Offers architects and creative services professionals exclusive insights and strategies for success from the former CEO of HOK. Designing a World Class Architecture Firm: The People, Stories and Strategies Behind HOK tells the history of one of the largest design firms in the world and draws lessons from it that can help other architects, interior designers, urban planners and creative services professionals grow bigger or better. Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy shares the revolutionary strategies HOK’s founders deployed to create a brand-new type of architecture firm. He pulls no punches, revealing the triple crisis that almost bankrupted HOK and describes how any firm can survive and thrive. Designing a World Class Architecture Firm tells the inside story of many of HOK’s most iconic buildings, including the National Air and Space Museum, Moscone Convention Center, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Houston Galleria and the reimagined LaGuardia Airport. Each chapter conveys lessons learned from HOK’s successes —and failures— including: The importance of diversifying to depression-and-recession-proof your firm The benefit of organizing your firm around specialized leaders and project types The difference between leading and managing your people The value of simple financial metrics to ensure your firm’s health and profitability The “run toward trouble” strategy which prevents problems from ballooning MacLeamy delivers his advice via inspirational stories such as how HOK survived when its home office in St. Louis went up in flames and humorous stories, like the time an HOK executive was mistaken for royalty on a trip to Saudi Arabia.  In this tell-all guide, the driven architecture or design professional will find the tools needed to evolve or grow any firm.

Table of Contents:
Introduction xiii Coming to HOK xvii Looking for My Place xvii Closer to Home xvii The Interview xix Big Dreams xix Impressions of HOK xx My First Assignment xxi Section One The Founders, 1955–1982 1 Chapter 1 The Problem with Traditional Firms 3 Why St. Louis? 3 Hellmuth & Hellmuth 4 George Francis Hellmuth 5 The Depression-Proof Firm 6 Chapter 2 A New Kind of Architecture Firm 9 Starting HYL/LHY 10 Gyo Obata 11 George Kassabaum 13 Forming HOK 15 HOK’s Early Years 17 Chapter 3 Innovate Early and Often 21 Marketing Innovation 21 Design Innovation 23 Production Innovation 25 Start-to-Finish Innovation 28 Core Boards Innovation 29 Staffing Innovation 29 Ownership Innovation 30 Chapter 4 Company Culture is Crucial 33 Mutual Respect 33 Considerate Communication 34 Taking Care of Employees 34 Family Atmosphere 35 Storytelling 36 The HOK Name 37 St. Louis Office Fire 38 Chapter 5 Growth: Project Offices 41 Planting a Flag in San Francisco 41 Launching in Washington, DC 43 Landing in Dallas 44 Chapter 6 Many Jobs, One Firm 47 Going to Pittsburgh 47 Settling in San Francisco 48 Working in Alaska 50 San Francisco Projects 53 Chapter 7 Managing Versus Leading 57 Becoming a Project Manager 57 Managing Versus Leading 58 Case Study: Moscone Center 60 HOK as Matchmaker 63 Chapter 8 Transitions: Succession Planning 67 Naming Successors 67 Adding HOK New York 72 George Hellmuth Triumphs 73 George Kassabaum Dies 74 Section Two The Obata Era, 1982–1993 77 Chapter 9 A Designer Leads the Firm 79 Building Buildings Again 79 Rise of Project Specialists 80 The New Marketing 80 The HOK Matrix 81 Growing Pains 82 Signs of Trouble 83 Bringing in the Pros 84 Chapter 10 Run Toward Trouble 87 Becoming Managing Principal 87 Run Toward