Local architects venture out into self-employment

At a time when architecture prospects are not strong, it may seem that opening a new architecture firm is asking for trouble.

But it hasn't stopped several local architects from hanging out their own shingles.

The American Institute of Architects' Architecture Billings Index tells a frightening story. The September index, released Oct. 22, dropped more than six points to 41.4; any number below 50 indicates a decrease in architecture billing numbers.

The difficulty has hit close to home; Springfield-based Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc., the largest architecture firm in Springfield according to Springfield Business Journal research, laid off 10 full-time employees in early October as a result of shrinking backlogs.

The news is not much better across individual sectors or geographic areas; the Midwest, with the highest index number of any region, came in at 45.2.

Individual sectors also are below the 50 mark - the institutional index was 45.6; commercial and industrial work came in at 42.1, and multifamily residential scored 40.3.

But it's those less-than-promising numbers, according to architect Billy Kimmons, that convinced him the time was right to open his own office. He decided to leave Lohmeyer-Russell Architects after more than three years to open BK Architects in late August.

"There's only me - I only have one mouth to feed, while larger firms have more personnel and more people to take care of," Kimmons said. "A few projects a year can take care of me and keep me busy, so it's not as scary as people think."

Kimmons is currently working on the Aldersgate United Methodist Church project. He also is an adjunct professor at Drury University.

For Jennifer Wilson, the sentiment is similar. Wilson, a 13-year veteran of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners, left the company Jan. 17 to open Jennifer Wilson Architect. She called the current economy "an opportune time" to strike out on her own.

"It's easier, I think, to be a small firm versus being a large firm - I don't have the overhead that some of the larger firms that have had to lay people off have," she said, adding that she was not part of the group of employees Butler, Rosenbury & Partners let go in March. "So I can work on several (smaller) projects ... and sustain myself well, whereas those ... wouldn't come close to covering their overhead."

Why they left

Wilson said she wanted to have the freedom that comes with owning a business and controlling her professional destiny.

"I make the decisions, I like the freedom of being able to do that," she said. "I can adjust my work flow based on what I have on my plate, so I don't find myself where I'm having to make decisions that are less than optimal for my clients."

Professional and personal advancement also were on the mind of Jerry Hagerman, a 30-year industry veteran. He spent 25 years with the firm that was then Pellham-Phillips-Hagerman, including 20 years as partner, before breaking away with son Bo to create Hagerman New Urbanism in 2004.

Jerry Hagerman said he decided to move on because he wanted a change indirection, and he felt he had personally accomplished all he could with the firm.

"I had been an administrator and a designer for the firm, and we had done big projects," he said, noting that he still has a close relationship with his former firm. "But I wasn't necessarily working in the areas of architecture I wanted to be working in. I really wanted to do some urban planning and custom architectural design, and that's where this firm is today. I had also been involved in all phases of projects as a consulting architect, but I had never been in the developer role. This place allowed me to assume that role, as well."

An example of the firm's developer-designer role is the former South Peer building, 317 South Ave., which Hagerman is redeveloping with three partners into retail and luxury condominium space.

Kimmons, who describes himself as a natural self-starter, wanted more room to grow professionally as well.

"For me, the doors were not opening the way I wanted them to, to be involved in the management of a firm and decide the direction a design firm goes," Kimmons said. "I don't place any fault on any firm that I've worked at; it's just that the places I worked were not in a position to give me the level of ownership I was looking for."

That self-starting mentality also led Kimmons to launch his own Web site, www.mychurcharchitect.com, where he uses a blog to tout his church-designing abilities. At Lohmeyer-Russell, he worked on several churches, including Vineyard Church's infill design at 634 W. Wall St.

Treading carefully

Butler, Rosenbury principal and founder Geoffrey Butler said he wishes the best for architects who leave his firm to strike out on their own, and he added that he's not concerned by increased competition. Both Wilson and Kimmons have worked for Butler's firm, as well as at least a dozen others who have opened their own firms through the years.

"The competition is stout - there's no doubt about that - and we win some, and we lose some," Butler said. "Competition only makes us better."

But Butler also offers some words of cautious wisdom.

"When people go out on their own, they find out very quickly that there's more to being an architect than architecture," he said. "You have to run a business, do the sales and marketing and the contract work."

He noted that the biggest issue for a new firm is surviving the first few months while waiting for payment on the initial design work.

"You do work, then you send out a bill, then you get paid - sometimes not very quickly - and you have to have money to live on while you're waiting to get paid," Butler said. "Our firm has been in business 30 years, but I very clearly remember those days."

Hagerman echoed those sentiments; he said a new architecture firm, like any other new business, takes a few years to "get the machine defined and productive."

He added that employees of a small or single-person firm have to be flexible and able to do a wide variety of tasks.

"In a big firm, older, more mature employees teach younger employees. In a younger firm, you do it all," Hagerman said. "It's hard to find people who can handle all of that - if you have a capable person at high levels in many areas, they're not looking for work. When you hire someone, you accept that you'll need to help them grow as fast as they can grow."

Despite the challenges - or maybe because of them - both Kimmons and Wilson said they have high hopes for their operations, especially with their ability to work with other architects on projects as needed.

"I practiced here for 13 years, so it's not like I haven't had a long time to develop those relationships," Wilson said. "If I have a question that comes up on a project that I don't know how to handle, there are several architects in town that will take my call and help me. Especially on setting up the business, they've been more than willing to help."[[In-content Ad]]