Operations head aims to bring new blood to Red Cross.

KENNETH Kieffer has his own agenda for reform in California--only it involves blood, not budgets.

The newly appointed director of operations for the American Red Cross Southern California blood region, Kieffer's main goal is to make the state self-sufficient for its blood needs.

"That means we'll have to Increase our collection by about 50 percent," Kieffer said. California relies on imports from other parts of the nation to meet its stockpile quota of 4,000 pints on hand as a three-day supply.

Addressing that challenge is what drew Kieffer to Los Angeles from St. Paul, Minn., where he was director of donor services for the North Central blood region, managing a budget of $23 million.

He joined the "blood business" 18 years ago as an information systems manager and has served in Red Cross offices in Washington and Salt lake City.

The various tugs on Angelenos' attention will be Kieffer's biggest challenging in maintaining and recruiting donors, he said.

The slow economy has affected the blood business as well, with donations declining and supply short.

"Only 5 percent of the population eligible to donate actually donates," said Kieffer. "People don't realize that blood does have a shelf life. It only lasts 42 days. Giving once or at times of national emergency does not maintain a continuous blood supply."

In addition to keeping his eyes open for potential donors, Kieffer is also keeping his ears open for a Los Angeles choir to join. "I'm a musician and I love to sing."

The 52-year-old Minnesota native is divorced, with a college-aged daughter. He lives in West Hollywood.

***** Design: Firms Shift Focus, Cut Staff as Market Slows

Employment of design professionals at the Top 25, which hit 10-year high of 613 in 2000, has declined every year since. The most precipitous decline came last year, when employment among the largest firms hit 463, a 15 percent fall from 2001.

Hirsch Bedner Associates, which saw its 2002 billings fall to $7.7 million from $9.3 million the year earlier, has been using its portfolio of hospitality business to leverage office, mixed-use and health care contracts.

'Theatrical' approach

"We're bringing theatricality into common areas," said Michael Bedner, its chairman and chief executive. "We're doing a lot of rehabilitation and broadening the scope of offices, (giving) offices more of the hospitality feel."

In downtown L.A., for instance, the firm is retooling common areas for Thomas Properties Group's offices at Arco Plaza by creating a "lounge" effect.

Hirsch Bedner is also relying more on its other offices to provide support instead of replacing designers as they leave. "We've sent people to the Singapore and Hung Kong offices during the downturn," he said. "There is constant movement of staff throughout the organization."

Hit hard by the telecom bust, Interni Design Inc. has been cultivating real estate brokers as a way to generate business. "We're working with brokers to either renegotiate a lease for a tenant or relocate them, and that involvement has allowed us to get design jobs," said President Charles Colosimo.

The local crunch reflects a national trend.

"From designers all over the country, I'm hearing they've had to downsize and learn other industries," said Dan Lee, corporate forum advisor for the International Interior Design Association. "There's been a retooling in the last 18 months."

Dropping out

Pointing up the difficulty in the market, five firms from among last year's list of 25 largest chose not to disclose 2002 billings to the Business Journal, including No. 3 JCM Facilities Planning & Management and No. 10 Nadel Architects Inc.

The most vibrant sectors these days are health care, higher education and government sectors--all are generally considered longer-term projects and able to use public funds to support expansions. They have been less affected by the recent downturn.

Leo A. Daly, which specializes in these areas, saw 2002 billings increase by nearly $3 million to $7.9 million, and is on track to exceed that figure this year, according to Jesus Fondevila, its vice president and managing principal. He attributed the increase to a large project at LAX and a pickup in higher education work.

The latter has been funded largely by Proposition A, a $1.2 billion bond measure passed in 2001 that allocates funds to community colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District.

But Leiserowitz said the company is not changing its focus. "We haven't gotten into industries that are foreign to us. We've made sure were aware of the market."

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