Obituary: Becky Greco, 61, was a principal at HGA

Becky Greco was sensitive and fierce in both her personal life and career as she raised a family while raising up new leaders in architecture.

The 61-year-old principal and vice president at HGA Architects and Engineers in Minneapolis died on March 20 following a three-year battle with colon cancer.

She spent 31 years at HGA, where she was a determined dealmaker and a leader. "Women don't have enough role models and leaders in the industry. She was one for everyone, not just women," said Tim Carl, chief executive of HGA. "She was a fierce competitor. But at the same time, she really took care of her people. She had this great combination of sensitivity to people and fierceness for the project."

Greco was born in Audubon, Iowa, in 1954 and graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines in 1972. At Iowa State University, she was the only woman in her class with a bachelor's degree in architecture. She married fellow architect Ray Greco in 1979 and the two, looking to join a larger architectural community, moved to Minneapolis in 1980 for jobs. After five years at another firm, she joined HGA in 1985.

Greco focused on corporate and government clients and led some of the firm's biggest projects. They included the renovations of the Minnesota State Capitol and Union Depot in St. Paul and headquarters for Medtronic, Cargill and Ecolab. "She was really good at figuring out what kind of projects to pursue. And she helped position us to get amazing projects," Carl said.

"She may have had a dozen projects going at the same time, and if there was a problem, the client went to her," her husband said. "HGA really found where Becky shined and they let her grow in that area. The reason she grew and did so well was she wanted everyone to win."

That loyalty, he said, was something she always possessed in her personal life.

The week before she gave birth to her first child, Ann, Ray Greco remembers that they had just moved into a new house and were tearing down wallpaper. "That night was the last time we talked about architecture in the home," he said. "We just wanted to focus on family."

She loved taking ski trips to Vail, Colo., and vacationing at the family cabin. After being diagnosed with cancer, she underwent surgery and chemotherapy while continuing to work.

"One of the reasons our office is so emotional about Becky's passing is that we watched her battle cancer for three years with the same fierceness and bravery that she won projects with," Carl said. "She would be in the office helping lead a conversation and she would be in pain and we wouldn't even know it."

Her husband has a photo of her — surrounded by papers and talking on the phone — during a treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

"Becky and I said goodbye for three years," he said. "She told me over and over again that she wouldn't do anything different, that she had a good life."