Our Team

 From early childhood, Michael was interested in building.  First with "Lincoln Logs" then moved up to forts and rafts.  When his dad went back to college (engineering) they lived in a  small apartment with little room for building projects.  In high school he found the drafting class fascinating and determined to become a structural engineer.    Those plans were laid aside when a calling to the Gospel ministry caused redirection.  During the 30 years he spent in the ministry, he was involved in several building projects, both on the annual church convention sites and alongside his friends as they worked on their own additions.  In 2006 a change was necessary, and Michael attended Arapahoe Community College to receive an Architecture Technology degrees, and has several CAD and Drafting certificates.  He has worked in the industry since, obtaining his LEED-AP from Green Business Certification and has maintained these credentials.  When Michael is not as his computer or in meetings he likes to work in the shop (building smaller items), hike Colorado's mountains, work in the garden and forge knives from lawnmower blades or railroad ties.    

Steve is a registered Architect. His work experience encompasses a variety of projects types including residential design, hospitality design including restaurants, higher education dining facilities and tenant finish projects. Steve has a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering and Architectural Design from the University of Wyoming.

Architectural Design has been a lifelong passion of Steve's starting at a very early age. Steve has studied architecture in Italy, Scandinavia and Russia through study tours of these countries and areas as well as personal travel. 

Another of Steve's passions is cooking and to that end has won several blue ribbons in county and state fair competitions. 

Steve is a member of American Institute of Architects, Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, and American Institute of Building Design.

Josh always found himself immersed in complex logic and creative design video games, learning all the rules the games had to offer and maneuvering them. 

He always enjoyed packing as much functionality as he could into the smallest spaces, obsessed with the smallest details of form and functionality. 

Bored in the automotive industry he decided it was time for a change.

 He started with an online school to begin drafting with AutoCAD, intending to turn his recreational obsession into a vocation. He is looking forward to the long road ahead as he pursues Revit and eventually his own architect stamp. 

DeAnn takes a keen interest in the day-to-day activities of Empire Drafting and Design and other projects around the home and community.  

DeAnn grew up taking things apart and hopefully putting them back together again always wondering how things worked.  As she has pursued various avenues in life this has been a great advantage.  DeAnn spent 18 years in the Gospel ministry and since then was in a senior administrative position in a Fortune 500 company for many years and now does administrative work for Empire Drafting and Design and another family business.  

DeAnn has great attention to detail and loves organizing.  This quality has served her well in all work and personal experiences.

General, DeAnn's service dog has been her 24/7 companion for the last9 years detecting peanut products and altering her to any possible allergens.   

Sophia is a senior at the George Washington University, in Washington, DC. 

She will be graduating in spring 2021 with a BFA in Interior Architecture. 

Throughout her schooling, she has completed projects in a wide variety of practice areas, including residential, hospitality, recreational, and workplace design. 

Sophia has a wide variety of internship experience in the design field, and has been working with Empire Drafting since the summer of 2019. She particularly loves hospitality, residential, and workplace design. She also enjoys furniture design, graphic design, and traveling. 

After graduation, she plans on working as an interior designer and eventually completing her NCIDQ exam to become a certified designer. 

Empire Drafting & Design is a proud member of:

USGBC - U.S. Green Building Council

AIA - American Institute of Architects

AIBD - American Institute of Building Design

NAHB - National Association of Home Builders

USGBC: https://www.usgbc.org/chapters/usgbc-colorado?view=members

AIA: https://aiacolorado.org/

AIBD: https://aibd.org/denver-metro-chapter/

NAHB: http://business.hbadenver.com/list/Member/empire-drafting-and-design-llc-lakewood-468603