2026 Ones to Watch - Rising Stars: Maxwell Baum, Pickard Chilton

What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry, and what path brought you to your current role? My interest in commercial real estate originates with my passion for architecture. Working as an architect professionally has afforded me the experience of seeing how well-built buildings and careful design planning can create long-lasting, flexible projects – each capable of transforming parts of their respective cities at the urban level, while simultaneously creating memorable and impactful environments for their internal users. In my current role, acting as both a project manager and a project designer, I strive to create architecture that delivers both social and financial value.

What accomplishment or project so far in your career are you most proud of? Acting as project manager on two projects has been a personal accomplishment in my professional career that I am proud of. Transitioning into a role that developed my skills with client relationships, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and leadership proved both challenging and highly rewarding. That being said, the accomplishment I am most proud of would be working on the Vitol Corporate Headquarters in Houston, Texas. As the first project I worked on at Pickard Chilton, and now nearing completion, the project represents a design effort and built result that I am proud to have been a part of.