We’re thrilled to welcome Joel Wallace, AIA, to the TowerPinkster team. Joel brings more than 20 years of experience as an architect, project manager, and leader. As a director of the firm, Joel will be a key member of TowerPinkster’s business development team with a primary focus on the healthcare and commercial markets. Joel’s experience includes large-scale projects ranging from replacement hospitals and medical/commercial office buildings to municipal parks and senior living.

Joel previously served as the Assistant Vice President of Architecture + Design with Trilogy Health Services in Louisville, KY. As AVP, Joel was deeply involved in the design and brand management, conceptual and renovation pipeline planning, as well as coordination between internal and external design and construction teams. 

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your professional journey. 

I’m originally from Rising Sun, Indiana, and have lived in the Louisville area for more than 20 years now. My rowdy family of five has lived just outside of town in Goshen, KY, for 7+ years and our three kids (ranging 3, 5, and 9) keep us on our toes 24/7, to say the least! 

My career path has been an exciting one filled with the variety and challenge most of us need to keep us sitting up straight and continually moving forward. I started as a draftsman with TEG Architects in 1999 and (with a major flash forward) later became a partner in the firm. A future opportunity allowed me to glimpse the owner’s “side of the fence” and ultimately led me to Trilogy Health’s development and construction team. After four years, my desire for the variety and challenges of the consulting side was starting to resurface and I realized how much I missed it from my day-to-day. That said, a long-time friend, and now colleague, had been telling me about this great firm of his…and we’ll just say the rest is history.  

I feel fortunate to have been involved in every side of our industry and enjoy the “trenches” and detail stage of a project just as much as the initial chase/concept development. I’m looking forward to continuing the next chapter as part of the TowerPinkster team!

Q: Tell us about your experience working within the healthcare industry and with healthcare clients.   

My healthcare project experience ranges from cancer centers, medical office buildings, and dialysis centers to replacement hospitals, senior living, and memory care. From a client perspective, I have worked closely with project teams through concept development, schematic design, and construction documentation. From my time at Trilogy Health, I’ve gained a new perspective on the owner side of crucial decision-making, idea development, and the importance of budget management. 

Q: Tell us about a favorite project you’ve worked on recently. What made it interesting?  

Being that I’ve been on the senior living side for the past four years, I would have to say my favorite project(s) as of late involve the improvement and development of multiple memory care facilities. While there is much reward in all the projects we do, the memory care sector became one which “pulls on the heartstrings” as many of the residents rarely leave the built environment during a typical day’s time. Facilities such as this play such a huge role in the later, and sometime mid, stages of life so the challenge to create a warm, safe, and welcoming place for folks to literally call “home” is one not to be taken lightly. 

Q: Why are you excited about joining the TowerPinkster team?  

Multiple reasons! First, I was looking to get back into the swing of variety-based challenges involving design-forward projects that I’ve missed for some time. Being that there are many opportunities out there for us all, TowerPinkster also stood out with its focus on family and life balance, while also pushing the envelope on design, technology, and the cultural environment that most desire in the architectural profession. These reasons, accompanied by the opportunity to grow within the new branch of the firm, also stood out to me as a great chance to be a part of something special here. 

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?   

My family and I shoot to stay as busy as possible – sitting still is not in our DNA! Most of this consists of outdoor activities ranging from simply being outside in the neighborhood with friends, going to local parks, and spending a ton of time at the softball field. We also love cabin/beach time when we can, Mexican restaurants, and any arts/crafts projects we can find to keep those little minds working. As coach of my daughter’s travel softball team, it’s fair to say that we find ourselves at a new softball park about every other weekend deeply immersed in a tournament as if it were an all-out war. We also have a newfound love for jeep-time, and we (mostly me…) look for every excuse possible to take the doors and roof off for a family cruise.