20 years ago... in 1997...

Crowds were flocking by the thousands to see Titanic in theaters...

The Spice Girls were the biggest thing to happen to pop music...

The average cost of a gallon of gas was $1.22...

Beanie Babies were taking over the world...

And Holly Burns was starting her work with CRP Architects...

With initially pursuing a medical focus in her schooling, the path of her life later drew her to the field in which she'd impact others through a different vessel. The vessel of a building.

What began as taking on a few months of contractual work in 1997 under CRP's founder, Leland Reece, evolved into a 20-year investment in the world of architectural design. While it was a preliminary 'stab' at her interest in the architectural realm, Holly was hooked from the beginning by her passion for education environments and developing innovative solutions through the built world.

During her time at CRP, her involvement has spanned the planning, design and production of 50+ school facilities across the state of Colorado, ranging from Steamboat Springs to Colorado Springs. In the last year alone, Holly was acting Program Planner and Project Manager for over $130 million in education projects along the Front Range. A truly impressive accomplishment.

A passion for education...

Even outside the office, Holly continues to demonstrate a deeply-rooted value for education. 12 years of her career has also been given to Pikes Peak Community College through her role as an architecture department adjunct professor. And she's a model example of continuing education and that it's never too late to achieve personal goals. Alongside an accomplished 20 year career, she took the challenge head-on to test for her official license through NCARB. This involves the study preparation and the taking of 7 intensive tests on field subjects regulated by a national accreditation board. We are proud to announce that she has officially earned her Architect License for the state of Colorado.

It's truly inspiring to see what can happen when life's path takes you on an unexpected route. Holly has been known to joke in the office that, "(She) was only supposed to be here a few months. It's now been a few decades!" And what she's accomplished in that time has transformed communities and impacted generations for another 20, 40, even 60 years to come. Here are just a few examples of her community impact and the schools that would look very differently if Holly had only worked at CRP "for a few months"...