1985
Leesa Vardeman joins VLK.
Years later, she will become a partner and a driving force in our success.
1986
Richard Jaynes joins VLK.
He will go on to become a partner and a big part of VLK’s growth and innovation.
1987
VLK Wins First Merit Award
The firm wins its first Merit Award for Starrett Elementary School.
1993
VLK Adds Future Partner
Todd Lien joins VLK. He will become a partner and tireless leader in the firm.
1998
VLK Welcomes Future CFO
Linsy Grozdanich joins VLK. She will go on to become our fearless CFO.
2000
VLK Branches Out
VLK expands its services into higher education, corporate training, and research facilities, gaining clients including Tarrant County Community College, American Airlines, and Alcon Laboratories. VLK Architects opens its Houston office to service new clients, including College Station ISD and Texas A&M University System.
2003
Sloan Harris Joins VLK
Our future CEO/Partner, Sloan Harris, joins VLK.
2009
VLK Rebrands with New Look
Firm logo and image rebrand. The new triangle logo was developed because it is one of the basic geometric shapes of construction that provides support and represents stability. Each swirl represents our tagline, People, Service, and Solutions – the foundations of VLK’s reputation. Holding these abstract elements is the negative space at the core (vortex), which symbolizes innovation.
2010
VLK Moves to Fort Worth
With VLK’s continued growth and expansion into other market sectors, the strategic decision was made to relocate the headquarters to Fort Worth in 2010. This allowed for better recruiting opportunities and access to new talent, and the centralized location aided VLK’s business development in the commercial sector.
2015
VLK Begins Educational Planning
Dalane Bouillion, Ed.D. joins VLK and starts VLK’s Educational Planning practice. Dalane was quick to forge a new approach to the practice of educational design. Because of this, VLK defined the industry standard for the role of Educational Planner, ensuring that the firm’s educational designs are grounded in curriculum for the benefit of school districts.
2016
VLK Hits Staff Milestone
As a testament to our growth, the firm hires our 100th employee. Let’s go!
2017
VLK Expands in Texas
We open the doors of our office in the state capital. VLK Austin is now open for business.
2018
VLK Expands Further in Texas
We move east into the metroplex as the Dallas office of VLK opens its doors.
2019
VLK Names New Executive Leadership
VLK announces a new executive leadership structure to support the firm’s continued investment in providing exceptional work opportunities for its employees while providing extraordinary client service and innovative project solutions.
Sloan Harris AIA, NCARB, LEED® AP was named as Chief Executive Officer; Todd Lien, AIA, Managing Partner; Justin Hiles AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, Chief Operations Officer; Ken Hutchens, Chief Creative Officer; and Linsy Grozdanich, Chief Financial Officer. This new leadership structure was a natural progression in growth for the firm and positioned additional leaders who are experts in their chosen areas to be more focused, timely, and strategic in their decision-making.
2020
VLK Hits Another Milestone
In just four years, the firm doubles in size and hires our 200th employee.
2021
VLK Promotes Chief Development Officer
In response to outstanding achievement in supporting VLK’s commitment to connecting instructional philosophy to purposeful design, Dalane Bouillion is promoted to Chief Development Officer. Her promotion aligns our architectural teams to the benefit of the educational vision of our clients.
2022
VLK Moves to New Home
With a commitment to our staff and our craft, VLK moves our Fort Worth headquarters to the historic Near Southside. This move allows our staff to be engaged in the fabric of this historic location and is a reflection that the environment that we work in is important. The development features a vibrant pedestrian plaza with retail shopping, restaurants, patios, and nearby residential.
2023
VLK Adds Chief Experience Officer
Daniel Pitcock joins VLK as Chief Experience Officer. The CXO activates client experience strategies to deliver differentiated brand experiences that build client loyalty and advocacy. The role includes ensuring employees embody the firm’s client promise and deliver brand expectations; delivering best-in-class experiences, leading teams and processes across all practices that optimize the client journey; personalizing client engagement; and driving a Culture of Client Obsession.