Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — The College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, at Kansas State University is recognizing four alumni for their success 10 years after their graduation from the university and APDesign programs.

The 2014 honorees are Jason Gregory, Wichita, Kansas; Brian Pelcak, St. Louis, Missouri; Benedict Ehreth, Bismarck, North Dakota; and Gregory Thomas Spaw, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The honorees were selected by the department or program from which they received their degree. They will visit Manhattan Dec. 4-5 to meet with students and faculty, participate in class and studio visits, and be honored at a luncheon. An exhibit of their professional work is on display in Seaton Hall's Chang Gallery through Dec. 5. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Gregory received his Master of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University. He also earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Friends University. He is currently the executive vice president of the Wichita Downtown Development Corp. Some of his achievements include 2011 and 2014 Pinnacle Awards from the International Downtown Association; 2011 Leadership Wichita class member, where he was selected a trustee; 2004 L.R. Quinlan Award in Landscape Architecture Graduate Education from APDesign; and the 2004 Merit Award for Excellence in Study of Landscape Architecture from the American Society of Landscape Architects. He also has taught classes at Wichita State University and Kansas State University.

Pelcak received his Bachelor of Interior Architecture and Master of Architecture from Kansas State University. He is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and Architectural Woodwork Institute. After working for Arquitectonica in Miami, he taught Environmental Design Studio I and II, Furniture Design Workshop II and Advanced Furniture Design Workshop at Kansas State University. Pelcak is a designer at PGAV Destinations in St. Louis, Missouri, where he is involved with the design process from brainstorming to project management for various experiential marketing, attractions and exhibit environments.

Ehreth, an American Planning Association certified planner, earned his master's degree in regional and community planning from Kansas State University. He also earned a bachelor's degree in geography from the University of North Dakota. He is a member of the Bis-Man board of directors and was selected as one of the North Dakota Business Watch magazine's Top 40 Under 40 young professionals in 2010. He is an administrative transportation planner for the North Dakota Department of Transportation and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association and the North Dakota Planning Association.

Spaw received his Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University. He also earned a master's degree in architecture from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He is on the faculty at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture. He has previously taught at the University of Tennessee and worked at the award-winning practices of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Preston Scott Cohen Inc. and Asymptote in the United Arab Emirates. He contributed toward Indie Architecture's entry for the PS1 Young Architects Competition and worked on location in Seoul, Athens and Brussels on a series of diverse projects. His research focuses include architectural design, digital visualization, parametric workflows and utilization of advanced material/fabrication techniques.