Karl Kowalske, President, is the latest addition to 7GAE, which has added more than 30 new members to its team since last year. (Courtesy 7GAE)
Effective today, Karl Kowalske will oversee Seven Generations Architecture + Engineering (7GAE) as its new president. With his appointment, Kowalske will manage the Kalamazoo, Michigan-company’s day-to-day operations and drive its upward trajectory in terms of new business, client services and team development.
Kowalske is the latest addition to 7GAE, which has experienced a surge in hiring as a result of continuous growth. Since last year, the Tribally-owned architectural, engineering, and design firm has added more than 30 new members to its team to support its expansion. 7GAE falls under the Mno-Bmadsen umbrella, the non-gaming investment arm of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
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7GAE has earned more than $50 million in federal contracting in the last four years. While the growth of the U.S. Small Business Association 8(a) firm is primarily fueled by the federal market, including major contracts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Indian Health Service, the HUBZone-certified company also fulfills several statewide contracts in Michigan and continues to expand its work in Indian Country.
“I am honored to join Seven Generations A+E at this critical juncture in the firm’s exciting story,” Kowalske said in a statement. “The firm continues to enhance its expertise, add personnel, and expand its geographic footprint, and I am looking forward to furthering our extension throughout Indian Country, federal contracting, and the important work we’re doing here in Kalamazoo and the area.”
Kowalske enters as former President Jeremy Berg transitions full-time to Head of Professional Services within the Mno-Bmadsen family of companies. “We are built on the Tribal belief that today’s generation is responsible for the prosperity of generations to come, and we take that very seriously,” says Jeremy Berg, outgoing president of Seven Generations A+E. “I know the firm is in good hands under Karl’s guidance.”
Kowalske joins 7GAE following a successful six-year career with Progressive AE, most recently as director of practice development. “Having worked in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area for 20 years, I have known about Seven Generations A+E’s stellar reputation for excellence,” Kowalske said. “When I was presented with the chance to join this incredible team of talented employees with the same kind of passion that I have, I knew I could not pass up the opportunity.”
7GAE’s recent projects include design of a housing development that fosters relational living for Tribal elders of the Bay Mills Indian Community. As is true with all of the firm’s work, 7GAE took a collaborative approach to the design with the Tribe to create a meaningful connection for its citizens with one another, to the natural world, and to their own built environments.
Other recent highlights include the Tribal Court and Peacemaking Center in Dowagiac, Michigan, for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, which was the winner of the Southwest Michigan AIA Honor Award for Design; the Keshena Falls [Wisconsin] Restoration Project for the Menominee Nation, which earned the SWMI AIA Honor Award for Unbuilt Work; and the Gateway to the North Master Plan for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Manistee, Michigan, which earned the Outstanding Design and Planning Achievement Award by the Construction in Indian Country Committee.
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