Sparks Reed adds Taylor-made services
Published June 24, 2019
Colorado native joins staff as a summer intern
Taylor Rider puts his pen to work
TULSA (June 24, 2019) – Colorado native Taylor Rider has joined the Sparks Reed Architecture and Interiors staff as an intern.
“We are very happy to have Taylor join our team this summer,” said David Reed, principal of the Tulsa firm. “He has a great attitude and is eager to learn. He is already a productive part of the team.”
With its sports architecture expertise, Sparks Reed provided the 22-year-old Oklahoma State University student a chance to delve into his favorite fields: athletics and commercial design. Sparks Reed's state-of-the-art equipment allows Rider to stretch his capabilities in computer-aided design, three-dimensional building modeling, and other advanced systems.
"I really enjoy the computer side of design," said Rider, who also uses pen and ink on occasion. "I think computers open up a lot of power, speeding up the design process while allowing you to go into more detail."
His initial work for Sparks Reed surprised Rider in many ways.
"As a kid, I loved playing with Legos and Lincoln logs," he said. "From that, I became interested in floor plans and design. I like being able to express creativity this way.
"But I didn't realize how complicated a process it was – and how long a process it was – until this internship," said Rider, who intends to graduate from OSU's School of Architecture in December. "I got a taste of it in college, but this job taught me how diverse a job this is."
Rider expects to hone his skills at Sparks Reed until OSU's fall semester starts in August. Upon graduation, he hopes to rejoin the firm's staff to begin his professional internship.
"I feel very blessed to be here," said Rider, noting his tutelage under Sparks Reed principal David Reed and intern architect Bryan Broaddrick. "David and Bryan have been very open to letting me fail, and that's helped me gain experience. They've put a lot of trust in what I'm doing. That's been nice, being turned loose. A little scary, too, but nice."