BusinessTN

Kirk Bobo is co-founder and principal of architectural planning and interior design firm Hnedak Bobo Group (HBG), the Bluff City's largest architectural firm. Started in late 1978 with partner Greg Hnedak, the firm is known for its extensive work in the hospitality and gaming sectors, something many believe is because of the firm's proximity to Tunica. But that's not at all the case. Instead, it has everything to do with connections made in the hospitality arena beginning in the late 1970s--connections that continue to bolster the firm to this day.

Holiday Corp. was a major builder developing projects around the globe back then--not to mention a major corporate force in Memphis. The relationship between Holiday and HBG started when Holiday reached out to the local architectural shop to design the prototype for the Homewood Suites brand. Throughout the years (and Holiday's evolution), HBG worked closely with the company's senior executive teams, which included the likes of Mike Rose (Holiday Inns), Colin Reed (Gaylord Entertainment) and Stephen Bollenbach (Hilton). Such relationships would lead to future projects. For instance, HBG has worked with Gaylord to design large new properties in Orlando and in Dallas.

When Holiday moved Harrah's from Las Vegas to Memphis, HBG was solidly in the gaming space. "That is what got us started in the entertainment business," Bobo says. "It launched that entire development program to have Harrah's run out of Memphis."

But HBG is not exclusively about hospitality and gaming projects. When the hospitality industry went through its first down cycle in the mid-1980s, HBG began doing corporate work place projects--the first major one being the Morgan Keegan Tower. Other notable corporate projects in Memphis include Union Planters (now Regions Bank), International Paper and the world headquarters for FedEx, a spectacular campus and a signature project for the firm.

Are there any similarities between a corporate project versus a gaming project? "I don't know if there are many similarities other than just trying to create environments that inspire people when they're there," Bobo says. "In the corporate work place, you try to inspire them to do their practice, their craft. And in a leisure environment, you're trying to inspire them to have a really good, memorable time."

Bobo's contributions to commercial real estate actually extend beyond his role as architect. He is also an owner and developer of commercial real estate in downtown Memphis, most recently as a partner (with Hnedak, among others) in the ownership group of the $40 million, 203-room Westin Memphis Beale Street hotel near the FedExForum.

A new anchor for one end of Memphis' entertainment district, the upscale Westin is not only a significant new building for the city. It also marks a significant return to its Memphis roots for HBG.