October 30, 2019
Page 5
Rising to the Top
C ontinued from f ront
has also served as an important
mentor to many of us in the Port-
land design community.”
Hart told the Portland Observer
he sees more opportunities for mi-
norities and women in the archi-
tectural fields than when he started
out, but said design firms need to
make more of an effort. They need
to make diversity an obligation, he
said.
“We ought to have more out-
reach in our community to diverse
populations” Hart said. “We real-
ly should support it — give staff
time and really mentor them,
within company time instead of
off hours.”
He said young people of color
as early as junior high and high
school benefit when they have
adult mentors who can let them
know about the design field and
the career possibilities a degree in
architecture might bring, besides
designing buildings.
“You can work in movies, you
can work in theater designing sets,
you can be involved in a franchise
company as the on-staff archi-
tect,” he said. “We need to let stu-
dents know there are other things
they can do instead of being at a
computer screen all day doing the
same old thing.”
The design industry needs more
a more diverse pool of young pro-
fessionals, but to find them, it will
take “a broader voice, a larger au-
dience,” Hart said. “By the time
we reach them they’re usually in
college, and that’s a little late in
the game.”
Design firms are known to re-
cruit potential employees at col-
leges and some make an effort to
recruit from universities with a
high percentage of minority stu-
dents, but much more work will
be needed to bring more diversity
to the field.
According to a recent article
in Forbes magazine, innovation,
creativity, business performance
and decision-making are all im-
proved dramatically by employee
diversity. It also gives firms a hir-
ing advantage because most top
candidates firms prefer firms that
value diversity.
“In today’s world, that means
creating a culture of inclusion, re-
spect and understanding from the
top down,” said software compa-
ny owner Jason Downes.
For Hart, diversity means col-
laboration at all levels. He said
working with younger design pro-
fessionals, for example, gives him
a wider perspective.
“I can see some of the challeng-
es but I can’t see all the challeng-
es,” he said. “But I can help with
advice if we partner together.”
Hart is very generous with his
advice and takes time to keep up
with young professionals, said
Kevin Sabeta-Bak, a Zimbabwe
native and project engineer with
Colas Construction, a major black
owned Portland construction firm,
who said he was first struck by
Hart’s gentle demeanor.
“He has focused a lot on de-
veloping young professionals in
the design and construction in-
dustry, involved in trying to get
people to stop working in bub-
bles,” Sabeta-Bak said. “He has
been dedicated to making sure
that people know who else is out
there and how to develop oppor-
tunities.”
Sabeta-Bak said Hart often in-
vites him to networking events
and does the same for others.
“He’ll host the table and at the
event you’ll see him towing two
or three people with him and in-
troducing them to even more peo-
ple,” he said.
Although he pushes him with a
Photo by b everly C orbell /t he P ortland o bserver
Portland Architect Bill Hart was honored with a lifetime achievement
award this month for his successful work to increase diversity in
the architectural field. The honor was made by the Daily Journal of
Commerce. Hart founded Carleton-Hart Architects 25 years ago.
“gentle energy,” Sabeta-Bak said, thoughts about what’s going on
Hart also keeps him grounded to in our profession. He’s been very
reality.
valuable to my career.”
Architect Julia Mollner, a job
Hart is also grateful to his men-
captain at Carleton Hart, said Hart tors, and in his acceptance speech
has been invaluable as a mentor he singled out Joachim Grube,
for the past four years.
principal and founder of Yost Gru-
“It’s very inspirational to have be Hall Architects, not only for his
someone in his position to check leadership, but the challenge to do
in on you,” she said. “He gives a better job, a challenge he tries to
you articles and shares interesting meet by example.