With deep gratitude, MWA wishes Jeff McGraw, MWA’s first employee and former President, a happy retirement. His long-term relationships with clients, teaming partners, and our internal team have significantly contributed to the success of our firm. To celebrate the people, paths, and projects that brought Jeff to retirement, we recount the story of his last 37 years below.
“You have built and maintained a major, impactful, architecture practice. I salute you for your dedication, your work, and your heart-felt care for your colleagues. May your next chapter be as the ones you have already championed.”
– Michael Willis, Founder and Former President of MWA
LEARNING TO RUN
Jeff’s career began with a desire to run. With a full-ride scholarship to Oregon State University for undergrad, Jeff was most excited about the opportunity to work with an Olympic coach. Luckily for all of us, he also joined the architectural program at OSU, which planted the seed for his lifelong career.
Jeff’s first job out of college was as an industrial designer at Seratronics, an engineering firm that produces medical machinery. He recalls tediously designing machine parts by hand to very small tolerances. His early exposure to industrial design shaped his love of machine-like projects and working with engineers. During his time at this firm, one of Jeff’s mentors asked him to design his house in the California mountains. Jeff would clock off at his day job and go home to play architect to a growing side practice. He decided that architecture was what he loved to do and that it was time to go back to school so he could pursue it full-time.
Jeff applied to the University of Oregon with a portfolio of interesting drawings from his past four years. Attending design school and being exposed to design-oriented people solidified his love for architecture. It may seem controversial, but to this day, Jeff credits being both a Beaver and a Duck to his versatility in talking to both engineers and architects.
Jeff says that at the University of Oregon, “Some talented people pushed us to do really good things. My professor in my final studio was my greatest mentor, and he was pushing design excellence along with graphics and presentation skills. Several others who were in that final studio are still industry experts in Portland today.”
Architecture wasn’t the only thing Jeff fell in love with at UO. It just so happens that a young woman named Shura ran the coffee and baked goods cart in the architecture program’s building. To no one’s surprise, Jeff frequented that coffee cart. Eventually, a mutual friend told Shura that Jeff was asking after her. One day, she brought a bottle of beer to his studio, beginning what would become the most meaningful relationship of his life. Jeff recalls, “She was a Sophomore when I was a Senior. We only started dating two weeks before I graduated and moved back home to Walnut Creek, California.” It must be true what they say – distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Jeff went looking for a job within a week of moving back home. He says he “had some skills and was inspired by colleagues and studio professors at Oregon, but after sitting around my parents’ house for less than a week, I was motivated to get my first real architecture job.” So, he hopped on BART in full running gear and went to the AIA in San Francisco to post his resume. He hoped someone would contact him with an opportunity.
Michael Willis was at the AIA that day, looking for a designer to join his team. He saw Jeff run up to the board and post his resume. Michael followed Jeff out of the building and asked to see his resume. Michael says that Jeff “looked inquisitive, and he had a real sense of what he wanted to do and why he wanted to do it.” Appreciating these qualities, Michael offered him an interview. The only condition was that he must wear something more formal than running gear for the interview.
Jeff liked working with Michael. Jeff says, “Michael is the kind of guy who is well respected by his clients and colleagues. He trusts people. He gave me a lot of responsibility and expected me to learn quickly. Michael told me to ‘Get out there and do it.’” And so, he did.
WATER BREAK
Michael Willis and Associates’ first project was a significant seismic and historic dormitory renovation called Roble Hall at Stanford University. Jeff remembers, “On our project at Stanford, I was his guy. I was holding down the fort, doing hand drafting and working with a small team of architects, the owner, and contractors while Michael was marketing and running the business.”
During the project at Roble Hall, Michael suggested to Jeff that they hire a construction manager. Jeff replied, “Why would we hire a construction manager? I can do that.” And again, Michael trusted him. Jeff worked closely with a mentor-figure contractor, talented engineering colleagues, and an understanding university client. They completed the project just before Loma Prieta, the large Bay Area earthquake in 1989. This old, historic building, which would previously have failed, performed well and served as emergency housing for other students. Jeff recalls, “Every day was a learning experience.”
