Jeff Powell, owner, and president of Powell Studio Architecture, talks about growing up in south Lake, raising a family, and bringing his business to Downtown Clermont.
Growing Up In Clermont
I was born and raised in Clermont. My grandparents lived in Groveland since 1910.
South Lake is and always has been a fantastic community to live, work, and raise a family. Growing up during the ’80s, South Lake was a tight-knit community. Most town residents knew each other and looked out for each other. I recall that anytime we went to the grocery, it took twice as long because you would run into everyone in town. You also better have reserved your VHS movies beforehand on a Friday or Saturday night, because the shelves were empty. We had a lot more freedom than my children do now, but I suppose that is the case for every generation. When I was 8, my Dad gave me a jon-boat for my birthday. By 9-10, I was able to go out fishing by myself, as long as I left a note as to when I left, and when I would be back.
School Days – My mother, Sharon Powell was also pretty much a lifetime resident of South Lake. She grew up in Groveland, went to Rollins College on a music scholarship before studying education, and eventually went back to teach at Groveland High School before going to the County Office. When she became the principal of Clermont Elementary School (now Cypress Ridge Elementary) in the mid-eighties, things changed for our family. It was a different experience having your mother as the principal of your school! Although I tried, I couldn’t get away with anything. Not only would I get in trouble at school, but I’d also get it a second time at home too!
One thing is for sure, Mom loved her family, those kids, that school and this community. I often wonder how she did it because, in addition to having a demanding career, she made sure I was at every football and baseball practice, cub scouts or some other event dressed and ready to go. She and I were very close, and I think we spoke just about every day up until she passed. I still look up to her as a role model. She always demonstrated and strongly impressed upon me the value of integrity, honesty, and character, and I still try to model my actions around the lessons she left behind. Hopefully, I’ve been successful in that endeavor.
I went to Clermont Elementary, Clermont Jr. High, and Clermont High School up until my Junior year when the consolidated Clermont and Groveland into South Lake High School. I graduated from South Lake High School in 1995 and was accepted into Florida State University.
Family and Fun – I am so grateful for my beautiful wife Jillian, my daughter Emilee (13), and my son Eddie (12). My daughter Emilee (13) is grounded, smart, and in many ways a spitting image of my mother. She recently began rowing and absolutely loves it! My son Eddie (12) is an outdoorsman like me. He loves fishing both freshwater and salt, and also throws a mean fastball. Many of our weekends are spent at the ballpark, as he plays 12U travel baseball for Team Orlando. Together as a family our hobbies generally revolve around the water. One of our favorite hangouts for fun and fishing is Homosassa or Crystal River. We love to be on the boat as a family, whether fishing, snorkeling, or getting lobster down in the Keys.
Becoming An Architect – My Dad was a builder. One of my favorite memories as a kid was when I would get to go to work with my Dad. I loved being on a construction site. I loved the smell of it and seeing how things go together. However, my Dad used to tell me, ‘Son, whatever you do, don’t get into construction’!
I’ve also always loved music, and during my teenage years, I learned how to play guitar. After High School, I attended Florida State University and majored in just about everything they had, trying to find my way. One summer, I came home from college and my Dad and I designed and built a new front balcony for our home. We drafted it up on paper, and I worked alongside one of his carpenters to build it. It wasn’t an architectural masterpiece, but I loved visualizing it mentally, putting it on paper, and seeing it come to life. It was that experience that started me on the path to being an Architect.
Also, since my Dad was a builder, I thought it would be fun to see his face when I told him I wanted to be an Architect…haha
Powell Studio Architecture
I came back to Clermont primarily when my mother’s cancer returned. I began working with an architect in north lake county in which we exclusively designed ambulatory surgical centers and medical office clinics for private healthcare. I fell in love with that type of project, highly technical, complicated, and detailed and worked for that firm for nearly 8 years. In 2006, my daughter was born, and I wanted to be closer to home so I left that firm and took a position with another firm closer to home.
I was licensed as an Architect by the State of Florida in 2009, however, I have been working in the field of Architecture for over 20 years.
I opened Powell Studio Architecture on Valentine’s Day 2010 from the 3rd bedroom of my house. In 2013, we began renting an office on Bowman Street, Nick Jones’ former architectural studio. In 2019, we purchased the building at our current downtown location at 713 W. Montrose Street.
Projects by Powell Studio Architecture The firm is pretty diverse, as our clients range from local municipalities, private owners & developers, healthcare, and even publicly traded realty companies. Locally, our firm has worked with the City of Clermont on several projects, such as the Clermont Rowing Boathouse and Kehlor Recreation Center.
Recently, the Clermont Brewing Company, as well as the Eastside Veterinary Hospital on Hancock Road were completed and are open for business. We had a lot of fun with the composition of Hancock Square, which houses retail and a dialysis center on Hancock Road.
We have also enjoyed a long relationship with Montverde Academy. In 2015 construction was completed on their 36,000 SF Upper School Building, and construction will begin very soon on their new 40,000 SF Middle School Building.
On the medical front, we are very proud of our work on the South Lake Heart & Vascular Institute, and construction is wrapping up on the South Lake Gastroenterology building on the corner of Mohawk and Citrus Tower Boulevard. We also have two ambulatory surgery centers on the boards at various phases of design. In The Villages, we are under construction for Lake Eye Associates and FHV, which are two medical office buildings of approximately 22,000 SF and 10,000 SF respectively.
We also love having the opportunity to be avant-garde in our field. Construction is currently underway on the 50 West Building, which is located on the outskirts of Clermont. The construction of this building will be the first of it’s kind in the State of Florida, utilizing cross-laminated-timber, CLT for short. CLT is relatively new to the construction industry in the United States, but has been widely utilized in Europe for over 20 years. CLT is essentially pre-fabricated solid wood panels, comprised of cross-laminated lumber, similar to how plywood is composed. The CLT is dimensionally stable, and provides high strength and rigidity. Construction waste is minimized since the panels are pre-fabricated which also increases the speed and efficiency of installation. The slab was recently poured and site work is underway. Look for 50 West to go vertical very soon!
Choosing Downtown Clermont As Your New Office Location
I believe in the vision of the City’s Master Plan and feel that downtown Clermont is going to drastically develop into a destination over the next few years as the various elements of the plan are implemented. Secondly, I see downtown as a component of developing the culture of our firm. Working in downtown Clermont, we have a variety of restaurants, shops, and activities for our firm and team to engage in. We have greatly enjoyed participating and opening our doors for the Wine Walks, food trucks, and are looking forward to 350 kids trick-or-treating by our office come Halloween. We are a block away from City Hall which is extremely convenient for planning & zoning, council meetings, and the building department. All of these elements, I think, enhance the culture and efficiency of our firm, employee attraction, and retention, and are a much more fun atmosphere to work in than a typical office park.
South Lake Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting to welcome Powell Studio Architecture to its new location in Downtown Clermont.
