Meet The Team: Whitney Schuettpelz

In The Studio | Happy Friday, folks! We're rounding out the week with another team introduction. Today we'd like to share our interview with a member of our marketing team here at Ron Brenner Architects — Whitney Schuettpelz! Scroll down for the official interview.

Name? Whitney Schuettpelz Role at RBA? Marketing & Project Designer — Architecture

Where did you grow up?

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

What was your first job?

I helped out at my mom's hair salon. I swept floors, answered phones, and washed perm rods, brushes, and towels. It didn’t pay well, but I loved hanging out with the ladies (and my momma). They were kind and glamorous.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Marrying my best friend and becoming a mom.

What is your favorite place in the world?

Probably Oaxaca, Mexico. I studied abroad in the City of Oaxaca as an undergraduate then completed my thesis research in a small indigenous village in Oaxaca’s mountains. The culture, art, food, and architecture is incredible, and the experience was transformational for me.

What is at the top of your bucket list?

I’d love to see the Northern Lights (and maybe polar bears) in Svalbard, Norway. I’m also fascinated by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Sourdough bread. And Dateline.

Do you have a hidden talent?

Not really, but I love to write and take photos. I’m also learning to paint.

If you had to give your vehicle a name, what would it be?

We call our vehicles "the black car" and "the white car". Pretty original, huh? We’re working on a name for our new pop-up camper though. We’re thinking “Tiny" (as in Tiny Trailer). Any suggestions?

What would the title of your autobiography be?

"Take A Chill Pill.” I’m a smidge on the intense side.

What single thing could you simply not live without?

Access to the outdoors.

Which celebrity would you most like to have dinner with?

I read a lot of children’s books these days, and there’s a couple I absolutely adore — "The Lighthouse" and “Farmhouse" by Sophie Blackall. She’s also the illustrator. I’d love to meet her.

What’s one family tradition you have passed down to your kids or would like to?

Summers at the lake. My family owned a small cabin near Nisswa for over 50 years, and I never missed a summer there. The cabin, unfortunetly, is gone but we live two blocks from a beach on White Bear Lake. Our kiddo loves the sand and water and the dock. I’m glad he gets to experience lake life!

What is the best concert you have ever been to?

I’m duplicating my husband’s answer here but The National at First Avenue in 2010. Brent introduced me to a whole slew of new musicians when we started dating, but The National has long been my favorite. We’ve seen them many times since, and that First Avenue show was special.

What has been the best day of your life so far?

How to pick one? I’ve been lucky to have many days that could qualify as a “best” day — seeing a cloud inversion on Mt. Evans, skiing powder at A-Basin, hiking the Na Pali coast, kayaking the Yampa, watching the sunset during low tide at Second Beach, our wedding over Lake Dillon, the birth of our son — so, I'll share a recent one. This past spring we took our son skiing at 'the big hill,' Lutsen. That kid skied pizza down some hills that completely surprised me, all with a big, wide grin. It seems we're done with the bunny hill!