HBG Design Welcomes a New Generation of Leaders

Earlier this year HBG announced the promotion of Nathan Peak, AIA, to Practice Leader. Today, HBG is excited to announce additional promotions and elevations of staff that emphasize the depth and breadth of talent across the span of our entire firm. We welcome these next generation of leaders whose voices are already making an impact on how we operate and practice industry-leading design.

Congratulations to the following HBG Design employees on their recent firm promotions and advancements!

  • Deidre Brady, AIA, NCIDQ, LEED AP BD+C, Promoted to Principal / Project Management Leader
  • Chris Devine, AIA, Promoted to Senior Associate / Documentation & Specification Leader
  • Leslie Thompson, Promoted to Senior Associate / Process Improvement & Resource Leader
  • Jason Fox, Promoted to Senior Associate / Construction Administration Leader
  • Michael Ochoa, AIA, Project Manager, Promoted to Senior Associate
  • Chase Percer, AIA, Associate, Promoted to Design Technology Leader
  • Christopher Wood, IIDA, NCIDQ, Interior Designer, Promoted to Associate
  • Tamara Goff, CPSM, Principal, Transitioned Role to Director of Communications & Brand Experience
  • Dana Ramsey, CPSM, Associate, Promoted to Director of Marketing
  • Paul Towery, AIA, ICCC, Senior Associate, Promoted to Codes & Compliance Leader
  • Morgan Streitmatter, Promoted to Human Resources Manager
  • Patty Sprecco, Promoted to Human Resources Coordinator
  • Leah Goodwin, Promoted to Practice Operations Facilitator


HBG Design Promotes Emily Marshall, IIDA, NCIDQ, to Principal

HBG Design Promotes Emily Marshall, IIDA, NCIDQ, to Principal, signaling a full return to normal operations post-pandemic for the nationally recognized design firm.

Memphis, Tennessee – June 16, 2021 – Every day HBG Design is seeing more and more positive signs of the momentum and energy growing around us post pandemic – in our teams, on our projects, and around our offices. Marking the first in a series of “getting back to normal” activities for the firm, HBG Design is pleased to announce the promotion of Emily Marshall, IIDA, NCIDQ, to the role of Principal. “Emily has been leading our Interior Design discipline for ten years and has been a steadfast proponent and trailblazer in blending our design specialties into a truly integrated architecture and interior design practice”, says Rick Gardner, AIA, Practice Leader at HBG Design.

“I am excited to formally recognize Emily’s leadership, talent, commitment to her team and dedication to HBG through her elevation to Principal.”

When Emily joined HBG Design in 2010 there were four interior designers in the firm. Today, the firm’s interior design group has grown to 25-strong across three offices in Memphis, TN, San Diego, CA, and Dallas, TX. While growth in numbers did not happen overnight, neither did the cultivation of a strong interior design culture. Emily is credited for leading the growth and development of HBG Design’s interior design team, focusing much of her energies over the last decade on nurturing, mentoring, and advocating for this energetic and talented group of professionals. She exemplifies HBG’s commitment to sustaining a robust mentorship program as an important part of firm culture. “Emily’s design leadership and ability to foster meaningful client relationships are also signature qualities of her professional approach” adds Gardner. “The passion she brings to engaging in the process of understanding and expressing our clients’ visions through thoughtful, compelling design experiences is nothing short of inspiring.”

“The passion she brings to engaging in the process of understanding and expressing our clients’ visions through thoughtful, compelling design experiences is nothing short of inspiring.”

Recent projects Emily has led include the 227-room Hyatt Centric Beale Street Hotel, a key component of the $240M One Beale development in Memphis, TN; the $180M , 459-room Cache Creek Casino Hotel in Brooks, CA; the $400M Desert Diamond West Valley Casino in Glendale, AZ; as well as several new national project commissions which launched in late 2020; all of which involved a collaborative team process with Emily serving in a pivotal leadership role.

Cache Creek Casino Resort

Emily has translated her 15+ years of interior design experience into notable industry thought leadership. She and her distinctive projects have been featured in Boutique Design magazine, NEWH magazine, InspireDesign magazine, i+D magazine, Global Gaming Business, and other industry publications. Just prior to the pandemic, in 2019, Emily was the recipient of two high profile industry honors: Boutique Design magazine’s ‘Boutique 18’ annual roster of the industry’s up-and-coming interior designers, and Global Gaming Business magazine’s ‘Emerging Leaders of Gaming Top 40 under 40’. Emily’s work has and continues to shape the evolution and emphasize the importance of interior design in the hospitality and entertainment industry.

As a graduate of Mississippi State University, and a graduate/alumnae of the noted New Memphis Institute Fellows Leadership program, where she also served as a member of the Alumni Board, Emily acquired tools to help prepare her to problem solve and to better lead internal and external project teams. She attributes these educational experiences to enhancing her collaborative ability and helping to cultivate her appreciation for the critical and diverse perspectives of her teammates and clients.
Emily has also leveraged her interests in giving back and relationship building through community service projects, as a member of the Cooper Young Community Association, a Memphis ‘Commute Options Challenge’ spearhead, and as Co-Chair of HBG Design’s Kirk Bobo Creating Impact Grant (KBCI). The firm’s KBCI program was developed to honor the legacy of HBG Design Co-Founder Kirk Bobo and advance specific revitalization/beautification projects in the Memphis community, most recently on projects in The Heights’ neighborhood.

Emily is an NCIDQ licensed interior designer and active member of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

ABOUT HBG DESIGN. Nationally recognized HBG Design has been pioneering the creation of imaginative and transformative guest experiences for over 40 years. The firm continually ranks as a Top 10 hospitality design firm in the U.S. by Hotel Business Magazine and Building Design & Construction Magazine and has for over a decade. HBG Design’s team of architects, interior designers and building professionals in Memphis, TN, San Diego, CA, and Dallas, TX, share a passion for making design stories come to life by shaping physical space and connecting people to place. Clients include commercial hospitality and entertainment giants such as Hyatt Hotels, Hilton Hotels, IHG, Caesars Entertainment, Elvis Presley Enterprises, and more than 40 Sovereign Nations across the United States.