New ‘Ask Brad’ Website Offers Valuable Information on the ADA
April 18, 2013 (Tulsa, Okla.) – A new website, www.askbrad.info, offering timely information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was launched by The McIntosh Group. The information is valuable to building and business owners, as all public facilities are required by law to comply with the ADA.
Brad Gaskins, for whom the site is named, is principal and COO of The McIntosh Group, an architecture firm based in Tulsa, Okla. Gaskins is a nationally recognized expert on the ADA.
Visitors to the site are encouraged to submit questions regarding the ADA. Gaskins will answer the questions and post them to the site for all to take advantage. In addition to the Q&A section, the site offers information through instructional videos, white papers, articles and resource links. Visitors have the option to sign up for updates to receive information as it is posted.
“Brad is an advocate for doing the right thing for the right reason. He does so by educating others on the importance of accessible facilities and the reasons why, hoping to influence them to do it because they believe it as well,” said Lanny McIntosh, The McIntosh Group Founder and CEO. “With more than 17 percent of our population classified as disabled and our population aging as it is, the disabled community is a demographic of increasing significance.”
Brad has more than 25 years architecture experience and a comprehensive understanding of professional practice nationwide. He brings a unique and valuable perspective to The McIntosh Group, with a specific expertise in the ADA. Brad has gained recognition as an expert for clients with ADA compliance complaints. He represents NACS, The Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing, on the ANSI A117.1, Consensus Committee on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Brad has an undergraduate degree in engineering and a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Oklahoma.
Golden Receives CASp Certification for ADA Accessibility Compliance
March 27, 2013 (Tulsa, Okla.) – Patrick Golden, Project Manager at The McIntosh Group, has passed the certified access specialist (CASp) exam given by the California Department of General Services.
As a registered interior designer with CASp certification, Golden can review facility plans and specifications for compliance with state and federal accessibility laws, codes and regulations. He can also conduct accessibility research, prepare reports and conduct accessibility inspections.
The program is designed to meet the public’s need for experienced, trained, and tested individuals who can render opinions as to the compliance of buildings and sites with the state of California codes and regulations and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for accessibility.
The ADA specifies that buildings must be accessible to all people with disabilities. Facilities not in compliance with these rules must make efforts to becoming ADA compliant. Golden’s certification allows him to review and provide expertise in this area. He can examine buildings for compliance and work with building owners to remove accessibility barriers.
The McIntosh Group Celebrates its 15th Anniversary
February 13, 2013 (Tulsa, Okla.) – The McIntosh Group celebrated its 15 year anniversary on Friday, Feb. 1.
Ellis (Lanny) McIntosh established the company in February 1998 with the idea of providing process and technology centered architecture services to clients with large building programs. In the beginning it was just Lanny, his laptop, a cell phone and a folding table providing consulting services for Kinko’s… flying out to Ventura, California every week.
A couple years later Brad Gaskins joined Lanny. The two are principals of the firm and together are licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The McIntosh Group provides architecture, program management, brand management and accessibility consulting services nationwide. Their consulting services have evolved to center around the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but their original core concepts about process, information and program management are much the same.
Their specialization in ADA and accessibility consulting is a case in point where they have been able to combine their unique experience in volume rollout management, their highly specialized ADA knowledge and their proprietary technology to assist their clients in developing and implementing accessibility compliance strategies for fleets of dozens or thousands of facilities.
They have distinguished themselves as THE expert in accessibility for convenience stores, hospitality and banks, with credentials that place them in the top tier of consultants. Brad is a nationally known expert on compliance with the ADA and has extensive knowledge of the regulations. Brad represents NACS, The Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing, as a full voting member on the International Code Council (ICC), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A117.1, Consensus Committee on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Brad is also a certified California Accessibility Specialist and along with ten others in the company, an ICC Certified Accessibility Inspector.
In the fourteen years since the firm’s founding they have completed more than 5,000 projects nationwide. They have experience in a wide range of client types including restaurants, hospitality, retail, convenience, banks, housing and office among others. They have extensive experience in planning and implementing programs of projects, utilizing technology to leverage the information about those programs to their clients’ advantage. This has given them a reputation among their clients as a firm that can get the job done. As stated by a current client who told them, “You get s!%# done.”
They love architecture and history and have worked on many historic buildings and homes. This includes their own office building, Boulder on the Park, constructed in 1921 as the original home for Holland Hall School and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Adaptive reuse of buildings and spaces has been a constant in their practice from the beginning. Rehabilitating and adapting old movie theaters, gas stations, office and industrial buildings, their projects have added new vitality to the city and its neighborhoods.
They have grown to a staff of twenty-five with Jack the office cat, their CFO (Chief Feline Officer). They were honored as one of Tulsa Business Journal’s Employees’ Choice: Best Places to Work for 2012. Their people see the firm as a place to make their career, a place for personal and professional achievement that challenges them to learn and grow and explore their value to their team and to their clients.
Lanny McIntosh Appointed to The American Institute of Architects Board of Directors
Tulsa, Okla. – October 23, 2012 – Delegates to The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Central States Region have appointed Lanny McIntosh, AIA, LEED AP, to the national Board of Directors of the AIA. McIntosh will serve on the board from the close of the 2012 annual meeting of the Board of Directors until the close of the 2015 annual meeting. McIntosh will join Wendy Ornelas, FAIA, Kansas State University, in serving as Central States Regional Director for the Central States Region, which is comprised of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
“Lanny is a great addition to the AIA National Board of Directors. He brings a unique perspective and depth of experience and ideas,” said Bradley Gaskins, AIA, CASp, President of AIA Oklahoma and Principal at The McIntosh Group. “Having worked with Lanny for 12 years, I know his commitment to continual improvement will be an asset to AIA and our region.”
