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running your firm, and what were the hallmarks of that time in your profes- sional life? KH: The most challenging and rewarding timeframes have been during times of rap- id growth. During my tenure at our firm, we’ve had several periods when business needs required us to accelerate the hir- ing of new staff and to expand our office space. This occurred at the same time we were doing larger and more complex proj- ects. These times have been both energiz- ing and rewarding. TZL: How do you promote young and new leaders as the firm grows? KH: We try to encourage professional growth for individuals and provide them with opportunities to grow. Our legacy is to allow people to “reach” for personal growth as opposed to handing it to them. It really is a function of the initiative and drive of the individuals, and when that is present, we welcome it with open arms. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job respon- sibility as CEO? KH: Keeping everyone focused on the big picture when we are working hard to meet short-term project deadlines. “When the economy does well, so do we. When the economy falters, it has a direct impact on our business. For the last 10 years, since the depth of the Great Recession, we’ve been on a continuous upward track.” TZL: What happens to the firm if you leave tomorrow? KH: We use a lot of collaboration and con- sensus in managing the firm. While there would be a period of adjustment, I have confidence that my fellow principals would be able to run the firm in my absence. TZL: There is no substitute for experi- ence, but there is pressure to give re- sponsibility to younger staff. What are you doing to address the risk while pur- suing the opportunity to develop your team?

take you so far. It’s the creative talent of the design staff that makes a firm success- ful. TZL: Do you tie compensation to perfor- mance for your top leaders? KH: To encourage collaboration during de- sign and sharing of leads during business development, we do not tie principals’ compensation to specific performance metrics. All of the principals share in the success of the firm. For senior staff who are not principals we have an MBO (Man- agement by Objective) program, where bo- nuses are calculated on achievement of mutually agreed upon annual goals. “We’re working on enhancing our continuing education and mentoring program so that younger staff can shadow more experienced staff and learn from that observation.” TZL: Do you share base salary or bonus amounts with your entire staff? KH: We believe that salary is a very per- sonal matter and should be confidential. Compensation of each staff member is based on the individual’s talent, experi- ence, and performance. We do not have a salary “scale” that is shared staff-wide. TZL: Have you ever closed an under-per- forming office? If so, tell us about it. KH: We have never had to close an office for under-performance, but during the re- cession in 2008-2009, we did consolidate operations by cutting back from three of- fices to two. TZL: How many years of experience – or large enough book of business – is enough to become a principal in your firm? Are you naming principals in their 20s or 30s? KH: We do not have a minimum number of years of experience for someone to be- come a principal. This is a position that is earned by proven performance and there is no timetable. Likewise, there is not a quota or threshold in terms of a certain amount of business generation. Regarding age, I became a principal at 37 and our most re- cent principal achieved that position in his early 30s. Age will not be a factor in nam- ing future principals. TZL: When did you have the most fun

YEAR FOUNDED: 1973 HEADQUARTERS: West Chester, PA OFFICES: 3 NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 80 KERRY HABER: He is responsible for client contact and supervision through all phases of design, in- cluding land planning, preparation of construction documents, and construction administration. SERVICES: ❚ ❚ Architecture ❚ ❚ Interior design ❚ ❚ Landscape architecture ❚ ❚ Urban design ❚ ❚ Master planning ❚ ❚ Renovation/repositioning

❚ ❚ Historic preservation ❚ ❚ Sustainable design MARKETS:

❚ ❚ Senior living ❚ ❚ Multi-family ❚ ❚ Single family ❚ ❚ Healthcare ❚ ❚ Higher education ❚ ❚ Corporate ❚ ❚ Industrial/warehousing ❚ ❚ Retail ❚ ❚ Hospitality ❚ ❚ Civil and cultural VISION STATEMENT: Dream. De- sign. Succeed. WHERE THEY WORK: Licensed to practice in Alabama, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsyl- vania, Virginia, and Washington D.C.

See LONG TENURE, page 8

rch 25, 2019, ISSUE 1289

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