As the year winds down, gratitude takes center stage.
But at architecture, engineering, and interior design firm TSP, gratitude isn’t confined to one season. Instead, it’s part of daily life, reflected in the relationships that bring ideas to reality.
After more than 95 years of designing in communities across the Midwest, the firm has learned that every successful project depends on more than technical expertise. It’s built on trust, teamwork, and respect for the perspectives that turn complex ideas into legacy spaces.
In a world of precision and performance, the strength of collaboration helps hold everything together.
The most resilient designs, whether a municipal complex, health care facility, or K–12 campus, emerge when architects, engineers, contractors, and clients approach challenges as one team.
“Our success comes from our collaborative approach,” TSP CEO Jared Nesje said. “It’s not just a buzzword, it’s our process. Communication, accountability, and doing your part — that’s what makes the difference.”
He added that having all disciplines — architects, engineers, interior designers, and planning — under one roof creates a seamless workflow.
“I have worked at an architecture-only firm, and it’s just not the same,” he said. “Bringing everyone together is a win for our clients as well as TSP.”
The firm’s greatest source of gratitude is not just the projects completed but also the people they have worked alongside.
“Collaboration between our teams and our clients is what turns every challenge into an opportunity to create something meaningful,” Nesje said.
At TSP, gratitude and collaboration go hand in hand. They are the principles that transform ideas into reality, challenges into solutions, and teams into lasting partnerships.
For Michelle Klobassa, an architect, principal, and current board member at TSP, the topic of gratitude at work comes in various forms.
“I am grateful that our clients trust us to guide them through the complex process of designing a building,” she said. “And it’s always gratifying to hear the excitement from them when they actually get to move into the finished space.”
Klobassa appreciates TSP’s 95-year legacy and the opportunity to come across projects designed by the firm’s predecessors that reflect a rich history.
“And personally, I’m thankful to work for a company that has given me so many opportunities for growth in my career since I started as an architectural graduate,” she said.
Kelli Osterloo, TSP’s director of practice, recently attended a conference where the presenter asked participants to ask themselves “Why do you do what you do?”
“As an engineer, the design work, the calculations, the drawings, and the day-to-day problem-solving are part of what I do,” she said.
But the why goes beyond that for Osterloo because it stands for the bigger picture in designing education, health care, and community buildings that directly enrich people’s lives, guided by TSP’s commitment to make our communities better, by design.
“I’m thankful to be part of an organization that allows me to use the skills I have in order to have a greater impact on my community,” she said.
True collaboration requires a willingness to listen as much as lead. In fast-paced projects, it’s easy to get caught up in deadlines, but gratitude keeps the human side of design front and center.
As Nesje puts it, collaboration combines a results-driven, “get it done” attitude with plenty of humility.
“You’ve got to care for one another,” he said.
“That mindset is at the heart of our success. We believe in the strength of working together.”
At TSP, that approach shows up in diverse ways: taking the time to understand a client’s evolving priorities, recognizing a partner’s creative solution, or celebrating milestones as a team.
Those actions strengthen relationships and spark innovation.
As TSP takes time to pause in a year where it has celebrated a legacy defined by collaboration, one thing stands out: Every project exists because people chose to build something together.
Gratitude keeps the firm grounded, and collaboration helps keep it moving. As TSP looks ahead, it does so with appreciation for the communities, clients, and partners who make it all possible.
And when thinking about the next chapter, the TSP team, guided by the firm’s core values, gives Nesje reason for optimism.
“Those values are tried and true,” he said. “We know them, and we live them.”
