
Scaling Beyond Boundaries: Strategies for Growing, Sustaining a Small Landscape Architecture Firm - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)
Recorded On: 10/13/2025
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Register
- Non-member - $50
- Member - $40
- Student Member - Free!
- Associate Member - $30
Running a successful small landscape architecture firm requires a balance of strategic growth, operational efficiency, and design excellence. Success lies in adaptability, leadership, and smart business strategies. This session explores actionable insights and real-world experiences from leaders who have navigated growth, embraced innovation, and positioned their businesses for long-term success.
Learning objectives:
- Understand key decision-making strategies for scaling a small landscape architecture firm while maintaining quality and creative integrity.
- Discover effective tools, systems, and workflows that enhance productivity, client engagement, and financial stability.
- Gain insights into stepping into leadership roles, managing firm transitions, and positioning your business for future opportunities.
- Learn from case studies and personal experiences about overcoming challenges and leveraging opportunities in a competitive market.
Haig Seferian, FASLA
Principal Landscape Architect - Founder
SDG Landscape Architects
Haig Seferian is a graduate of the University of Guelph and California’s Polytechnic Institute. Creating SDG in 1992, Haig has been involved with municipal/provincial governments working to promote landscape architecture. Haig was appointed by the Minister of Education for the Province of Ontario as past chair/co-chair of the Industry Advisory Committee. He has educated the public through TV shows like “Garden Architecture” and authored the book “Hardscaping”. He has served as a professor and held leadership roles in the industry, earning the title of FASLA and FCSLA. Haig also sits on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Botanical Gardens.
Brad Smith, ASLA
Partner, Senior Landscape Architect
SDG Landscape Architects
t SDG, Brad is responsible for project planning, firm leadership, culture, and growth. Brad has a passion for design and carries a forward-thinking, enthusiastic energy to every project. An instructor at the University of Guelph School of Landscape Architecture, Brad teaches in the design studios, which provides exercises in urban design and master planning to provide an understanding of the integrative design process in landscape architecture. In 2023, Brad was recognized with the University of Guelph’s Alumni Volunteer Award of Excellence. In 2025, Brad was inducted into the College of Fellows of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA).
Mark Stewart
Managing Director
Wentworth Strategy Group
Mark John Stewart, MBA, ICD.D, is a international leader, public speaker, and advisor on strategy, governance, and entrepreneurship. As the Managing Director of consulting firm Wentworth Strategy Group, he advises small and medium enterprises on growth and success, with a focus on professional services firms. He is an Industry Professor at McMaster University focused on strategic management, as well as the Chair of the Bay Area Health Trust, Co-Chair of the City of Hamilton Mayor’s Task Force on Transparency, Access and Accountability, and an advisor to charitable organization Empowerment Squared.
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