Architectural firm approaches 75th anniversary

Real Estate Weekly, Feb 19, 1997

Experts in retail, financial and corporate design, this 12-person firm prides itself on its ability to provide excellent customer service based on the quality of its work and the integrity of each of its members.

Founded in 1922 by Beaux Arts architect Adolf Goldberg, GSTA is one of New York's oldest design organizations. As the firm approaches its 75th anniversary - a milestone many never reach -little about its client-focused philosophy and method of practice has changed.

"We best serve our clients by being relationship-driven rather than project-driven," explains partner George Sawicki. "We make the effort to learn about clients' businesses and how they operate in order to gain information and trust, to provide a better final product."

"All this is in the client's best interest," says Sawicki. "We'll jump through hoops for them as a part of their team." Though the partners agree this kind of relationship-building must start with an organization's top decision-makers, GSTA also believes in the value of treating people on every level of a client's organization with respect. "If that's the message we send out, that's what comes back to us," points out senior partner Karl Greenfield

These philosophies and objectives, which have remained constant since the beginning, have clearly been key to the firm's success. A full 80 to 90 percent of GSTA's work is generated from repeat client business. What has changed over time, however, are the names and faces of the people responsible for driving the firm forward, while continuing to honor its heritage.

Just as continuity with clients has been a solid building block and a key to longevity for GSTA, so has continuity of ownership. Throughout its history, the firm has witnessed a seamless evolution of ownership, with leadership passing from partner to partner as younger generations of architects prove themselves worthy. Ideally, the firm likes to maintain a 10- to 15-year age difference between principals to ensure consistency that comes from overlapping partnerships, and to maintain a necessary balance between experienced leadership and fresh perspective.

"We communicate to each person who joins our firm the possibility that an equity position exists," says principal Joseph Tarella, the youngest and most recent partner to join the ranks of ownership at GSTA. And since the transition of leadership has never been based on nepotism, everyone who strives hard enough has an equal opportunity to excel. In fact, all three of the firm's current partners came to work for the firm after answering a newspaper advertisement.

"We encourage professional growth in everyone and get our employees very involved on every level, so the transition of leadership is smooth over a long period of time," says Tarella. "Our clients are fully aware that the ownership transition is ongoing, and helps develop a well-rounded staff that can better serve their interests."

Not only do GSTA's clients have the confidence of knowing that the firm's practices favor continuity and shared responsibility, but its organizational structure also guarantees the close personal attention of a full partner on each and every project. Every client works directly with one partner of the firm, who is exclusively dedicated to the needs of that account, with a second partner, always involved in a secondary role to assure responsiveness. This policy offers clients the highest level of professional expertise, and provides them with a clear line of communication for decision-making.

"One of the reasons we want to remain relatively small in size is that it gives us the opportunity as principals to stay involved, says Sawicki. "Many firms try to use principal involvement as a selling point, but few can actually deliver it. Here, the principal that develops the relationship is the person the client keeps seeing and working with throughout the project."

Up until the early 1980s, GSTA primarily focused its efforts on the banking and financial industry. But when banking hit hard times and important clients disappeared literally overnight, the firm quickly learned that it had to adapt its practice or perish.

"Up until flee years ago, banks were the backbone of our business," says Greenfield. "We used to sit here and the phone would ring and business would come in. With the restructuring of the banking industry, however, we had to change our philosophy. Suddenly we had to seek out new types of projects. We began to diversify by building up our retail practice, and over the last five years that portion of our business has grown from 20 percent to 50 percent."

Sawicki proudly labels this successful and ongoing shift in focus as one of the firm's greatest accomplishments in 75 years of existence.

GSTA has already amassed an impressive group of retail clients - many of them repeat clients- including Escada (U.S.A), Crate & Barrel and Laura Ashley. As the firm approaches the 21st Century, however, it has no intention of stopping there. Current business development goals include positioning the firm as a consultant and advisor to high-profile retail clients.