Shawn Conyers, '96 and M.A. '98 Architecture

Shawn Conyers recalls his first weeks as a student in the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture — especially an admonition he received.

Already a member of the Ohio State varsity wrestling team on academic and athletic scholarships, however, Conyers was undaunted.“It was strongly recommended to me not to have a job or any extracurricular activities while pursuing my degree, since studying would require all of my time,” says Conyers.

“I am very proud that I was able to complete my architecture degrees while wrestling for five years at Ohio State, when others told me it couldn’t be done,” says Conyers. 

Still today, Conyers is no stranger to hard work.

His day begins at 5:30 a.m. He walks through the door of downtown Columbus’ Meyers + Associates Architecture, where he is senior associate, by 7:30 a.m. to get a jump on things before his team arrives. He confesses that he often forgets to eat lunch amidst drawing, coordinating projects with clients, phone calls, e-mails and meetings. He heads home around 5:30 p.m. to spend time with his family, sometimes tackling more work in the evenings to prepare for the next day, and falls into bed by midnight.

“I’m always late because I’m always trying to fit one last thing into my day. My wife says I do too much,” says Conyers.

Conyers has built a career in architecture designing mostly sports and recreation facilities nationallyand, more recently, hospitality industry structures. He and his team are currently collaborating with former professional golf champion Arnold Palmer on a new Marriott hotel in Latrobe, Pa. He says he loves being an architect because of its challenges and opportunities to meet new people.

A member of the American Institute of Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, Conyers serves as a board member of the Neighborhood Design Center of Columbus and the Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture Alumni Society. He was also named in the 2009 Columbus Business First “Forty Under 40” awards, in which the newspaper recognizes young professionals for their business success and civic contributions.

However, he is modest about his achievements. “I rarely take the time to reflect on past projects or accomplishments. I just like to keep moving forward and creating,” says Conyers.

Conyers loves the quality of life, diversity and presence of youth he finds in Columbus.

 In addition to his post at Meyers + Associates, Conyers is an assistant wrestling coach at Westerville North High School two evenings a week from October through March and travels with the team to weekend tournaments.

“It’s a great feeling when you can have a positive effect on someone and see the impact. It’s my way of giving back,” says Conyers. “Someday, someone is going to be doing that for my kids, and I will be grateful.”

Conyers’ positivity is catching. He attributes his attitude that “there is always some good in a situation” to his father, who also taught him home renovation techniques.

“There is no time to have negative thoughts,” he says. “It makes more sense to keep going.”