Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Glen remained close to home during his undergraduate studies in engineering and construction management at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. During his final semester, he began his career interning for a General and Concrete contracting firm where he gained valuable field experience. Upon graduation, Glen took his career to New York City, working with an International Construction Consulting firm in Manhattan where he was involved in various large scale commercial projects, most notably the World Trade Center Recovery and Redevelopment Program following the 1993 bombing of the North Tower. It was during this time in NYC, while being exposed to some of the world’s top architecture and engineering firms, that Glen became more intrigued with the design process.
Coming to the realization that high-profile projects in the big city might not be his calling, along with a desire to follow his passions for mountain biking and snowboarding, Glen packed up and headed west for what he now calls his “eight-year sabbatical”. After road-tripping and mountain biking throughout the western United States, Glen landed in Breckenridge, Colorado for what was meant to be a winter of downtime snowboarding in the Rockies. Spring came, then summer, then another winter. Eight years later, Glen was still joyfully employed with the Breckenridge Ski Resort, working in several departments from lift operations to ski patrol.
Knowing in his heart of hearts that he would someday return to his career, and always recalling his interest in architecture that began in NYC, Glen enrolled in computer-aided-design and drafting classes at a community college in Denver. He had already been introduced to a local Breckenridge architect, Matthew Stais, who during casual conversation suggested that Glen “learn how to draw and come back to see him”. Following completion of drafting classes Glen did just that, and true to his word, Stais Architecture & Interiors became Glen’s first position in his new profession. Glen gradually honed his drafting skills, picked up a few design skills from his mentor and combined each of these with his previous knowledge of construction. Five years and a few promotions passed, and Glen was still eager to continue learning his new trade. The next logical step was to attend graduate school to formally study architecture and prepare for licensure. Attending the University of Colorado at Denver, Glen received a Master of Architecture, graduating with honors. He then returned to work in paradise at his office in the mountains.
As the long Colorado winters continued, Glen and his wife, Shanna, started thinking about life in a slightly warmer place. Somewhere closer to the coast where more time could be spent on bikes than skis and snowboards. Bend, Oregon was a place they had heard about but had never been. While visiting friends in nearby Ashland, they took a day trip to Bend to see what all of the hype was about. They immediately knew they had found their new home. Relocating in 2013, Glen spent time working at two of Bend’s commercial architecture offices, then moved on to become a staff architect at one of central Oregon’s largest general contracting companies. Here he was once again able to combine his knowledge of design and construction on various design/build projects. After two decades of combined experience in both industries, Glen started Full Circle Design in October 2020.