Our Donors: Patrick Muecke CF ’97

Patrick Muecke CF ’97

Tampa, Florida
Supporter since 2006

Patrick Muecke CF ’97 discovered NBSS while on a traditional college path at the University of Georgia. He was woodturning in his free time. When his aunt read a blurb in a magazine about a school in Boston with a Cabinet and Furniture Making (CF) program, he knew he’d found his path. Today, Patrick is the founder and president of MUECKE Design & Construction, which specializes in high-end residential and commercial construction and design consultation. 

Before founding his company in 2013, Patrick worked in New York City managing luxury residential, commercial, and hospitality projects. He has served as an NBSS Advisor and currently sits on the NBSS Board of Directors. His wife, Danielle, is Designer and Brand and Marketing Director at MUECKE Design & Construction. The couple lives in Tampa, Florida, with their sons Benjamin (18), Michael (16), and William (12). Patrick loves playing the guitar. If he could hit pause and take another full-time program at NBSS, he says he would choose Violin Making & Repair.

Why do you support NBSS, and what keeps you involved?

My inspiration found a home at NBSS, where I was challenged by extraordinary craftspeople—not just by their skills, but by who they were as individuals. My education and experience at NBSS continue to provide so much to me professionally and personally in terms of how I perceive the physical world and in what manner I choose to approach improving or fashioning something of value. It’s easy to give back to NBSS because my education never stops giving to me. I am grateful for the education I received and the people who made it possible.

Can you share a story or moment at NBSS that particularly inspired or moved you?

Anytime I worked with Lance Patterson as a student. He had this great way of explaining why something simply wouldn’t work … and then following it up by laughing really hard. It was just a fun place to go to school.

How would you describe NBSS in a few words or phrases?

Authentic. Foundational. Disciplined. Inspirational.

Complete this sentence: My favorite thing about NBSS is ____.

The history. At NBSS, you are part of something wonderful that has been going on for a long time.

What would we lose if NBSS didn’t exist?

We would lose the ‘why.’ People wouldn’t understand how—and why—things are made in the way they are. You can have all the industrial design schools, all types of computer-assisted engineering and design, but without NBSS, you would lose the opportunity to teach people to fashion something with their hands. In the end, we would lose our connectivity to the things that we surround ourselves with—homes, locks, musical instruments, furniture, jewelry, books, etc.—all these things are so closely connected to how we live as humans, and to disassociate ourselves from fashioning those items would be a tragedy. Even if it’s not what everybody’s doing, we need a representation of it in our country. And without NBSS, this country would lose our best representative of an education in hand-built craftsmanship that stands the test of time.

Has NBSS influenced your work, career, or personal projects? If so, how?

The School taught me to persevere. You can’t skip steps. Don’t rush, and enjoy the process. When you’re learning how to make a toolbox and cutting all those dovetails and flattening that piece of mahogany by hand, and it’s not working, or it’s flat one night, and you get to school the next day and it’s not flat anymore, it is truly frustrating. But you learn to accept what it is and persevere.

What motivates or inspires you in your philanthropic work?

The preservation of this NBSS education. It has always been meaningful to me to stay connected. I did it because I’m grateful, ultimately. And I’ve also wanted to represent, to the extent that I could, what an entrepreneurial person could do after leaving NBSS. As a graduate, I’ve wanted to make sure that the things that I loved the most about the school aren’t lost.

What advice would you give someone considering supporting NBSS?

It is totally unique and completely necessary. If you care about culture, craftspeople, and well-crafted items, then there’s no better place to invest.

This story is from our FY 2025 issue of Annual Report. Read more stories from the issue or view past issues.