Content area
Tam Metin
FIRM GROWTH
"One of the things I really like about WHR is that I work with very caring people," Marie Hoke, principal of WHR Architects Inc. headquartered in Houston, tells DFMAR. "Last year when we had cash-flow challenges, we did not have the bonus pool of dollars to draw from as in past years, so the shareholders [owner-principals who number 30 out of approximately 170 firm members] decided to delay a Christmas bonus so the staff could have their full regular bonus.
"More recently, the office offered employees suffering significant damage to their homes from Hurricane Ike $5,000 worth of financial assistance at no interest. WHR also makes significant contributions to employees' 401(k)s by having a generous matching program." Months before, WHR made a commitment to promoting work-life balance for the entire staff by offering them the option of working nine-hour days from Monday through Thursday and four hours on Friday. No wonder WHR was named Houston's firm of the year in 2008 by the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
WHR's tagline-"Architecture with people in mind"-applies, of course, to clients. Though the firm has gone through several name changes since its...