Trouble 88 Collecting Money 89 Working in the Middle East 90 Chapter 11 Growth: Project Specialists 93 Lessons of Los Angeles 93 Sports Design Specialty 94 Team Member in Tampa 96 Retail Design Specialty 97 Opening in Hong Kong 98 Launching in London 99 Chapter 12 Selling Stock to Investors 101 Kajima Invests 101 Expanding in Europe and Asia 103 Traveling to Tokyo 103 HOK Tokyo 106 Sustainable Design 107 Chapter 13 Transitions: Hiring Family 109 Bob Stauder Resigns 109 Clark Davis Helms St. Louis 110 Bill Hellmuth Joins HOK 110 Gyo Obata Consults 112 Section Three The Sincoff Era, 1993–2002 115 Chapter 14 Get Bigger or Get Better? 117 The Sincoff Strategy 117 Sharing the Strategy 120 Offices Push Back 124 Chapter 15 A Firm-Wide Role 127 Innovating in Silicon Valley 127 Doubling Your Reach 129 Overseas Adventures 130 Joining the ExCom 133 Chapter 16 Embracing Technology 135 Computer-Aided Design 135 Tech 2000 136 Going Paperless 139 buildingSMART 140 Chapter 17 Growth: Buying Firms 145 CRS, Houston 145 Eduardo Terrazas y Asociados, Mexico City 147 HOK Chicago 148 Cecil Denny Highton, London 148 Urbana Architects, Toronto 149 Lobb Partnership, London 150 Expansion in Europe 150 HOK Dubai 151 Chapter 18 Enforcing Financial Metrics 153 Charm School 153 The 50 Percent Rule 155 The 90-Day Rule 155 The 10-Month Rule 156 Simplified Accounting 157 Expanding the Board 158 Chapter 19 Transitions: The Second Generation 161 King Graf Retires 161 George Hellmuth Dies 161 Paul Watson Steps Aside 162 Mahon and Pratzel Join the ExCom 163 Jerry Sincoff Retires 163 Chapter 20 Confronting Crisis 165 The Kajima Crisis 165 The Bank of America Crisis 166 The HOK Sport Crisis 166 Becoming CEO 167 Section Four The MacLeamy Era, 2003–2016 169 Chapter 21 Communicating Your Vision 171 A Company in Crisis 171 The Election 173 The Pyramid Strategy 174 Chapter 22 Empowering Firm Leadership 179 Invigorating the ExCom 179 Expanding the ExCom 180 Naming a Design Successor 181 Finding an Operations Leader 182 Removing Office Leaders 183 Empowering the Board of Directors 185 Positive Peer Pressure 186 Replacing Board Members 186 Chapter 23 The Effort Curve 189 The CURT Summons 189 The Effort Curve 190 Smart Effort Curve 192 The Effort Curve at HOK 193 Case Study: KAUST 194 The MacLeamy Curve 196 Chapter 24 Fixing Offices 197 Finding New Leaders 197 The Fixer 198 The Recruit 200 Case Study: HOK New York 201 Tweaking the Bonus Program 202 Chapter 25 Fixing Central Services 205 Consolidating Accounting 205 Fixing Advance Technology 206 Streamlining Human Resources 207 Chapter 26 Reclaiming Company Culture 209 Visiting the Offices 209 Explaining HOK Stock 210 Posting Staff Photos 212 Reviving Core Boards 213 Celebrating 50 Years 214 A Different Kind of Retreat 215 Chapter 27 Buying Your Freedom 219 Paying Off the Bank 219 Buying Out Kajima 221 Spinning Off HOK Sport 222 Chapter 28 Transitions: The Third Generation 225 Susan Williams Joins the OpsCom, ExCom 225 General Counsel Promotion 226 Human Resources Changes 227 Riccardo Mascia Heads Home 228 Bill Valentine Retires 228 Financial Team Changes 229 Carl Galioto Joins the ExCom 229 Consolidating Offices 230 Chapter 29 The Right to Dream 231 Pressing Sustainable Design 231 Case Study: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company 232 HOK Product Design 234 Expanding Again 235 Back in the Game 236 Finding the Next CEO 238 My “Repurposing” 240 Afterword: HOK Today 241 The State of HOK 241 Looking to the Future 242 The Hellmuth Strategy 243 Acknowledgments 245 About the Author 247 Index 249