Architect Steve Badanes is nationally recognized for designing and building innovative projects—from homes to playgrounds to public sculptures. He is an expert on energy-efficient building techniques and speaks on the social responsibilities of architects and the role of architecture in building communities. Badanes is a founder of Jersey Devil, an architectural firm comprised of skilled craftsmen, architects, inventors, and artists “committed to the interdependence of building and design.”

Bryan Bell is an architect and advocate for making architectural services available to low-income households, those traditionally underserved by the profession. He is the Executive Director of the Raleigh, North Carolina-based Design Corps, which he founded in 1991 to provide community service through architecture. His other initiatives include the Design Corps Fellowship program, the Design Corps Summer Studio and the Structures for Inclusion annual conference. In 2007 he received a National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.

As Director of Design for Steelcase North America, Brett Kincaid leads a team of designers focused on improving the experiences of people at work and our relationship with the environment. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) he spent much of his early career working with sculptors and craftsmen, becoming intimate with how things are made. For five years he ran the residential furniture design and manufacturing company Antipodes. In 2008, Kincaid took over design responsibility for the Wood category and the Architecture Furniture and Technology category (AFT).

Bill Seay has been active in volunteer organizations for all of his professional life in Atlanta. He is a co-founder and past president of the Midtown Business Association, past president of the Uptown Chapter of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and has served on the boards of several neighborhood associations, civic task forces, community alliances, arts and other non-profit groups. He currently volunteers on several fronts with the planning and development of the Atlanta BeltLine, a 22-mile corridor around the inner city proposed to be a transit loop with parks, trails, and mixed-use development.

Erik Van Mehlman, AIA formed Studio B Architecture with partner Randal Lanou to work in conjunction with BuildSense in order to offer a full scope of architecture and construction services for every project. Van Mehlman brings over 20 years of architecture and construction knowledge to BuildSense team. His project experience ranges from single-family affordable housing to mixed use high-rise developments and works extensively with historic preservation, adaptive use, residential additions, singe-family homes, multi-family housing, town homes, commercial shell buildings, and interior upfits. He has been recognized by Habitat for Humanity for his design and construction of multiple projects including the Davis Residence in Raleigh, NC.