HMC recently completed a strategic planning process, taking a detailed look at its studios and practices in order to better serve clients and operate more efficiently. The resulting strategy is to restructure the firm to support client service, profitable growth, accountability, diverse practice models and cross-practice collaboration.
We are operationally merging a majority of the San Diego studio with the Ontario studio, and the Central Valley studio with the San Jose and San Francisco studios. We will still operate smaller offices in both regions for project-based senior leadership to ensure that we serve projects and clients with a local presence. The consolidation creates greater efficiency with how project teams are staffed and supported technically. Combining our resources and talent will foster innovation and allow HMC to better serve clients.
This unfortunately created some redundant positions, which resulted in a staff reduction of approximately 6%. HMC currently employs 276 planners, architects, interior designers and support staff in nine studios throughout California, Nevada and Arizona.
We also recognize that each studio has unique strengths that contribute to the firm’s ability to service clients. We are going to place a greater focus for our studios on specific markets as follows:
// Ontario—civic/justice, healthcare, higher education, K-12
// Los Angeles—civic/justice, healthcare, university
// San Francisco—civic/justice, healthcare
// San Jose—higher education, K-12
// Sacramento—K-12
// Reno and Phoenix—healthcare
// San Diego and Central Valley—smaller project-based teams and local senior leadership
For nearly 75 years, HMC’s passion for the built environment, how it impacts our communities and our lives has been the driving force behind our work. We believe this new model of working will strengthen our teams and project focus, which will position HMC to be the preferred partner of high aspiration clients, consistently delivering creative design solutions for livable and sustainable communities in California and key national and international markets.