McIntosh has more than 30 years experience in architecture and for the past 14 years has led The McIntosh Group. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, McIntosh got his start in practice working for a leading historic preservation firm in Little Rock, Ark. From that time forward, he has maintained a leadership role in his community, college and profession. McIntosh’s long standing involvement in the community is evident, having served as chairman and director of Preservation Tulsa, president of the University of Arkansas School of Architecture Advisory Board, director and president of AIA Eastern Oklahoma and director of AIA Oklahoma. McIntosh also co-founded the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and currently serves on its advisory council.
About The American Institute of Architects
For more than 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct to ensure the highest standards in professional practice. Embracing their responsibility to serve society, AIA members engage civic and government leaders and the public in helping find needed solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org.
The McIntosh Group Principal Represents National Association on International Code Council Committee
Sept. 6, 2012 (Tulsa, Okla.) – The McIntosh Group’s principal, M. Bradley Gaskins, AIA, CASp, will represent NACS, The Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing, as a full voting member on the International Code Council (ICC), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A117.1, Consensus Committee on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. Gaskins is a licensed architect for the Tulsa based architecture firm, The McIntosh Group. He is a nationally known expert on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and has extensive knowledge of not only the regulations, but also the convenience store industry.
The committee is responsible for setting minimum building codes that are accepted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as developing an accessibility standard that ensures buildings are accessible to people with disabilities. The Department of Justice utilized these building codes and standard during the development of Title III of the ADA.
“I am proud to be a member of a committee focused on accessible and usable buildings and facilities,” said Gaskins. “The McIntosh Group will help educate our clients on new technical requirements developed by the committee. My objective is to share, with the committee for their deliberations, the potential impact of the standards on our clients and continue to advocate for commonsense solutions.”
NACS is an international trade association representing more than 2,100 retail and 1,600 supplier company members. They serve the convenience and fuel retailing industry by providing industry knowledge, connections and advocacy to ensure the competitive viability of its members’ businesses.
“It is important that NACS members are represented during the process of creating new accessibility codes and standards,” said Corey Fitze, NACS Director of Government Relations. “Convenience stores are unique in so many ways, it is essential that we have an expert in not only ADA architecture but also an architect who has worked on thousands of convenience stores to advocate practical solutions on behalf of NACS members.”
The McIntosh Group Chosen as an Employees’ Choice: Tulsa’s Best Places to Work for 2012
May 25, 2012 (Tulsa, Okla.) –After compiling the results of more than 700 surveys, the Tulsa Business Journal (TBJ) announced the 20 honorees selected for TBJ’s Employees’ Choice: Tulsa’s Best Places to Work for 2012. The McIntosh Group was honored in the 5-25 employees category.
All honorees will be recognized as Tulsa’s 2012 Best Places to Work at an event June 21 at the Hyatt Regency Tulsa, with Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce Dave Lopez as keynote speaker. The firms that received the highest satisfaction rating in each of the four employment categories and overall will also be recognized.
The top 20 firms will be profiled in a special edition of the Tulsa Business Journal on June 20.
This honor was based on the results of surveys submitted by employees of the firms, generating an overall employee satisfaction rating. The five firms with the highest satisfaction ratings in each of four categories based on number of employees were selected. The category was determined by the number of employees in a firm at the level at which the firm establishes its benefits.
The McIntosh Group Recognized by 2011 Build Oklahoma Award Winner
May 24, 2012 (Tulsa, Okla.)—The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Oklahoma recently named Williams Construction Co. a 2011 Build Oklahoma Award winner for their work as general contractor on the Pipeliners Union 798 Training Center in Tulsa, Okla. Williams Construction Co. recognized The McIntosh Group as part of the project team for the architecture and design of the center. Williams Construction Co. honored The McIntosh Group at an awards ceremony on April 24, 2012 at the training center.
Williams Construction Co. won the Build Oklahoma Award for a new construction in the $2-$5 million range. The Build Oklahoma Awards annually recognize the best commercial building projects in five categories; new construction, renovation, design build, construction management and sub/specialty contractor.
The Pipeliners Union 798 Training Center is an industrial and educational facility for training and annual qualification of pipeline welders, and a conference center for meetings and educational events. The 35,000 square-foot facility includes 52 state-of-the-art welding booths, air extraction system and a ground loading area with crane-rail.
Ted A. Reeds, II Named Senior Architect for The McIntosh Group
May 15, 2012 (Tulsa, Okla.)– The McIntosh Group is proud to announce the addition of Ted A. Reeds, II, AIA as its senior architect. As a new member of the team Reeds will help in business development by using his experience in hospitality.
Reeds brings 28 years of experience to The McIntosh Group. His experience includes lodging, restaurant, office, urban mixed-use commercial and residential, and healthcare facilities, as well as new builds and renovations for multi-family residential, commercial developments and single family residences. His experience in hospitality includes new hotel, hotel renovation and re-branding and restaurant projects.
A licensed architect in 48 states and the District of Columbia, Reeds is a member and former president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Eastern Oklahoma Chapter and AIA Oklahoma. Reeds is a founding member and current president of the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture and member of the City Sign Advisory Board.
Reeds’ resume includes work that has been highlighted in New York Times articles, Interiors magazine and “AIA Walking Tours of New York City.” Reeds was the architect of the Blue Rose Café located on the Arkansas River in Tulsa, Okla. It is the first habitable structure built on piers in the city of Tulsa.
As an advocate for a vibrant city he frequently gives guided tours to groups ranging from Leadership Oklahoma to visiting Chinese students at Booker T. Washington High School. He worked with Jack Frank on several Tulsa films highlighting Tulsa art deco.
Reeds holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Oklahoma (1980) and Bachelor of Arts in French and European history from Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va (1976).