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Rice Fergus Miller Announces Two New Principals

Rice Fergus Miller (RFM), a 52-person architecture, interior design, planning, and vizlab firm located in Bremerton, WA, has promoted two individuals to Principal: Gunnar Gladics, AIA, NCARB, cSBA; and Dean Kelly, AIA, NCARB.

 

Gunnar and Dean join the firm’s four other Principals: Jennifer Fleming, Greg Belding, Steve Rice, and Dave Fergus. Former Principal and owner, Mike Miller, retired earlier this year after nearly 19 years building the firm’s Senior Living and Healthcare studios.

Gunnar Gladics is now a Principal in the firm’s Fire and Emergency Services (FES) Studio. He joined RFM in 2019 after working closely with Dave Fergus and Ron Easterday on fire station projects while employed at a firm in Idaho. Now, Gunnar helps lead the firm’s FES Studio, which currently employs a team of over 20 professionals.

As a former firefighter, Gunnar brings a strong understanding of the complex considerations and functional needs that compose a successful fire station. After earning his Master of Architecture from the University of Idaho, he served for seven years in volunteer and paid firefighting positions. During that time, he experienced the intensity of living in close quarters with others, developed a passion for service, and a deep respect for the people who voluntarily put their lives on the line to serve their communities.

As an architect, Gunnar translates his personal experiences into functional, beautiful, and efficient fire stations that have a positive impact on the fire departments and districts who use them, as well as the communities who help fund them.

Dean Kelly is now a Principal in the firm’s Housing Studio. He specializes in complex Senior Living, Mixed-Use, Market-Rate Housing, and Master Planning projects including the recently completed Panorama assisted living community center and courtyard, the Emerald Heights campus façade renovation, Horizon House master plan, and Evergreen Pointe for Sound West Group.

Originally from Austin, Texas, Dean relocated to Bremerton to join Rice Fergus Miller in 2014. Over the past seven years, he has established himself as a strong designer and approachable leader who has helped shaped the firm’s Housing Studio with a focus on Senior Living. He is passionate about designing thoughtful communities for aging populations, and particularly loves collaborating directly with the people who will eventually call his designs home.

In addition to his role in firm leadership, Dean is active in the Bremerton community where he resides. He recently completed a five-year term of service on the Bremerton Design Review Board, two of which he served as Chair. Currently, he serves as the Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Music Discovery Center, a non-profit seeking to create an inclusive space for community members to experience, explore, and contribute to the world of music through education, performance, and mentorship.

Gunnar and Dean work alongside a team of over 50 professionals working across the disciplines of architecture, interior design, planning, and visualization and graphics (vizlab). The firm’s primary markets are Healthcare, Housing, Senior Living, Hospitality, Fire and Emergency Services, Community, and Education.

 

About Rice Fergus Miller

Rice Fergus Miller, Inc is the professional partnership of Steve Rice, Dave Fergus, Greg Belding, and Jennifer Fleming, begun in Bremerton in 1987. As a Certified B Corporation, the firm is committed to performing meaningful work that builds and strengthens community. Housed in a reclaimed Sears auto service center that is one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the United States, Rice Fergus Miller blends the personal aspirations of its over 50 team members with a vision for sustainable communities. Learn more at www.rfmarch.com.