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Striving for excellence: Brian Peters Managing principal of Woodblock Architecture (Portland, OR), a firm that sees each new project as an opportunity to create something awesome and build new relationships.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
W oodblock Architecture was founded by four friends who share a passion for design and a good sense of humor. Peters said they had a simple goal to create a firm that’s about putting people first. “From our clients and partners to coworkers, when you love who you work with, the work is simply a labor of love,” Peters says. A CONVERSATION WITH BRIAN PETERS. The Zweig Letter: How has COVID-19 affected your business on a daily basis? Brian Peters: Communication is taking quite a bit longer, though we have seen next to no decrease in work to date. That may change as this drags on, but new projects are still coming in the door.
performance indicators that you watch most carefully? Do you share that information with your staff?
BP: We watch: 1) Balance sheet 2) Break-even number 3) Previous month’s revenue
We share with staff wins and losses of projects, workload projections and planned needs for more staffing. Specifics about business performance is not shared with staff. TZL: How much time do you spend working “in the business” rather than “on the business?” BP: Personally, I split 25/75 (project versus overhead), but other partners split closer to 70/30. It’s all about a balance of operating the business and providing great service alongside the product.
TZL: What are the three to four key business
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