Employee Spotlight: Ryan Tapak, Senior Associate

Meet Ryan Tapak, Senior Associate, a NCARB-certified and licensed architect. Since he was a kid, Ryan knew he wanted to be an architect—that passion and his talent have driven him to successfully provide a large amount of responsibility here at FitzGerald. He is very detail-oriented, hard-working, and super pleasant to work with—with no ego or agenda yet has clear opinions. This enables project managers to be confident that if Ryan is working on it, it will get done and done well. He has contributed to several project types including workplace (1315 N North Branch), recreational (First Ascent Climbing and Fitness), and multifamily (727 W Madison, Oak Park Station, Superior House, Foxford Station, and—most recently—Artisan | Circle Square.)

 Aside from architecture, his greatest passions are his family and sports. You’ll see in the photos that his family is big into Disney World and have gone twice since his son was born. Another way he and his family like to get away to unwind is by frequenting their family camping spot in Wilmington, IL—where they own a small camper on a boating lake. Ryan is a skilled water skier (slalom and trick.) He also enjoys skiing in the winter and is a crucial player on the FitzGerald softball team! Simply, Ryan leads an active lifestyle. He typically starts his day with a bike ride or an outdoor run. With this much activity, Ryan also needs time to wind-down. To do so, he enjoys playing video games and sometimes having a nice glass of bourbon, but first-and-foremost enjoys spending time with his family.

What(Who) are Maui and Kona, aside from two islands he visited while on his honeymoon? Who does his wife say would play him in a movie about his life? Find out the answers to these and more in today’s Q&A below the images. We also invite you to get to know him further through his staff bio.

We took some time to get to know Ryan, and here’s what we learned:

What’s your favorite family tradition?
“My wife and I like to take time once a month to do a wine tasting and dinner at Cooper’s Hawk.”

What are your hobbies?
“Camping, water skiing, working out, playing video games, and drinking bourbon.”

What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard a child say?
“Now that my son Landon has started talking, he calls me a geek.”

What do you do to turn things around when you’re having a bad day?
“In the summer I like to take my family out to our camping spot in Wilmington, IL. We own a small camper on a boating lake where we can disconnect from the stress and just relax. Otherwise, just spending time with my family takes my mind off things.”

Who would play you in a movie about your life?
“According to my wife, Chris Evans.”

What was your first job?
“I was a little league baseball umpire for the park district, in my hometown of Tinley Park.”

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
“As a kid I always wanted to be an architect.”

What’s one thing that surprised you about working at FitzGerald?
“Even from when I was hired, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of responsibility that was given to me. FitzGerald is definitely a place that I feel trusted and free to pursue projects that interest me.”

What’s one song or artist that you’re embarrassed to admit you like?
“Shake It by Metro Station.”

How do you prefer to start and/or end your day?
“I typically start my day with either a bike ride or outdoor run. I like to end my day relaxing while watching a favorite television show.”