Growing a Small Firm: Marketing

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion focuses on marketing and business development.

Through their passion, collaborative perspectives and willingness to step outside of their comfort zones, each of the presenters built highly successful design firms. This course captures their insights and provides invaluable advice to professionals who have recently branched out on their own and those considering starting their own firm.

Although the panelists practice in small firms, their insights will apply to practitioners interested in growing a firm of any size and to emerging professionals of any discipline.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Samuel Fajner, Sylvia Kwan, FAIA, Cass Calder Smith, FAIA, and Melissa Werner

Growing a Small Firm: Public Design Opportunities

Garnering widely sought after public-sector projects can be daunting for a small or growing firm. By the time you arrive at a pre-proposal conference amidst a sea of other qualified firms, the opportunities to differentiate your firm and eventually sway a selection committee are already slim. You look around at your colleagues, many from firms much larger than yours, listen to the qualification criteria, and eventually ask yourself, Why am I spending my valuable time and limited resources chasing this project..

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion captures the insights and advice of owner representatives responsible for hiring and working with small firms on small- and large-scale public projects. The panelists are remarkably candid in describing how to gain market intelligence on upcoming projects, what happens behind the scenes in selection deliberations, and what strategies resonate most during selection interviews.

Although the panelists practice in small firms, their insights will apply to practitioners interested in growing a firm of any size and to emerging professionals of any discipline.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Rob Gayle, Edgar Lopez, Rona Rothenberg, FAIA, and Ivar Satero

Growing a Small Firm: Elevating the Role of Women

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion focuses on the challenges women face in elevating their roles as design professionals, navigating work/life challenges, and competing against other accomplished professionals within the male-dominated professions of architecture, landscape architecture and construction.

As panelist Marsha Maytum, FAIA, stated, "It's a matter of being able to find your voice in that group and feel of equal value."

The four women panelists, each of whom has found her voice and successfully navigated her way to an influential position, offer candid advice to both genders about work/life balance, finding the right mentor and partners, publicizing your achievements, establishing yourself on a construction site, and staying true to your passions.

Although the four panelists practice in small firms, their insights will apply to women in any size firm and to emerging professionals of any discipline.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Elizabeth Ranieri, FAIA, LEED AP, Marsha Maytum, FAIA, LEED AP, Andrea Cochran, FASLA, and Ive Haugeland

Growing a Small Firm: Teaming with Larger Firms

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion focuses on how small firms can broaden their skills and obtain larger commissions by teaming with larger firms.

The panelists, based on decades of experience teaming with larger firms, offer candid advice about how to identify the right firms with whom to team, which projects are most appropriate for teaming, how to align cultures, how to make a smaller firm attractive to larger firms, how to navigate potential problems, what to consider when allocating scope and fees, and, of equal importance, when to run away from a teaming opportunity.

Their insights will help your firm form valuable relationships and deliver better projects while saving you countless sleepless nights.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Amy Elliot, AIA, Marc L'Italien, FAIA, LEED AP, BD+C, Paulett Taggart, FAIA, LEED AP

Growing a Small Firm: Diversifying Your Practice and Entering New Markets

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion focuses on how small firms can diversify their practices and effectively enter new markets.

The panelists, based on decades of experience, provide pointed advice about how to effectively identify new marketing opportunities, build a brain trust, leverage technology and social media, partner and joint venture with other firms, and overcome marketing barriers unique to small and growing firms. Their insights will help you broaden your firm’s base, gain entry into highly desirable market sectors and appeal to a growing list of clients.

The panelists bring experience from small, medium and large firms, and their insights will apply to practitioners interested in growing a firm of any size and to emerging professionals of any discipline.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Anne Fougeron, FAIA, Beverly Prior, FAIA, LEED AP B+C, Carsten Voecker, AIA, RIBA, and E.B. Min, AIA

Growing a Small Firm: Creating Successful Partnerships

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion focuses on how small firms how small firms can benefit from teaming with other small firms.

The panelists, each from small architectural firms that have successfully navigated the often long and ambitious journey of partnering with other small firms, discuss: how to become more viable for projects by partnering with other small firms; how partnering can help your firm diversify its services, project types and geographic reach; how to present your team to prospective clients and communicate your team’s value proposition; and why developing a familiarity and clarifying your roles and responsibilities are essential when partnering with other firms.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Eliza Hart, AIA, Alex Bergtraun, AIA, Cary Bernstein, AIA LEED AP, and Tom McElroy, AIA, LEED AP

Growing a Small Firm: Online Media and Social Networking

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion focuses on how small firms can use online media and social networking to gain valuable exposure in the digital world.

