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companies. What are you doing to ensure that your line of leadership are great people managers? RR: Being recognized and ranked as the No. 1 Best Firm To Work For in the architecture category by Zweig Group this year means we have an excellent foundation of happy and empowered staff. We used the feedback from that survey, along with internal, in-person interviews with our staff to create “Engagement Communities” within our firm. This is where everyone has a voice and a place to belong. Through these communities, our staff has active roles in the success of the firm and a sense of tribe where everyone plays – and everyone learns leadership skills regardless of their role or expertise. “We have made a concerted effort in the last few years to diversify our market sectors, delivery methods, and partnering relationships as a means of providing protection for our firm during economic uncertainty.” TZL: Does your firm work closely with any higher education institutions to gain access to the latest technology, experience, and innovation and/or recruiting to find qualified resources? RR: Over the years we’ve developed strong relationships with local architecture and interior design schools to help foster upcoming talent. We’ve hosted design workshops, participated in design review panels, and we regularly host “firm crawl” tours in our offices. In our San Francisco office we’re hosting Cal Poly students and helping to provide input for their workshops. Most of our interns have stayed on to join the firm as full-time employees after graduation. TZL: Is change management a topic regularly addressed by the leadership at your firm? If so, elaborate. RR: The change occurring in the industry is far more rapid now than even five years ago. Managing change well is no longer optional; it is vital. We address change management through regular leadership team off-site workshops, our Key Player (principal, senior associate, and associates) meetings, and staff “What the Heck?” meetings.

TZL: How often do you valuate your firm and what key metrics do you use in the process? Do you valuate using in-house staff or is it outsourced? RR: We valuate our firm on an annual basis using an external trustee who retains an independent appraiser to determine the value per share of our ESOP stock. Key metrics include past and projected financial performance, company history, organizational structure and management, economic conditions, industry outlook, and the competitive environment. Because we are a 100 percent employee-owned firm, we regularly communicate the key metrics for improving our valuation with our staff . TZL: Ownership transition can be tricky, to say the least. What’s the key to ensuring a smooth passing of the baton? What’s the biggest pitfall to avoid? RR: The key to ensuring a smooth transition is to always be working on it – grooming and growing those to one day take the helm, but in bite-sized chunks. We created and implemented a succession plan with a focus on leadership development of our Key Player group. This plan includes focused training on leadership qualities for the entire firm, with an emphasis on those within the Key Player Program who have been identified as high-potential future leaders. Through consistent training, focused mentoring, and group meetings, we have designed a transparent succession plan that will set us up successfully for the next transition. Biggest pitfall? Ignoring it. “Since being founded in 1979, we’ve had numerous staff celebrate 20th anniversaries (and beyond) with the firm. Our culture of continuous learning has contributed to the longevity of our staff.” TZL: You want high utilization for profitability, but that means employees are fully loaded with assignments. How do you balance growth, utilization, new clients, and new hires? RR: We monitor our staff utilization rates closely, with supervisors setting target ratios for each employee for the

HEADQUARTERS: Irvine, CA NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 74 YEAR FOUNDED: 1979 NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: Five offices in California: ❚ ❚ Irvine ❚ ❚ Los Angeles (opening soon) ❚ ❚ Sacramento ❚ ❚ San Diego ❚ ❚ San Francisco SERVICES: ❚ ❚ Architectural design

❚ ❚ Interior design ❚ ❚ Design strategy SECTORS:

❚ ❚ Healthcare ❚ ❚ Education ❚ ❚ Science and technology ❚ ❚ Senior living MISSION: Design that empowers people. STRATEGY-BASED DESIGN: This approach to design incorporates human-centered research, Lean methodology and environmental responsibility, so Taylor Design is always striving to improve solutions for the built environment that positively impacts the health and safety of its end users. CULTURE: Taylor Design supports a corporate culture of sustainability, through wellness programs, professional development and office initiatives, which empowers staff to make a positive impact on projects and beyond.

See ROLE MODEL, page 8

ober 7, 2019, ISSUE 1315

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