What are big city architects? Big city architects are those architects who think of themselves as larger-than-life designers. Architects who are commodity-driven and looking to sell you on their vision. Every architect stands to benefit from having confidence in their approach, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.
Big city architects seem to know all the answers — they’re likely to show up with a solution and a plan without taking the time to listen first. In my experience, clients don’t want to be told what to do; they want to be heard. So, when I say we’re not big city architects, what I’m saying is we put the client first. We return phone calls. We do what we say. We place a premium on customer service.
Our commitment is guided, strengthened and supported by our core values: we serve, we listen, we learn, we energize, we invest in relationships. Behind everything we do, and every choice we make, you’ll find our core values. Here’s a look at each one in more detail.
1. We Serve
“We serve by using humble confidence to make life easier for others, our clients and our team with dedication by guiding.”
We lead with service. We believe in providing great service to everybody. Whether you're a lender at a bank, a president of a company, a secretary managing the front desk, an operations person, contractor, vendor, or supplier, we serve everybody we interact with. We believe leading with service helps us develop strong, long-lasting relationships.
2. We Listen
“We listen by asking questions to gain perspective.”
We don’t like making assumptions. We want to ask questions and hear perspectives. If you give someone the opportunity to talk, they will reveal what’s missing. Listening is an opportunity to get to the heart of what someone needs. In order to provide solutions, we must listen first. Our programming sessions allow us the opportunity to ask questions, then listen.
3. We Learn
“We learn to gain understanding by seeking more knowledge to become experts.”
In addition to being a core value, learning is a foundational component of our process. We engage in ongoing education in the various industries we serve. Our clients are never expected to educate us on their industry. We take that upon ourselves by conducting research, attending conferences and building knowledge. This approach enables us to stay on top of industry-specific trends and changes and use that knowledge to inform our work.
4. We Energize
“We energize from our passion with a positive attitude in how we communicate and educate.”
We understand that every personality is different. Some people are more laid back, others more excitable. Regardless, we come into meetings prepared and ready to lead. We’re excited about our process because we know what it’s capable of, and that excitement shows up as energy. Because when you’re passionate about what you do, energy comes naturally.
5. We Invest
“We invest in social capital and Relationships.”
Whether or not you call it a cliché, relationships are powerful. Investing in relationships is paramount to our ability to serve clients. There are relationships at every layer of what we do at HTG Architects. We have relationships among the members of our team. We have relationships between team members and clients. We have relationships with vendors and contractors. We have relationships with communities. Investing our time and effort into relationships is at the core of what we do.
Our Values Guide Our Interactions
At HTG Architects, our core values guide our banday-to-day interactions and our larger vision. And those values make it possible to achieve our core focus: Developing solutions for our clients’ needs. Because when it comes to our clients, their priority is our priority.
