I don’t have to tell anyone reading this article how bad our economy is or the condition of the architecture and design profession today. If designers do have a job at a design firm, they are working twice as hard as they were two years ago, and if designers don’t have a job, they are picking up any scrap of work they can find and are grateful for it. Design firms across the country have been forced to cut back staff due to a lack of work. Granted, a slow uptick has recently been detected, but as many of my colleagues have told me, much of the work that began last year has been completed and whatever new work that is out there is slim picking.
With all that said, how has a firm like Ted Moudis Associates (TMA) weathered this economic storm so well? From all accounts, the firm curbed its layoffs early on during this recession and are now busier than ever, picking up two large interiors projects among others– the new Tiffany & Co. Headquarters and the new NFL Headquarters. With a staff of over 100 employees, TMA has even started hiring again. Since current economic conditions affect the entire industry, I assumed a particular management style was the reason for the firm’s success. What secret ingredient do Principals Ted Moudis AIA, and Chris Savoglou have that is eluding other design principals?
“It goes to back to the basics. If you look down our client list, many of them have been with us for the last fifteen or twenty years,” said Mr. Savoglou. “The only way they stay with you is if focus is on the client and by providing the right service.” The message comes from the top, but it is an easy one to understand: listening to your client is the first order of business. It sounds simple, and it is, but it requires a level of skill and professionalism that is learned through practice and not at a workstation or classroom.
When I think of most service-based businesses, the first thing that pops into my head are retail stores or companies with hard-to-manage customers, not design firms. “Whatever little work they give you, you have to do it and do it right,” said Mr. Moudis. “Many designers are attracted to glamorous jobs. The glamorous jobs are there, but if that client calls you to do not-so-glamorous work, you have to be there for them. If you are not interested in that work, they will give it to someone else, and when the glamorous job comes up, the client will usually give it to the firm that earned it. That is how we built the business, and how we do business today.” Ted Moudis Associates’ clients represent all industries, and include firms such as: Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Rolex, Deutsche Bank, Kaplan, Newsweek, ING, Societe Generale and Major Leaque Baseball to name a few. Ted Moudis Associates’ progressive design service and attention to detail has bred client loyalty. Again, this is not complicated, but in this down market when many clients are shopping for bargains, any reason is a good reason for a client to switch design firms.
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