"bio"

Meet the DC Team: Axel



Name:  Axel Bishop
Number of years at DC:  28
Title:  I am one of four Principals, I am a Land Planner and Landscape Architect.  I design neighborhoods, parks, drainage systems and school.
Where are you from? I was born in KC, Missouri where my parents grew up. My family moved, and I lived in Albuquerque, NM from infant to 10yrs. We then moved to Dallas, TX where I lived until College.
Where did you go to school? I graduated from Texas Tech University
Do you have any pets? What are they like? I have a Basenji Dog. These are a very interesting breed of African dog. They are basically untrainable but highly personable.  I also have a Springer Spaniel, Freddy.  He is very high energy and a well trained hunting dog.
What's one thing you can't live without? I would say that the one thing I can’t live without is my family.
Where is the farthest you have traveled?  I guess that a trip to Europe would be the farthest.  Budapest, Hungary was probably the farthest destination there.
What's your favorite food? I eat a lot of Soup. I love Dark Chocolate
What's your favorite part of working at Design Concepts? The kind of work that we do seems helpful to the world. It is innovative, recreational and creates good places to play and learn. The collaborative atmosphere makes it a nice place to work.
What would you do with $1 million? I would spend the rest of my life trying to make a positive difference in the world. Actually I think I will try that without the $1M.           
If you could be a professional athlete, what sport would you play? I would race bicycles.  That has remained my favorite sport.
What is your favorite movie?  I really like the philosophy expressed in “Forest Gump”.  One of the few movies I’ve seen more than once.
What inspires you? People who know who they are, and know how to apply that to creating beauty or positive change.
What's one totally random fact about yourself?  I once played guitar for a Southern Baptist evangelical group that toured the country in the summers singing at revivals.

Meet the DC Team: Mark


Name: Mark Ballock
Number of years at DC: 3 years
Title: Landscape Architect in training
Where are you from?: I was born in Patuxent River, MD and raised in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Where did you go to school?: I started my college career bouncing around a few different schools in PA, then got my LA degree from Colorado State University.
What's one thing you can't live without?: My Mac.
Where is the farthest you have traveled?: Switzerland or maybe Denmark.
What's your favorite food?: Sushi, though chocolate comes in a close second.
What's your favorite part of working at Design Concepts?: I enjoy being exposed to many different facets of design and construction.
What would you do with $1 million?: I would spend some (read as: ‘lots'), save some, and give some away.
If you could be a professional athlete, what sport would you play?: Hockey.
If you could win any type of award, what award would it be?: A Nobel Prize would be pretty sweet.
What is your favorite movie?: Have seen too many great films to have a single favorite though "Pan’s Labyrinth" was the last movie I saw that really impressed me.
What inspires you?: Music and visual media.
What's one totally random fact about yourself?: I have red hair but nary a drop of Irish blood in me…

Meet the DC Team: Sarah

Name: Sarah Cieciek

Number of years at DC: 7

Title: Landscape Architect

Where are you from? Protivin, Iowa. Population 317.

Where did you go to school? Iowa State University.

What's one thing you can't live without? My family and friends. Being outdoors.

Where is the farthest you have traveled? Brazil, Europe, and I have a trip planned for Thailand this December.

What's your favorite food? Cereal.

What's your favorite part of working at Design Concepts? The people and office culture. It is also great being able to work on school and park projects where your efforts are being enjoyed by the public.

What would you do with $1 million? Help my parents restore the family farmhouse. Transform the farm to an organic vegetable farm. Buy a place on Hawaii’s big island. Travel.

If you could be a professional athlete, what sport would you play? Six on six women’s basketball.

If you could win any type of award, what award would it be? Most ridiculous excuse for a bowling team.

What is your favorite movie? I prefer episodes of Seinfeld, The Office, or Arrested Development.

What inspires you? Getting away from my regular routine and exploring other cities and landscapes.

What's one totally random fact about yourself? I am a dog stalker. I don’t actually own one, but love them and am constantly admiring them. Have been known to walk my neighbor’s dogs to get my fix.

Meet the DC Team: Rachel

Name: Rachel Brenna

Number of years at DC: 2 + 5 =7

Title: Associate and Landscape Architect

Where are you from? It’s a big circle around the center of the country - born in Boulder, grew up in Mississippi, brief tour in the mid-west for school, and back to Colorado.

Where did you go to school? Iowa State University with a semester at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Do you have any pets? What are they like? One cat named Coconut. She is the best kitty on the planet - although she would probably tell you she doesn’t get enough love.

What's one thing you can't live without? Friends, family, new challenges (ok, that’s several things I can’t live without).

Where is the farthest you have traveled? Been to lots of places, but Australia and New Zealand are probably the farthest from here.

What's your favorite food? Anything that is good, fresh, and homemade (except eggplant).

What's your favorite part of working at Design Concepts? The people. Staff and clients alike.

What would you do with $1 million? Pay off the house, set some aside for retirement, help those who need it, and travel, travel, travel.

What is your favorite movie? I have lots of favorites, but my status as a new Mom puts Raising Arizona at the top.

What inspires you? Things that are beautiful and people that are passionate.

What's one totally random fact about yourself? Microwaves creep me out.

Meet The DC Team: Erik

Name: Erik Spring

Number of years at DC: Seven

Title: Landscape Architect, Tech Guy

Where are you from?: California, avocado land.

Where did you go to school?: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Do you have any pets? What are they like? An 85lb chocolate lab lap-dog named Mystery, and Roxy the cat. Both think they own the place.

What's one thing you can't live without?: Apple products

Where is the farthest you have traveled?: On a plane – Nepal. In a car – Mexico. In a pool – 2.4mi. On a bike125mi. On foot – 26.2mi.

What's your favorite food?: Most any kind of carbohydrate.

What's your favorite part of working at Design Concepts?: DC’s a friendly place to work. The office really encourages both personal and professional growth, so there’s a lot of flexibility and opportunity.

What would you do with $1 million?: A personal assistant would be nice. Other than that I’d probably invest most of it so in 10 years you could ask me what I’m doing with my $2M.

If you could be a professional athlete, what sport would you play?: Ping Pong. You gotta admire those mad skills.

If you could win any type of award, what award would it be?: The “Getting The Most Done In The Least Amount Of Time” Award.

What is your favorite movie?: Comedy – Dumb and Dumber. Action – The Transporter. Drama/Thriller – The Godfather. Sports – The Endless Summer. Art – River and Tides.

What inspires you?: Visual Arts. I love eye candy, it gets my brain going.

What's one totally random fact about yourself?: I have to board a plane with my right foot first. :)