Schooley Caldwell Assocs., Inc.

Bob is an architect and President/CEO of Schooley Caldwell. He serves as the design principal and participates in management of the firm.  Bob’s strength lies in his ability to work with a client to quickly identify a vision for complex projects and lead the design team in implementing this vision.

Bob has earned a national reputation as an expert in historic preservation design through more than three decades of architectural practice. His passion for preservation began after the stealth demolition of of a landmark train station (Daniel Burnham’s Union Station in Columbus), and has continued through work at four state capitols (including the National Historic Landmark Ohio Statehouse) and numerous other historic buildings. Bob is a founder and past president of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation, past chairman of the advisory group of the National Historic Resources Committee of the AIA, past president of the Ohio Preservation Alliance, and a frequent guest speaker on preservation issues.

In 2002, the AIA elevated Bob to its prestigious College of Fellows in recognition of his national contributions to preservation design.  In 2015, Bob was inducted into The Association of Ohio Commodores, a group of individuals recognized by the Governor of Ohio with the state’s most distinguished honor, The Executive Order of the Ohio Commodore. Bob’s other recognition and awards include the Distinguished Alumnus Award from The Ohio State University; the Outstanding Person award by the Columbus Landmarks Foundation for lifetime service to preservation in Ohio; and the AIA Ohio Public Service Award for significant service to the community.

Bob received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from The Ohio State University, where he subsequently spent six years as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture.

Melinda is an architect specializing in historic preservation and renovation design. In her role as a Project Manager and/or Project Architect, she works closely with the entire design team and the owner to ensure that the design is correctly translated into documents and that the drawings and specifications are complete, thorough, clear, and concise. She also coordinates the work of our consultants and engineers to incorporate their design and documents into the Construction Documents. Melinda received a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and a Master of Architecture degree, both from the University of Cincinnati, where she had the opportunity to co-op with other design firms and gain significant experience in preservation design before graduating. In addition, she received a Certificate of Historic Preservation from the University of Cincinnati.

Melinda is a Clintonville resident and is active in the community; she serves on the Clintonville Area Commission Preservation Committee and is also a member of the Ft. Hayes Preservation Program Committee. Melinda owns the house she grew up in and has lived on her street longer than all but three of her neighbors. She also throws great Halloween parties and heads up our annual Canstruction team, which builds a sculpture made entirely of canned goods that are then donated to a local food bank.

Sam has provided project management, architectural design, feasibility and planning studies, facilities assessments, document production, and construction administration on various projects since joining Schooley Caldwell. These projects have involved a diverse range of building types, including the historic 47-story LeVeque Tower, a new office building for the City of Columbus, and recent work at the National Historic Landmark Ohio Statehouse. This has given Sam a rare breadth of experience that allows him to work as a knowledgeable and versatile member of any design team. Due to this experience, Sam is able to provide a holistic and contextual approach to design.

Sam’s meticulous organization and excellent communication skills have proven to be tremendously successful in managing the type of complex projects that our firm is known for. He earned both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Architecture from The Ohio State University, and is a Registered Architect in the State of Ohio.

Interesting fact – after a freak snowboarding accident, Sam’s wrist was reassembled with a titanium plate and a dozen screws, allowing him to draw better, faster, stronger – he is our very own bionic man.

Laura is Schooley Caldwell’s Marketing Director and Business Development Manager, and has worked in the A/E/C field for over 16 years, giving her a thorough understanding of the industry. Her role includes market and project research, lead identification, assembling teams of consultants, marketing strategy, client development, and firm communications. Laura is also our resident party planner, and when cupcakes or milkshakes randomly appear in the office, she’s usually behind it.

Laura is a lifelong Columbus resident and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from The Ohio State University. She is obsessed with beaches – fortunately she has a lot of family in Costa Rica and visits as often as possible. She and her husband live in German Village with their pets (Lily the dog and Luna the cat, who are mortal enemies), and outside of work she enjoys cooking, traveling, visiting local breweries, and reading.

Jeff is responsible for the creation and coordination of all Schooley Caldwell’s specifications and production of project manuals. He researches materials for their use in ongoing and future projects, oversees quality control issues related to construction documents, and is responsible for the maintenance of the firm’s product and reference standard library. He is also in charge of setting up “lunch and learns” and other educational opportunities for our staff, to encourage and facilitate continuing education amongst all team members.

One of Jeff’s special areas of interest is working with technical and education committees of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) to provide assistance with technical documents and manuals. Jeff was a contributor to CSI’s Instructors’ Guide to Written Construction Documents, a curriculum for teaching specifications writing and project manual preparation. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Environmental Design degree from Kent State University, and is a registered architect in Ohio as well as a Certified Construction Specifier.

Somehow Jeff does manage to find free time – he designs and builds furniture and is a ham radio operator (we joke that he speaks Morse Code as a second language).