After Roble Hall, Michael and Jeff won a laboratory project at UC Berkeley. Although this was a small lab, it led to a much larger project at UC Berkeley called Stanley Hall. Jeff considers this project one of his most significant learning opportunities. He “learned a lot about what to do and what not to do on complicated renovation projects in a university setting.” But despite the challenges, Jeff stuck with the project, learning everything he could and correcting any mistakes. Jeff is still proud that “by the end of the project, the owner was happy, and MWA proceeded to get more jobs at California universities based on our growing portfolio and references.”
“They were our go-to architects because they understood infrastructure. They could convince us engineers that things can be useful, beautiful, and effective for the operators and public.”
– Mark Graham, Stantec Senior Principal, Water
Shortly after, they won the Upper San Leandro and Sobrante Water Treatment Plants, officially stepping into the water industry. Jeff remembers that “this was when we started hiring people to work in San Francisco, and we opened the Oakland office.” Though San Francisco remained Jeff’s home base, he would travel back and forth for multiple projects and found himself working from all offices. Jeff remembers this time at MWA as feeling “very entrepreneurial.”
MWA was growing fast. Michael started getting opportunities to join very large projects as a Joint Venture, including the San Francisco International Airport and the Moscone Convention Center. Jeff says, “Those things made us grow. I had to interview people and became the staffing manager for some projects while working on my own projects. Suddenly, I was in a different role. I was buzzing around large studios. At one point, 150 architects from three firms were working on the SFO project.”
PICKING UP THE PACE
As the architecture firm grew, so did Jeff. He reminisces that “There was always a place to grow. I would go to Michael’s office and ask to chase big projects, so he got me involved in marketing. He got me involved in every aspect of the business and MWA felt like it was part of my own early on.”
Jeff spent two years studying and taking tests to get his architectural license. Jeff laughs while telling this story, saying, “By the time my license arrived, Shura’s arrived the same day. I had trouble passing the easiest exam which was only given once per year. She caught up to me even though she graduated two years later! Isn’t that amazing?”
With his newly acquired license and several years of experience leading projects, Jeff told Michael he would like to be the Studio Manager. Continuing his unwavering trust in Jeff, Michael agreed. As Studio Manager, Jeff would produce hand-drawn schedules to show the studio each project’s status and keep them on schedule. Continuing down the fast track of growth, Jeff recalls that “after a while, I had a growing portfolio of work and clients, and it was apparent that we needed another Studio Manager. That is when we hired Carlton.”
Carlton coming on board and starting MWA’s Interiors Practice in the Oakland office enabled Jeff to stay in San Francisco and grow his work on seismic and water projects. This was a pivotal moment. Jeff states, “As the seismic strengthening work after Loma Prieta was slowing down, the water projects were growing fast.” Michael was effectively marketing MWA as an industry expert. Jeff says, “He would give speeches throughout the country, and clients would come up to him after and ask for his input on their projects. A lot of the people he talked to became long-term clients. Michael was a successful marketer. When we won the work, he handed it to me to implement.”
THE NEXT LEG
In 2000, twelve years into his career at MWA, Jeff, Shura, and their young daughter Molly considered moving to Portland, Oregon, to be closer to Shura’s family. Jeff was excited about the opportunity for a shorter commute, a new home, and good schools for his family.
When Jeff told Michael and Carlton he was moving, he was committed to MWA and the clients he was working with. He asked them if they were interested in opening a new branch of MWA in Portland. Intrigued, Michael asked Jeff to write a business plan for the new branch. Two weeks later, Jeff handed Michael a stack of paper with a plan, schedule, and budget for a Portland office.
After the presentation, Michael and the firm leadership gave their support, and the wheels started to turn for the family and business to move to Oregon.
