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The Joint middle school/high school in Princeton, Ohio. / CR Architecture + Design
A body of water and a cold beverage Cincinnati CEO usually operates at about 150 miles per hour, but from time to time he puts on the brakes.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent W hen it comes to leading, David Arends, CEO of CR Architecture + Design (Hot Firm #19 for 2016), a 175-person firm based in Cincinnati, says it’s important to trust people to do what they say they are going to do. It’s this philosophy that has helped CR to grow and prosper and it looks like the trend is going to continue for some time. A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID ARENDS. The Zweig Letter: Tell me a little about your path to get here? David Arends: I always knew what I wanted to do. In 1997, I started my own firm. We were a small firm of 10. CR Architecture and Design approached me several times about coming on board and merg- ing with them. I was not interested at first, but they continued to pursue me. They did not have an internal leadership plan in place and were looking externally. After three years of discussion, I decid- ed to accept their offer and we merged companies in 2002. I became CEO within one year. TZL: What are the most evident changes you’ve seen since 2002? DA: The expansion of service offerings. They had one office when I started, now there are five and soon to be six. We’ve also added new services such
as interior architecture and urban planning. We’ve gone from 40 people to 175. Currently, we have eight areas of expertise. TZL: What are your key leadership strengths? DA: The ability to have a clear vision and strategy and sticking to the plan. “I give people the resources they need and get out of the way. I’ll dive in when I need to. If people don’t see me, they know everything is going well. If I pop up, they know there’s a problem and we’ll work through it together.” TZL: How would you describe your leadership style? DA: I give people the resources they need and get out of the way. I’ll dive in when I need to. If people don’t see me, they know everything is going well. If I pop up, they know there’s a problem and we’ll work through it together. TZL: What’s been your greatest challenge to date See Q&A, page 4
David Arends, CEO, CR Architecture + Design
THE ZWEIG LETTER December 5, 2016, ISSUE 1178
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