Chad Cousins
CEO & Principal
MCMILLAN PAZDAN SMITH
Chad Cousins is the Chief Executive Officer and a Principal of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture (MPS).
MPS is a Southeast region-focused Architecture, Planning, and Advisory firm creating leading-edge environments for higher learning and K-12 education, healthcare, civic and cultural, sports & recreation, commercial, industrial, multi-family and mixed-use development clients. MPS’s offices are located in Greenville, Charleston, Columbia, and Spartanburg, SC; Asheville and Charlotte, NC; and Atlanta and Augusta, GA.
Since 2012, Mr. Cousins has directed McMillan Pazdan Smith’s strategic growth initiatives with an emphasis on market and services development, innovation, industry-leading financial and operational performance, organic and acquisitive growth, effective capitalization, and organizational development. He was appointed CEO in 2018. During his tenure, the firm has experienced significant growth in its regional reach, capabilities, and impact. MPS has received professional and community recognition for design and service excellence, rewarding values-based culture, community engagement, and successful business practices. Much of this is due to Mr. Cousins’ focus on establishing capable leadership teams in highly satisfying work environments, sustaining an entrepreneurial and purposeful culture, and empowering creativity, innovation, and clientÂcentered solutions and results.
Mr. Cousins has served in executive leadership roles focused on the built environment – including design, development, construction, and building supply chain and education related technology solutions (ERP, business intelligence) and related services and consulting.
Mr. Cousins is a Greenville, SC area native. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Clemson University. He is a member of numerous design, construction, and technology related industry associations, including the AIA Large Firm Roundtable, and the Innovation Design Consortium. He has also served in local non-profit leadership, including as a co-founder and former Board Chairman of Greenville Classical Academy and a former Chair of the Greater Greenville Youth Tennis Association.
Mr. Cousins has served on the Greenville Tech Foundation Board since 2019, during which he has previously chaired the Properties and Governance Committees and served as Vice Chair. Chad and his wife Ashlyn, a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway in Greenville, established an endowed scholarship in 2022 primarily benefitting students in Greenville Tech’s Architectural and Engineering Design Technology programs.