To begin building business in Portland, Jeff and Kacey Clagett, an early partner at MWA, went to all our existing clients with offices in Oregon and presented to them. This resulted in two new projects – Ankeny Pump Station and a Lab and Chlorine room conversion for the City of Corvallis. Once he secured these two projects, Jeff set out to find his team.
“So much of MWA’s success can be attributed to Jeff’s charismatic personality and visionary leadership. That’s why we’ve followed him for all these years, and why we are committed to continuing his legacy long into the future.”
– Greg Robley, MWA Principal
FINDING HIS STRIDE
Laboratories grew to become a passion for Jeff. “When we got into water quality labs, efficiency, safety, and workflow fascinated me. This was largely due to my experience with Stanley Hall and in industrial design, which gave me confidence.” Getting to know occupants, maintenance technicians, and laboratory technicians made Jeff sensitive to the worker environments in industrial settings. He describes that “people spend their careers working in buildings that are essentially machines. Safety procedures, quality materials, acoustics, and lighting affect their daily experience. The worker environment is what I am most passionate about.”
Jeff has always invested in water projects as a core value of MWA. Water is a basic need, and one of Jeff’s hopes for MWA is that our team continues to pursue water work for years to come. He says, “When I go to conferences, I see the same people I have seen for 30 years. The people in this industry are invested in making a difference for our communities.”
Jeff admires in his counterparts what our team admires about him: Jeff is one of the most invested people in the industry, having spent 36 years serving the community’s essential needs.
IT’S A MARATHON NOT A SPRINT
Since opening in 1988, MWA has completed over 575 projects. Jeff says he is proud that “I can walk through most cities on the West Coast and point to a building and say, ‘I worked on that project.’ Some of those projects spanned more than a decade.”
“The impact that Jeff has made on humanizing our water infrastructure is immense. He has spent over 30 years building trust with our engineering colleagues and pulling back the curtain of misunderstanding of the role our critical water infrastructure has in growing healthy communities.”
– Jean von Bargen Root, MWA Principal
Within those 575 projects, Jeff has a few that he is most proud of. “My legacy project is Bull Run,” Jeff states proudly. “We were invited to propose on that project, then selected in 2011 and again in 2022. We had the trust of the Portland Water Bureau on the largest project they have done and the largest project in the state, now under construction. We are doing a lot of new and innovative things, and we get to work with some of the most respected people in the water industry from the design engineers to the PWB ownership team.”
Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, Washington, also stands out as a remarkable project that took 10 years, involved an entire community, and survived many challenges. It is an award-winning project that benefits the public in a sensitive environmental area of the Puget Sound.
However, when reflecting on his career, Jeff is most proud of growing other leaders at MWA. He says, “I am proud of the buildings, accomplishments, and long-standing client relationships. But the people who have been here for a long time, who have grown into leadership, or who are currently growing into leadership, are what bring me the most joy.”
“Jeff has spent over half of his life helping build MWA into what it is today. His projects speak for themselves. To me, a lot of the success in Jeff’s career is the people he has impacted, mentored, and taught, which I appreciate greatly.”
– Bill Lanning, MWA Principal
PASSING THE BATON
In his retirement, Jeff is excited to have more time with his family and to pursue the things he loves. He has a woodworking shop on his property and will have time to create new pieces. He also wants to take classes at PCC, which are free for people over 60, so that he can continue to be a lifelong learner. Jeff considers, “Perhaps a class in painting or geology.”
Most of all, he wants to spend his retirement with a lot more time outdoors. “I like being in the mountains and backpacking. I like doing volunteer work. I have a bunch of buddies in my neighborhood my age, and we go on walks together every Friday.”
Jeff’s career began with a desire to run, but he wasn’t running solo. If we picture MWA’s many stages as a relay, then Michael handed Jeff the baton when he trusted him to grow as a leader, become a Principal, and eventually become President of the firm. Jeff enjoyed running alongside others who joined the race to get MWA farther down its path. As Jeff crosses the finish line towards retirement, he passes the baton to the MWA leadership that he has spent his career fostering. His greatest accomplishment and greatest joy – watching other leaders run.
