Team Spotlight: Glendys Mendez
We believe that the best projects begin with people and those who understand not just how to design a space, but how to translate a brand’s identity, a client’s goals, and a community’s needs into something tangible.
Few embody that philosophy more fully than Glendys Mendez, Senior Associate.
Glendys’ career is one shaped by dual perspectives. Before joining us, she spent years on both the architectural side and the brand side of luxury retail, giving her a rare understanding of what clients truly expect from their architects. She has seen how communication breaks down, where processes stall, and where opportunities are missed. She brings that awareness to every project she touches.
For us, that insight has become invaluable. She anticipates needs before they’re spoken, asks the right questions long before others think to, and approaches each project with the clarity of someone who understands both sides of the table. It’s a skillset that elevates our work and strengthens our partnerships, whether we’re collaborating with a heritage luxury house or a contemporary brand entering a new market.
Her journey with Leveratto AG feels almost inevitable. Many of us began our careers together more than 15 years ago, before life and opportunity pulled us in different directions. Over time, we each refined our expertise across the industry, growing into new roles and new perspectives. When Glendys returned to join the firm, it felt less like a hire and more like a homecoming. It was one marked by trust, shared values, and a kind of unspoken understanding that only comes from years of working alongside the same dedicated faces.
Her time at Saks Fifth Avenue was particularly formative, shaping the way she sees every retail environment we design. Working with merchants, planners, store operations, leasing teams, and visual directors, she came to understand the full ecosystem that lies behind a successful luxury space. She learned how square footage translates to revenue, why product adjacencies matter, and how clients experience a store on both emotional and practical levels. Today, that knowledge informs the way she evaluates every decision, from circulation to merchandising support to the small operational details that often go unnoticed but make all the difference.
Organization, focus, and orchestration are her superpowers. Give her a project, no matter how complex, and she will build a roadmap that guides every step from kickoff to opening day. Her work-back schedules have become legendary in our office: clear, thorough, and rooted in the belief that a project succeeds when every moving part is anticipated, aligned, and accounted for. Under her leadership, even the most intricate timelines feel manageable.
One project that reflects that synergy perfectly is Avenue One. It was the first large-scale workplace initiative that brought our entire team together. The success of that project was due in no small part to Glendys’ ability to unite everyone around the same vision. She balanced individual strengths with an overarching plan that kept us moving in sync. The result was not just a beautifully executed project, but a reminder of who we are when we work at our best.
Outside of her architectural world, Glendys brings the same intentionality to her personal life. Her perfect day at the beach with her husband and son begins in the late afternoon, when the crowds thin and the sky turns warm. It’s a moment of pause—rosé in hand, family close, her son playing in the sand—that reflects the same grounding energy she brings to our studio every day.
For us, Glendys represents the heart of what makes Leveratto AG a boutique firm with big-firm capabilities: expertise shaped by experience, strengthened by collaboration, and guided by a deep respect for the people we design for.
