Recognizing 100 CEOs & C-level Executives
Lucas Rice Mitsch Design

Lucas Rice

Chief Executive Officer

Mitsch Design

Location: Atlanta

Founded: 1991

Industry: Interior Design, Architecture, Furniture

Lucas Rice’s journey to entrepreneurship began after joining the military nearly 35 years ago. Following 26 years of service and 10 years of flying helicopters on active-duty service at the rank of colonel, Rice said he wanted to carry the leadership and skills he had perfected into business. After earning his MBA, Rice joined a startup venture focused on consulting and then opened his first business with his wife in 2008.

After authoring his first book, “Battlefield to Boardroom: Tactical Leadership in Corporate Combat,” Rice assumed the role as CEO at Mitsch Design. “Lucas has taken his entrepreneurial mindset, leadership and experience to grow a company culture of success,” said his staff.

Mitsch Design started with a focus on commercial interior design but has grown into a national full-service firm with architecture, design and furniture dealerships all under one roof. The firm has a mission to create solutions that empower and transform the daily lives of others while elevating the everyday lives of people through the environments they interact with.

Under Rice’s leadership, the firm has introduced a new organizational management level and sales and revenue have grown by 180% with profits increasing by 10% and employee training and development plans introduced. “Lucas joined the Mitsch Design team only two years ago and has already doubled the size of the 35-year-old company,” said his staff. “His infectious leadership creates a culture of growth, teamwork, success and family.”

Rice was also instrumental in opening a new office for the company, with a strong presence now in both Carmel, IN and Atlanta, GA. He has plans to open a third office in Denver within the next six months. Looking forward, the firm plans to add scopes of services to include mechanical, electrical and plumbing design and looks to hire an additional 30 full-time employees to support the growth.

As a leader, Rice said having a focus on service is essential. “We work for our employees and ensure the company is run successfully for them to have pleasure, security and a sense of fulfillment in their role,” he said.

Taking on unknown challenges in new industries is one of Rice’s biggest risks, but he said good leadership and team building is industry agnostic. “Great leaders must bring consistency in management and organization, as well as a keen understanding of financials,” said Rice. “These skills transgress all industries, so the risk of moving into new and unknown roles was mitigated.”

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Did you know?

My Superpower is Service. I recently retired after 26 years of military service, and that time taught me to take care of others first so that they in turn can take care of the collective whole.

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