H Design Group strives for big-firm service with small-firm values

Rob Haik said he learned a lot by working with and for some of Spring-field's finest architects. But something was missing from the experience, ac-cording to Haik, and that's why he started a firm of his own.

"I wanted to be in control of what I do," he said. "There's a lot of satisfaction to putting something on paper and seeing it built, knowing it will be around longer than you are."

Haik is president and owner of H De-sign Group, located at 4114 S. Lone Pine in Galloway Village. Haik started the firm in July 2000.

H Design Group provides both commercial and residential architectural de-sign, as well as architectural, forensic and broadcast animation. Prior to starting H Design Group, Haik worked for The Wischmeyer Architects in Spring-field.

Michelle Beach, forensic animation project manager for the firm, said H De-sign Group's size allows the company to develop client relationships. "We really focus on client relationships and client services," she said. "A lot of bigger firms have so much to do that they can't do that."

Together again

The company's staff includes four familiar faces from Digital Midwest, a company within the Farnsworth Group. David and Michelle Beach and Dan Blincoe all worked for Digital Midwest, which also provides animation services; Brent Stevens, managing partner at H Design Group, left Farnsworth Group in October 2000. The Beaches, Blincoe and Stevens teamed up with H Design Group in November. Barry Gannaway, Teri Wheat, and Haik's father, Bob Haik, round out the H Design Group team.

"We're kind of a family in the sense that we're all back together," Beach said. "We all left (Digital Midwest) on really good terms. We felt like extending ourselves on our own a little."

Variety

Haik said the young company already has been involved in several high-visibility projects. Haik has done work on both Signature Bank locations some work done while working with other companies, some under H Design Group. In addition, H Design Group is working on the Springfield Livestock Marketing Cen-ter, Republic Plaza Shopping Center and a new aquatic facility for the city of Ava.

"We also do a lot of residential work, but we don't do your standard spec homes," Haik said. "We've had the chance to do a lot of custom design work," Haik said. H Design Group has designed homes in Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Springfield, he added.

Animation

Beach said the animation division of H Design Group already is taking off. The company's work has already made it into the courtroom. They have provided ac-cident and medical animation for Strong Law Firm, as well as medical animation for William H. McDonald and Asso-ciates. In addition, several key projects with prominent area clients are in the works, Beach said.

H Design Group is enthusiastic about making architectural, forensic and broadcast animation happen for clients in the Ozarks.

"We want to develop all those markets equally because we believe the demand for these services is here locally," Beach said.

H Design Group has had a good first year and a half, Haik said. "It's been tremendous," he said. "When I started, it was just me, and now we're up to eight people."

That growth means that a move to bigger offices is in order, and the company is poised to begin construction on a new South National office building this month. H Design Group will occupy 3,000 square feet of the building, and an additional 3,000 square feet will be leased to a tenant, Haik said.

He added that the small size of the company is an asset and a great help in maintaining the connection between architect and client. "That's really my goal, to have a company with no more than 10 people," he said. "We want to be known as a small, confident and competent design company. We've made some good decisions and things are moving forward."

Though the staff is small, the business has flowed in, a fact that Haik attributes to his staff's technical acumen and creative energy. "We're young, we're talented and we have a lot of enthusiasm," he said. "I always tell people that they need to like who they're working with; it just makes us better at what we do."

Haik is optimistic about his company's future in the architecture and animation fields. "If you meet our people and see our work, you'll see why we're so excited," Haik said.