Business of the Business: Strategies for Managing Small Design Practices - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)

Recorded On: 10/07/2024

The primary hurdle for a business leader may seem to be acquiring and executing new projects while ensuring client satisfaction. The reality is more complex. Managing a small firm can often be more demanding than handling design and project execution. Various management approaches exist. Which one is best for you?

Learning objectives:

Review the non-project-related tasks necessary to successfully run a small practice.
Review which key performance indicators (KPIs) are important to know and measure.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using outside consultants, and of using internal administrative staff, for your business needs.
Explore which method (external or internal) fits your business the best.

Gareth Mahon, ASLA, PLA

Partner and Managing Principal

RKLA Studio

Gareth Mahon is a licensed landscape architect and Managing Partner of RKLA Studio, where he leads the firm’s practice across institutional, residential, and mixed-use projects. With over two decades of experience, he guides the studio’s design direction and fosters the collaborative processes that underpin its work. An active voice in the field, he speaks on professional practice and the business of landscape architecture at conferences and industry events. Originally from rural Ireland, Gareth's perspective is shaped by an early connection to the land. He serves on the Executive Board of the Queens Botanical Garden and the Advisory Board of play:groundNYC.

Diane Lipovsky, ASLA

Principal/Co-Founder

Superbloom

Diane is a Principal and Co-Founder of the innovative new landscape architecture firm Superbloom in Denver. With over 12 years of experience designing public-interest landscapes, Diane’s work celebrates the intersections of art, design, nature, wellness and community. Her work has received numerous awards including the American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum as well as recognition from ASLA Boston, Colorado and NC, & the American Planning Association. With a background in cinema and fine arts, Diane’s work incorporates storytelling to give voice to the history of a place and to shape a city’s cultural and ecological future.

Yotam Kedem

Partner, Head of US office

Precise Int Corp

Yotam Kedem is a Partner and the head of the US office of Precise. The company provides financial management and control services for Architectural and Engineering firms in the US, London, Israel, and Greece. With more than 30 years of experience, and a staff of over 400 employees, serving some 800 A/E firms, Precise has become the world’s largest provider of financial management services in this sector.