1 Dec 15  | Crain's Chicago Business

2015 40 Under 40

by Edward Keegan

It's hard to stand out in the world when you're not even 40. These people do—from tech, transportation and finance to the arts, public policy and philanthropy.

Matt Dumich

38 | Senior architect, project manager | Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture | Chicago

At 6-foot-8, architect Matt Dumich seems to embody the outsize ambition of some of the formidable builders who put Chicago on the world's design map. The project manager at Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture has spent most of the past two years leading a team of 80 designers and engineers who are creating more than 10 million square feet of facilities for the 2017 World Expo in Kazakhstan.

Dumich began his career as a teenage intern with the village of Hoffman Estates, where he coordinated the immense task of drafting public infrastructure for the Sears Roebuck headquarters then under construction in the northwest suburb. With helping young architects in mind, he recently started a mentoring program called Bridge through the American Institute of Architects Chicago, where he serves on the board. The information exchange "has made a profound difference," says one mentor, Krueck & Sexton principal Mark Sexton.

Bonus points: In his spare time: Dumich, a self-described foodie and beer snob, loves immersing himself in other cultures and documenting them through photography while traveling.

Up next: Dumich and his wife Christine, who is a senior interior designer at Gensler, just welcomed their first child, George William “Will” Dumich.

Current obsession: His newborn son. He’s reading “The Innovators,” by Walter Isaacson.

See Matt's full Crain's Chicago Business 40 Under 40 page here.