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Architect hopes Dolphins return to glory |
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By Rosemary McCoy
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Tuesday, 15 May 2007 |
The Question and Answer feature helps readers learn more about prominent people in the business community. This issue’s Q&A profiles architect Lanny J. Auringer, owner of Innovative Design & Management Services LLC. He was honored as an outstanding alumnus at Southeast Technical Institute’s graduation May 11.
 Lanny Auringer designed The Emporium on 41st Street for Scott and Ronna Sletten. (Inertia/for the SFBJ)
A: “I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I enjoy golfing with friends, and my sons are just beginning to enjoy the game. I am a sprint-car racing fan and attend races locally as well as annual trips to Knoxville (Iowa). We usually try to include a warm-weather destination in the winter that includes racing and golf. I am also a big Miami Dolphins fan and expend way too much energy following them. I am eternally optimistic that they will return to the greatness they experienced in the ’70s when I became a fan.”
Q: How did you become interested in your field?
A: “I have always enjoyed building things, and I knew that I wanted to be in the construction industry but not necessarily out in the field on a daily basis. I took a drafting class back in high school and really enjoyed it. My mind was made up at that time.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about work?
A: “It is very rewarding to help clients solve their building-needs problems. It is also very fulfilling when a project is complete and you can drive by and say, ‘I helped design and build that building.’ ”
Q: What’s your biggest project that you’re working on now?
A: “We are working on several nice projects in Sioux Falls right now. We are putting the finishing touches on the third building to be constructed on the site between 10th and 11th Street where Hardee’s used to be. We are also working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on a large office building that they will be building and leasing to help fund their ministries.”
Q: What project has given you the greatest sense of accomplishment?
A: “I have been involved in a lot of projects over the years, and they all provide a certain sense of accomplishment. That is what makes this career so fulfilling. I recently completed the design and project management for the new JDS Industries world headquarters on 57th Street North. It was very rewarding because of the success of the project as well as the satisfaction of the client. We have also received a number of compliments for The Emporium on 41st Street.”
Q: What prompted you to start your own business?
A: “I saw a real need and was receiving requests from clients for a firm that would be willing to provide services that are very tailored to the client’s wants and needs.”
Q: How do you find time to balance your job and your family?
A: “My work is very important to me, but it is always second to my family. Quite often I will leave work early to attend my kids’ functions and return later at night to work or come in early while they are still asleep. The kids are growing so fast that a person needs to be very diligent with spending time with family or it will be over before you realize it.”
Q: What kind of music is in your car or what do you listen to on the radio?
A: “I listen to NFL Radio on Sirius about 80 percent of the time. Again, I probably commit way too much time to the Miami Dolphins. Other than that I listen to country music and really enjoy Big & Rich.”
Q: If you could have dinner with two or three people, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
A: “My dad is an only child, and his dad, my grandfather, passed away when he was very young. He has shared a few memories of his dad with me, but I would love to be able to meet him and learn more about his life. I also would like to have dinner with both of my grandmothers. One passed away when I was 3, and the other lived to be 94 years old.”
Q: What are the best and worst things about living in Sioux Falls?
A: “Sioux Falls is such a wonderful city to work in and raise a family. There is no one best thing but many wonderful things that make the city the best in America. There is only one word for the worst thing – cold.”The Auringer file
Name: Lanny J. Auringer
Title: Architect, owner of Innovative Design &
Management Services LLC
Hometown: Sioux Falls
Age: 41
Background: Graduated from Lincoln High School and from Southeast Technical Institute with an associate’s degree in architectural and civil drafting; became a
registered architect in South Dakota in 1995; worked for local architectural firms, a developer and a contractor
before starting his business in 2004; serves on the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls; is a member of the Cosmopolitan Club; and serves
as elder at Wild Flower Presbyterian Church
Family: Wife, Tammy; two sons, Nic and Taylor; and two stepdaughters, Miranda and Madison |