A Conversation with Robert Kubicek, aka Kubi
If you’ve been around the retail architecture world for a while, you’ve probably heard the name Robert Kubicek - better known as Kubi. A co-founder of RKAA, he’s been designing retail spaces since bell-bottoms were in style the first time.
His journey started in 1972 after graduating from the University of Arizona’s School of Architecture. After working for a few firms, he struck out on his own, founding Architects West in 1974 as soon as he became a licensed architect. Two years later, he merged with Walt Nelson’s, and Nelson Kubicek was born.
Kubi’s big break came at an ICSC convention in New Orleans, where he had a chance encounter with Ernie Hahn of The Hahn Companies. Ernie had rented out the Delta Queen, and as luck would have it, he met Bob just as he was boarding. Ernie must have liked what he saw because he introduced Bob to a roster of enclosed mall retailers, including Kinney Shoes, Lane Bryant, Zales, Chess King, Orange Julius, and The Limited, to name just a few. That flurry of work led to Bob getting licensed in all 50 states, which is no small feat.
Ernie also introduced Bob to Eddie DeBartolo, Sr., and The Cafaro Companies, launching a long list of projects that cemented his place in the industry. By 1984, Bob had pivoted toward grocery stores, thanks to an introduction from John F. Long to Eddie Basha, Jr., the Chairman and CEO of Bashas’. The two became close friends, and Bob went on to design 86 Bashas’ locations, including Food City and A.J.’s. But he didn’t stop there. His grocery store tally includes:
Total grocery store projects to date? A staggering 993.
Beyond groceries, Bob has redesigned facades for over 245 shopping centers, completed over 75 Starbucks projects, completed over 30 Salad n Go locations, and worked with major retailers like K-Mart, Walmart, Mervyn’s, Sears, and Montgomery Ward. That work led to designing enclosed regional malls.
In 1994, he ventured into standalone Walgreens projects, a move that resulted in 1,007 completed locations. Not to mention designing movie theaters for United Artists, General Cinema, Harkins, Blair, and AMC.
With that kind of resume, I had to ask Bob a few rapid-fire questions about his career.
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Q&A with Kubi
Why specialize in retail? "Not much competition at the time."
Do you actually like grocery shopping? "Yep. I walk every type of grocery store to get ideas for future designs."
Best competitor? "Butler Design Group."
Best colleague in the industry? "Irving Pasternak. We both graduated from U of A around the same time."
Most fun client to work for? "Easy. Eddie Basha, Jr."
Biggest industry changes? "Grocery stores have gone from 25,000 square feet to a whopping 135,000 square feet. Plus, AutoCAD Revit allows us to do the same amount of work with fewer people."
What time do you get to work? "5:00 a.m. We have a lot of East Coast clients who need us bright and early."
What’s the key to your success? "We design very economical buildings."
Best friends in the industry today? "Gary Davidson and Bill Levine."
Who was your mentor? "Walt Nelson, who retired in 1989."
After nearly five decades in the industry, Kubi has built a career on smart design, strong relationships, and a knack for being in the right place at the right time. And if you ever find yourself boarding a riverboat at an ICSC convention, pay attention. You never know who you’ll meet.
Retail Real Estate Development Professional at Accelerated Development Services
2 周Chris Gerardo, Nice spotlight on Robert Kubicek and RKAA Architects, Inc. They’ve got quite an impressive retail portfolio!