Architectural firm approaches 75th anniversary.

For more than seven decades, the New York architecture and interior design firm Greenfield.Sawicki.TarellaArchitects, P.C. (GSTA) has based a successful practice on the development of close personal relationships with its clients, and fostering a sense of teamwork that focuses on responsiveness to the customer's organizational, design and facility planning needs.

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.

"We want to be viewed as image creators as well as project executors," says Tarella. Ideally, retailers seeking to create a new image would work with GSTA on everything from strategy to design planning and execution.

Not only flexible in its pursuit of new business opportunities, GSTA also practices flexibility in its design philosophies in order to best address the needs of its clients. Though they describe themselves as "modernists," the partners are quick to point out that the firm is not wedded to any one particular design style. "Architects today need to have a clear understanding of the business of design," explains Greenfield. "A client's needs drive a project, rather than our own style or egos. We custom-tailor designs to suit our clients and their current and future requirements."

The firm wisely stops short, however, of trying to be all things to all people. "Every client is not for us," says Sawicki. "We have developed a niche for ourselves and we don't want to go very far beyond it. We would never promise something we couldn't deliver."

Any acknowledgment of GSTA's diversity would not be complete without acknowledging each current partner's contributions, since their individual strengths have created the successful balance that continues to drive the firm forward. Greenfield sees himself as the voice of age and experience. "Knowledge of the client's business is first and foremost," he reflects. "I know how to develop clients and I know how to keep clients - and I've also been dealing with management issues for many years."

Tarella labels himself the "ego" of the crowd. "I have a strong design background and I represent new blood," he says. "I have a good sense of balance in terms of being able to both design and produce projects, and I love to be hands-on. I've also brought a new marketing thrust to the firm, and I'm constantly looking for other niches that we earn fill."

"I have a healthy way of interacting with clients," notes Sawicki. "They trust me and feel good about dealing with me - even the tough ones. I'm also the most patient, and I have a good understanding of the business requirements of running a firm in terms of business strategy and decision-making."

As the partners contemplate 75 years and beyond, one thing is certain. Three has never been a crowd at Greenfield.Sawicki.Tarella Architects.