamic projects.

Brian’s diverse blend of expertise and leadership skills allow him to look ahead and anticipate stakeholder needs, simultaneously focusing on both minute details and the big picture to ensure clients see their visions realized. Continually influenced by the technical precision yet elegant simplicity of modern architecture, Brian has a deep appreciation for, and understanding of, what it takes to bring inspired spaces to life. When he’s not studying the amalgams of light, mass, and shadow, you’ll find him kicking back to a baseball game, or spending time outdoors with his family.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

Meet Our Team

Jonathan Chang, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB

Principal

Originally from Taiwan, Jonathan Chang has long been fascinated with and influenced by the cultures, spiritual experiences, and communities born from architectural design. He has traveled the world chasing that inspiration, studying and working in the United States, and settling in Shanghai where he now serves as MG2’s international lead for our longtime client partner, Costco Wholesale.

Jonathan is an ardent project manager, commercial and mixed-retail designer, and observant Principal. He passionately applies his expertise to solving complex challenges that transform the fundamental fabric of global metropolises, guiding and mentoring his teams along the way. Outside the office, you’ll find Jonathan wiling away the hours on long road trips, gardening, or simply day-dreaming about the future of urban landscapes.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

Meet Our Team

Doug Brookbank, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB

Principal

With over 20 years’ experience with MG2, Doug Brookbank has proven expertise around navigating the complexities of client programs and helping our partners reach their business and development goals. As versatile as he is passionate, Doug strategically gets involved with projects early on, expertly guiding stakeholders through due diligence, schematic design, design development, and the entitlements process.

His team-first approach to leadership and dedication to finding the right solutions help solve our clients’ most intricate and novel problems. Above all else, Doug values his relationships, built on collaboration, professionalism, and a shared desire to achieve results; it is the friends he has made along the way that create a sense of unity and connection. Ultimately, it is Doug’s purpose-driven approach and rigor that elevate the work of MG2 in every way. When Doug isn’t solving a challenging problem for clients, he is inviting them into a competitive game of golf, exercising strategy, agility, and dexterity in an entirely new way.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

Meet Our Team

Russ Hazzard, AIA

President

A fearless and revered leader, Russ Hazzard is a master conductor. He knows how to orchestrate the right team and cues each player to jump into a project at the exact moment they are needed. With Russ at the podium, innovative solutions become the perfect score, exceeding clients’ expectations and tempting them to experience a repeat performance.

Russ knows firsthand how enduring relationships with our partners, some of which span 40 years, elevates MG2’s unique ability to understand and help shape their enterprise. Contributing to the mastery and evolution of dynamic programs deepens his commitment to creating synergies and shared successes. This commitment also helps MG2 pioneer new offerings that elevate all our core practice areas.

Team collaborating around a table

Perspectives

People Make the Place: Leading the Way at MG2

MG2 is thrilled to announce the promotion of over 40 employees across our studios and offices. With a culture rooted in recognition and appreciation, MG2 celebrates not just the advancements of those within leadership, but those of every single team member. There are no small roles here; without the outrageous talent and unwavering dedication of all our employees, we would not be the firm we are today.

2020 promotions grid of photos and quote

It’s with great pride that MG2 fosters creativity, acknowledge achievements, and promotes from within, and with that, we’re excited to introduce you to this year’s rising stars who are paving the way for our future across design, operations, program management, and more:

Irvine

  • Nubia Herrera | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Mackenzie Gibbens | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Meadow Pirigyi | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Jessica Labac | Promoted to Associate 4
  • Isaac Perez | Promoted to Associate 5

WASHINGTON, D.C.

  • Gabriella Santostefano | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Hazel Ventura | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Krysten Gormly | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Ishana Mistry | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Paola Moreno | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Behbood Vatani | Promoted to Senior Estimator
  • Meridyth Cutler | Promoted to Senior Associate 1

MINNEAPOLIS

  • Ryan Hartsuff | Promoted to Associate 5
  • Monica Russell | Promoted to Associate 5
  • Liz Aiello | Promoted to Senior Associate 1

SEATTLE | COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTS

  • Jacob Southard | Promoted to Associate 2

SEATTLE | CLIENT PROGRAMS

  • Sarah Bertis | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Whitney Gomes | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Morgan Nestegard | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Marina Sosner | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Connor Dimick | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Trevor Gunderson | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Darren Mobley | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Kyle Bembenek | Promoted to Associate 4
  • Willie Mak | Promoted to Associate 4
  • Brian Dobry | Promoted to Associate 5
  • Fiona Cutner | Promoted to Senior Associate 1
  • Amy Hart | Promoted to Senior Associate 1

SEATTLE | CONSUMER EXPERIENCES

  • Bridget Arnold | Promoted to Associate 2
  • Robyn Burgos | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Elle Reinhard | Promoted to Associate 3
  • Howard Schulien | Promoted to Associate 5
  • Min Jae Kwon | Promoted to Senior Associate 1

SEATTLE | OPERATIONS

  • Abbie Drake | Promoted to Senior Graphic Designer
  • Kelli Cook | Promoted to Program Manager
  • Natasha Windle | Promoted to Program Manager
  • Chelsea Pagdilao | Promoted to HR Specialist

Amongst our leadership team, MJ Munsell has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer. And, in addition to two new Principals — Risa Yuki and Mark Taylor — and two new Associate Principals — Scott Owen and Mitch Pride — we’re also excited to welcome two additional Shareholders: Melissa Gonzalez and Nick Caputo, who recently joined the MG2 family through our merger with The Lion’eqsue Group.

2020 promotions grid of photos and quote

MG2 Partner Costco Wholesale Opens First Warehouse In China

Costco Wholesale

We recently celebrated the success of our long-time client, Costco Wholesale, on the significant achievement of opening a new warehouse in Shanghai, China.

They hit a new record of 130,000 membership sign-ups before the warehouse opening. New Shanghai members now have a unique, warehouse shopping experience like none other in China.

Another significant achievement for this project is achieving a 2-star rating from the China Green Building Design. This rating is equivalent to LEED Silver and Gold certification. The notable features include solar panels that provide building power, a heat reclamation system, on-site rainwater collection, energy-efficient fixtures, and much more.

We are so proud to stand by our colleagues and our enduring partner during this momentous achievement. Congratulations!