Prior to starting this team, I had worked for decades for some of the best and largest international planning and design firms in the world. And we have learned much from these brilliant organizations that have led the industry for generations. However, we understood that, in order to better serve our clients, and to make the best use of our resources and our opportunities, we needed to create a new business model, founded in our fundamental belief that there is a better, more collaborative and more enjoyable way of improving our homes and environments.

• We believe in working with people to better their place.

• We believe that nothing is ever starting from scratch. - At the heart of our place-making philosophy is a belief that everyone imbues the communities and neighborhoods where they choose to live with memories of shared experiences and aspirations for advancement and happiness. And, because we are diverse and complex individuals, we each identify with places in many different ways, at different times during the day and throughout our lives. For this reason, it is critical to us that we, as a team deeply integrate ourselves with our communities and clients and relish the relationships we build there. You’ll notice that we use the term ‘we’ a lot. We are talking about ourselves in combination with our clients, neighbors, collaborators and friends. We believe in partnership, and that the ultimate success of a project is directly proportional to the level of understanding and kinship that we can achieve with the people with whom we work, learn and live. To us, ‘we’ is every stakeholder, team member and voice.

• We understand that positive growth has many forms. It may include population growth or job creation. Or, it may include stabilization, focus, enrichment, reduction, or change. There are many ways to improve the lives of our neighbors and communities.

• We believe that a place cannot be economically or culturally sustainable if it is unhealthy.

• And we know we have a responsibility to our children, to each other, and to God, to be stewards of this planet. Projects that are loved by their community and flexible for the future will have a longer, richer life. Aim past sustaining and towards regeneration and improvement.