Tom’s passion for architecture began early on in Minneapolis, when Grandma Betty took him on field trips downtown to see the buildings built by his great-great grandfather, H.N. Leighton. A fascination with buildings grew into a passion, which today goes far beyond architecture to a quest for understanding the cultural influences and trends that inform design in general.
His influence is broad; completing work as varied as a small urban condominium in downtown Kansas City to leading the master planning efforts for revitalizing downtown Dodge City, Kansas, to leading the design of an Olympic stadium in China. He has perfected the ability to set aside design agendas in order create authentic and responsive architecture for his clients. A recipient of numerous design awards and honors, Tom’s impact to the Kansas City-area business community was recognized in 2007 with a 40 Under Forty award from Ingram’s Magazine.
Tom continues to have a major impact on the sports industry, most recently being awarded the renovation to St. Pete Times Forum for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also of late, Tom led the design of the Seattle Seahawks Headquarters and Training Facility in Renton, Wash., and Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Early in his career, Proebstle quickly rose to be one of the brightest designers on the most sought-after projects in sports, namely, the hallowed ground of Conseco Fieldhouse and Lambeau Field — leading the design work for both while at prior firms. Conseco is routinely named as one of the best NBA arenas and Lambeau was named 'the No.1 stadium experience in all of professional sports' by ESPN The Magazine. His achievements in the sports world have been nationally recognized, and in 2006 Tom was awarded “Forty Under 40” by the Sports Business Journal.
Tom is a member of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, sits on the organizing committee for the Child Protection Center’s charity golf tournament, and previously co-chaired Mayor Kay Barnes’ Skatepark Taskforce Committee. In 2008, Tom was selected by the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects as ‘Volunteer of the Year.’
