Small Change Story: Michael Laverdure

Michael Laverdure is from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He’s a partner with the local architectural firm DSGW and the founder of the First American Design Studio. We met with at his office in Lake Elmo, Minnesota–a small town some 14 miles outside the Twin Cities. He is part of a growing community of indigenous architects from around the world, including New Zealand and Canada. We had a wide ranging conversation with Laverdure about his views on money, his remarkable path to becoming an architect and the significance of home, Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota.