Growthitect

#39: In this episode, I sit down with Beth Lundell Garver, Dean of Practice at the Boston Architectural College (BAC), to dig into one of the most common complaints in the industry: “We never learned business in school.”

Beth brings a rare perspective. She’s not only working inside academia, she’s actively redesigning what architecture education looks like. We talk about why most programs still avoid teaching business, how BAC built a work-and-learn model with 800+ students logging real practice hours, and what firm owners can actually do to train young architects instead of blaming schools.

This episode bridges two worlds that rarely talk honestly to each other: academia and practice. And Beth has receipts — from BAC’s competency-based program (which predates NCARB’s AXP) to why firms need to stop hiding their financials if they want better-prepared hires.

Connect with Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lundell-garver/
Learn more about BAC: https://the-bac.edu/
Work with Tyler: Send the word “Grow” to hello@growthitect.com 

⸻

(00:41) Why “we didn’t learn business in school” isn’t the full story
(01:20) The problem with assuming one business class would fix everything
(02:55) How BAC built a degree model tied directly to real-world work
(04:45) The origin of BAC’s practice curriculum (and how NCARB borrowed from it)
(06:32) Why exposure > memorization when it comes to business education
(07:58) The industry’s identity crisis: self-actualization vs. job readiness
(09:55) Why most architecture schools still prioritize theory over practice
(12:15) The real reason firms keep getting grads who lack business skills
(14:38) Community design + design-build programs as the “bridge” between school and practice
(17:40) Why architects overthink and under-act — and how school trains that mindset
(19:12) The transparency problem inside firms (and how it blocks learning)
(21:20) Why most young architects don’t see how their firm actually makes money
(22:48) What firms should do tomorrow to train better business-literate architects
(25:05) Why design talent alone won’t create the next generation of firm leaders
(27:30) How “design” applies to business models, not just drawings
(30:18) The #1 mindset shift firm owners must make if they want better teams
(33:02) Why many firms still manage people who don’t even know project budgets
(35:40) Design thinking as a superpower—outside architecture
(38:22) How BAC students are already learning business through real projects, not lectures
(40:12) How firms can partner with architecture schools (including BAC’s remote model)

—---

AISC RESOURCES

→ Learn about sustainable steel: http://aisc.org/sustainable 

→ Get your Sustainability Toolkit: http://aisc.org/buildgreen 

GROWTHITECT RESOURCES

→ Apply to join The Studio - https://growthitect.com/studio 

→ Join thousands of architects on the free Growthitect newsletter - https://growthitect.com/join 

STAY CONNECTED

→ Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylersuomala/ 

→ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthitect_com 

→ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@growthitect