Small Firm Success

How Small Firms Can Thrive in an Age of Acceleration

This book examines what it takes to be a successful small architecture firm. There are ten case studies sponsored by the American Institute of Architects and the Design Futures Council. Full color with business metrics and award winning work.

Small Firm Success

David Salmela
Doug DeChant
Marion Blackwell
Rick Ryniak
Veronica Schriebies Smith
Bill Dye
Bruce Becker
David Salmela
Lynne Beyer
Ryc Loope
Meryati Johari Blackwerll
Viveca Bissonnette
Jeff Hollander
David Yocum
Brian Bell

This study does not shy away from discussing succession, retirement and financial planning and the toughest emotional situations being encountered by today’s small firm leadership. Firms in this study were selected not only because they are outperforming their peers in value delivery but they are experiencing real championship enthusiasm for the life style and rewards of small firm practice. Sometimes, they’re competing against the largest firms and winning.

To help determine the ten firms, we looked not only for professional practice success but also diversity and the ability to overcome obstacles. Other than the obvious considerations of race, gender, geographic span anymore, we chose firms that had to overcome a variety of roadblocks to find their own power niche.

What do these successful small firms do that makes them different? What sets them apart? How do they have time to build relationships? How do t hey balance the delivery of design excellence with business performance? How do they achieve hands-on competency plus selective delegation? How resilient are they given new threats that are on the horizon?

The business of architecture

This book is a testament to the persistent relevance and key role that small firms play in promotion and innovation in the broader landscape of architectural practice. The clearly presented profiles of each firm reflects the agility of small firms to succeed either as an expert in a single market or to operate effectively across diverse markets. In each case, what differentiates small firms is the focused approach to their work and the personalized service they provide their clients.

Small Firm Success is a great resource for small and medium-sized professional practices and optimistically shows how an entrepreneurial drive combined with a passion for innovative design can result in a sustainable and rewarding career in architecture.

—Scott Marble / Partner, Marble Fairbanks Architect / William H. Harrison Chair & Professor, Georgia Tech School of Architecture

About the authors

James P. Cramer is the former executive Vice President/CEO of the American Institute of Architects and the founder of the Design Futures Council and DesignIntelligence. He serves on the faculty of the College of Design of the Georgia Institute of Technology.


Scott Simpson is the former president and chief executive officer of The Stubbins Associates in Cambridge. He is a Richard Upjohn Fellow of the AIA and a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council. He teaches at the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.


Order information

Small Firm Success is $49 USD per copy. Ten or more copies to be used in the classroom or firm retreats are priced at $45.00 per book — please contact us to place bulk orders. Orders from the form below ship within the United States, please contact us to order outside the US.

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Wren Editions

Wren Editions