Photo by Mark Mahan
The Omni Architects team are, from left: Nathan Tanner, Lisa Walker, Mark Manczyk, Amy Arnold, Chad Gallas, President and partner Michael Jacobs, founding partner Sam Halley, Jeff Bennett, Deborah Cutts, David Stout, Jody Boelhauf and Teddi Hibberd. Not pictured: Vice President and partner Eric Zabilka, Christa Mueller and Erin Ruhl
Architects are in the legacy business, designing health care facilities, schools, churches and other buildings to last for generations. Omni Architects has been involved in more than 900 such projects in Lexington, Louisville, northern Kentucky and other areas in the commonwealth, totaling more than $1 billion in construction since its founding in 1975.
After spending the first few years in residential and corporate work, Omni began adding to Central Kentucky’s architectural landscape in the 1980s by designing Marriott Griffin Gate and UK HealthCare’s Markey Cancer Center; Centenary United Methodist Church in the 1990s; Northside Branch Public Library in the 2000s; and in this decade, University of Kentucky’s School of Art and Visual Studies, the BCTC Advanced Manufacturing Center in Georgetown and the current $200 million renovation and expansion of the UK Student Center.
“In 42 years, we have witnessed regular fluctuations in the marketplace in both the economy and in construction, and both for new buildings as well as renovations,” said Michael Jacobs, president of Omni Architects. “Right now, the economy has rebounded well since the great recession for the design firms and for our regional contractors. There is always concern that we will be able to sustain this growth, and be smart in what is needed and what might be coming next.”
Founded as Omni Associates in October 1975 by Sam Halley, the firm added Joe Williams as a partner in early 1976. Instead of branding the business with last names, Omni (“of all things”) was chosen to describe a vision and ensure a legacy beyond individuals. Williams retired in 2011, and Halley followed in 2015.
Jacobs had just earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from UK when the company was starting. He began with the firm in ’76 and today is its president. He is also a fellow of the 160-year-old American Institute of Architects.
“We use an analogy of a three-legged stool to define what we do that makes a difference and adds value for [clients],” he said, referencing service, design and technical knowledge. “Most firms are really good at any two of these three important elements, but some of our clients want all three.”
Omni also makes room for a fourth component: collaboration. From clients and user groups to stakeholders and consulting engineering firms, working together works out. “And most importantly, we recognize that all of our in-house team members have much to contribute,” Jacobs said. “Collaboration is what we have learned to do well.”
With a staff of 20, Omni competes for large projects and small. Marketing, design, quality control and other roles fall to Jacobs and Vice President Eric Zabilka. “By wearing all of these hats simultaneously, Eric and I get to touch every aspect of our projects from start to finish,” Jacobs said. “Having a leadership team of strong project managers with years of experience is what makes this an effective workflow for us.”
Zabilka came to Omni in 1995, shortly after earning a degree in architecture from the University of Kansas. He has been vice president since 2007. “We are extending stockholder opportunities to others within the firm to assure our notion of legacy is not hollow,” Jacobs said.
The Omni staff applied for and won the Legacy Award, one of eight categories in the 2017 Chamber of Commerce (CLX) Salute to Small Business Awards. The Legacy Award was introduced in 2010 to recognize multigenerational family-owned businesses and those companies that have been in business for 25 years or longer. “The application process to CLX helped Omni Architects recognize that we have accomplished much more than we sometimes give ourselves credit for,” Jacobs said.
“I have to admit that I underestimated the value that a Small Business Award program does to elevate regional awareness." —Michael Jacobs, president and partner Omni Architects
Omni also won the overall Small Business of the Year award. “I have to admit that I underestimated the value that a Small Business Award program does to elevate regional awareness,” Jacobs said. “Seeing so many of our local businesses represented at the CLX event reinforces the need for all of us to recognize that we are all part of a much larger and intertwined community.”
He has high praise for others in the architectural field in the area. ”I think our design community has made great strides, and many in Lexington now recognize that they do not need to go out of state to find design expertise,” he said. “It has been right here all along in our own backyard.”
Jacobs, Zabilka and the Omni Architects team look forward to the next 42 years and plan to submit an application for Commerce Lexington’s Legacy Award again in 2059. “By the way,” Jacobs said, “we have a position open for a good architect interested in joining what we are trying to do.”