2022 WBJ Women Who Lead
in Real Estate, Construction and Design
Rebecca Gates

SPT Architecture’s Rebecca Gates was nominated and selected as an honoree for Wichita Business Journal‘s Women Who Lead in Real Estate, Construction and Design 2022 collection.

2022 WBJ Women Who Lead in Real Estate, Construction and Design
Rebecca Gates

Q. What has been your career path?
A. My career path started when I decided that I wanted to be an architect at the age of 15. My father was a general contractor and at that time he had a construction project at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs — I was fascinated by all the details. I went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture from K-State, and began with TK Architects to design numerous movie theaters in the U.S., Kuwait, Europe, and Asia, including India and China. With that experience I joined SPT Architecture 18 years ago and began work with the Warren Theatres. I became a firm partner in 2007.

Q. Who are your mentors and how have they influenced your career?
A. In the beginning, I was blessed with two dynamic female mentors, the first was the head of design at the architecture firm with 20 years of experience, and the second was a client’s construction project manager; both offered me the opportunity to work closely with them and learn valuable leadership techniques and tap into their tremendous base of industry knowledge. They stressed the importance of continual learning and old-fashioned hard work. As females in a traditional male industry, they emphasized that people respect people who work hard and develop an expertise in their field, regardless of gender.

Q. Best advice for a women wanting to enter your field?
A. Be fearless and observant; see the world and how the environment and people are touched by what you do. Get involved in likeminded organizations.

Q. What do you like most about your role?
A. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many wonderful and influential people as clients, colleagues, and friends, along with the opportunity to impact the built environment. It is also very rewarding to have the opportunity to work with and mentor our interior architecture designers who are beginning their careers at SPT.