The Daily Reporter – WI Construction News & Bids Wisconsin's Construction Authority
Project Manager of the Year
Hailey Schwobe – AG Architecture
Hailey Schwobe – AG Architecture
Hailey Schwobe fell in love with architecture through another language.
As a high school student studying French, Schwobe became enthralled by the ways in which buildings can express culture. On a trip to France, she began to understand how the built environment guides people in their daily lives. So she dove into art and architecture courses and enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Outside her classes at UW-Milwaukee, Schwobe worked in the school’s maintenance department, where she was exposed to the mechanical and plumbing systems found in campus buildings. The experience was eye-opening, she said, and left her with a better understanding of the nuts and bolts of structures.
After receiving her master’s degree in architecture, Schwobe joined AG Architecture, where she spent the first five years of her career as a project manager. A two-year stint at another firm brought her experience managing multi-family work and school-referendum projects of as much as $40 million.
Schwobe eventually returned to AG Architecture after coming to miss the “personal touch” the company brought to its projects. Once back, Schwobe found herself overseeing a $15 million renovation and addition to Eastcastle Place in Milwaukee, which reconfigured the senior-living campus and its historic buildings.
Schwobe described the project as an “intricate puzzle” that sought to maintain the integrity of existing buildings while bringing the campus up to date and making it attractive to new residents.
Schwobe relishes her role as a project manager. Above all, she said, she loves building relationships with clients.
“By working with them from concept through construction, I get to experience their excitement for the final product,” she said. “I also enjoy my role as a leader on the project delivery team. I love the people I work with. Being able to lead, teach and learn from each of them makes every day exciting.”