From their experience as writers and communication consultants, the panelists discuss why compelling and relevant narratives are essential when approaching a writer or publisher, why small firms should establish multiple digital and personal touch points, why good photography is critical for getting published and driving traffic to your website, and even why relentless self-promotion is so important in today’s digital age.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Amanda Walter, George Calys, and Lamar Clarkson Alexander

Growing a Small Firm: Developing Your Identity and Building Your Reputation

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco as part of its Growing a Small Firm series moderated by Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, this 90-minute panel discussion focuses on how small firms can effectively develop their identity, brand their business and build a solid reputation.

The panel of communications experts and architects, each of who has created their own strong identities, offer candid advice about defining and building your firm’s reputation, the benefits of communicating your values and distinct personality, the importance of establishing your authenticity through word of mouth and in-person contact, and why focusing on your clients’ goals and seeking their advice is essential for developing and communicating your identity.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, Amanda Walter, David Baker, FAIA, Yosh Asato, and Tim Culvahouse, FAIA

Starting Your Own Firm

Find out whether you have the skills, personality and stomach to start your own firm as you watch this 90-minute panel discussion featuring five principals of renowned architecture and design firms.

Filmed live at AIA San Francisco, each panelist provides insights and invaluable lessons from years filled with joy and anguish. This inspiring and eye-opening conversation offers candid advice and practical tips on everything from building a portfolio and branding a firm to managing cash flow, motivating staff and responding to relentless client demands. This course should be on the "essential viewing" list for anyone thinking about starting an architecture or design firm.

Presenter:
Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, David Darling, FAIA, Mark Horton, FAIA, Primo Orpilla and Verda Alexander

Design Excellence and Climate Change – Bay Area Case Studies from AIA San Francisco COTE

Course release date: April, 2019.

Climate change is one of the fundamental design problems of our time, and architects need the skills to help create attractive, resilient, high- performing buildings. In this engaging 75-minute course, presenters discuss the recently released AIA COTE® Top Ten Toolkit, their firms’ integrative design approaches, and how architects can persuade clients to incorporate strategies that achieve both design excellence and exceptional building performance.

The course starts with architects from three Bay Area COTE ® Top Ten award winners (LMS Architects, EHDD, and Siegel & Strain Architects) presenting short case studies that include a variety of high-impact, low-cost building performance strategies. Marsha Maytum, FAIA, LEED AP, of LMS Architects and the 2019 Chair of AIA National AIA COTE® then moderates an informative panel discussion with Tate Walker, AIA, LEED Fellow of OPN Architects, Corey Squire, AIA, of Lake | Flato Architects, Brad Jacobson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C of EHDD, and Susi Marzuola, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, of Siegel & Strain Architects about applying the AIA COTE® Top Ten Toolkit to projects of various scales.

Includes a download link to AIA's free COTE® Top Ten Toolkit "Super Spreadsheet"

Presenter:
Moderator Marsha Maytum, FAIA, LMS Architects, is joined by: Tate Walker, AIA, LEED Fellow, OPN Architects; Corey Squire, AIA, Lake|Flato Architects; Brad Jacobson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, EHDD; and Susi Marzuola, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Siegel & Strain Architects

BIM: Leveraging Level of Development & BIM Execution Plans

Course release date: May, 2019.

This 75-minute course features industry experts from SmithGroup, Boldt Construction Company, Stanford Health Care’s Planning Design + Construction, and Autodesk. This highly informative set of presentations and panel discussion illustrates how to: develop Level of Development and BIM Execution plans to reduce design errors and construction conflicts; leverage data incorporated into BIM models; manage scope and risks when sharing BIM models; and integrate design-assist into BIM models. Tune in as practitioners discuss lessons learned and Autodesk evangelist Jon Van Benthem presents a case study of the Denver International Airport.

This course was filmed live as part of AIA San Francisco’s Integrated Practice series.

Presenter:
Moderator Kevin Durhamn, Technical Solutions Executive, Autodesk Software Solutions, is joined by panelists: Randy Anderson, BIM Technologist, SmithGroup; Joshua Mercado, AIA, Director, BIM and Technology Integration, Boldt Construction Company; Jon Van