Weber + Thompson Proudly Announces New Leadership Team
SEATTLE — Jan. 26, 2007 — Weber + Thompson has named nine new principals to help lead the full-service architecture, planning and interiors firm into the future.
Today's announcement is a pivotal point for Seattle-based Weber + Thompson. The infusion of new leadership, which comes as the company approaches its 20th year in business, is aimed at elevating the firm's already strong and highly diverse design practice, which emphasizes environmental sustainability. The unveiling of the expanded Weber + Thompson leadership team is the first of several major announcements the firm will make in 2007.
The new principals are Catherine Benotto, AIA, ASLA, LEED AP; Donna Bergeron, ASID; Dan Foltz, AIA; Peter Greaves, AIA; Elizabeth Holland; Rick Nishino, AIA; Steve Price, AIA; Wolf Saar, AIA, LEED AP; and Jim Westcott, AIA.
In addition, Weber + Thompson announced the promotions of 19 other employees.
New senior associates are Mindy Black, LEED AP; Chris Golden; Laura Greenamyer; Jeff Reibman, AIA, LEED AP; Brian Steinburg, LEED AP; and Nicole Winn, LEED AP.
New associates are Jillene Cochran, Chris Dowell, Gabriel Hanson, Greg Hartman, Ken Jensen, Amanda Keating, Joe Kolmer, Todd Mayne, Donald McLaughlin, Carole Miglorie, Valerie Sargent, Sandi Susanto and Scott Wells. The firm's longtime principals—Scott Thompson, AIA Blaine Weber, AIA and Kristen Scott, AIA, LEED AP— say this is a very exciting and exhilarating time for the firm. In a business where few firms survive more than a few years, Weber + Thompson is flourishing. It is fast approaching 100 employees and plans to break ground this year on its new headquarters—an anticipated gold LEED-certified office building in the South Lake Union neighborhood.
The new principals will help lead the firm to the next level in the coming decades. "This is Weber + Thompson: The Next Generation," said Blaine Weber. "This is a critical step in our maturation process. We have grown to the size where we need additional leadership to help us continue to evolve into an even better design firm."
"The new principals have contributed greatly to our success and have demonstrated their keen ability to lead. They will be the new face of Weber + Thompson," said Scott Thompson, who founded the firm with Weber in 1987.
Weber and Thompson met in Honolulu, Hawaii, and moved to Seattle to study architecture at the University of Washington. They stayed in the Emerald City and launched their firm. Kristen Scott, their first employee, joined the firm in 1989 and was promoted to principal in 1996.
Weber + Thompson has designed several high-profile buildings and communities. Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue, a 440-foot condo tower, is the first tall-and-slender building being constructed under the city's new downtown zoning regulations. Hotel 1000 and The Residences at Hotel 1000, which opened this summer, is the first Seattle project that combines a hotel with condos.
Community master planning is a growing Weber + Thompson practice. The firm designed Crofton Springs, a 6.3 - acre, 121-home neo-urban village that is part of Issaquah Highlands near Seattle. In Hailey, Idaho, Weber + Thompson designed Sweetwater, a 421-home master-planned community that is now under construction. In Woodinville, Wash., Weber + Thompson is part of the team working on Woodinville Village, a residential and retail development in the heart of Woodinville's wine country.
The nine new principals will take leading roles in customer care, a Weber + Thompson hallmark. "We do not merely design buildings and communities, we provide the highest quality service to our clients," said Thompson. "This is why so much of our business comes from repeat clients and why our firm has experienced such phenomenal success."
The new members of Weber + Thompson's leadership team will also be active in design, client care, quality assurance and product delivery. Thompson, Scott and Weber will continue working in these same areas as they expand their strategic vision work to help the firm continue to grow as it improves designs with a sharpened focus on environmental sustainability. The firm's commitment to sustainability is demonstrated by the fact that 25 of Weber + Thompson's 94 employees are LEED-Accredited Professionals. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)
"These latest promotions allow us to recognize some of the extremely talented individuals we have working for the firm. They will infuse new energy into the top of the organization," said Kristen Scott. "These new individuals will enable Weber + Thompson to craft new business strategies, deliver even better client care, and further our goals of creating excellent design for the Puget Sound region and beyond."
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About Weber + Thompson
Seattle-based Weber + Thompson is a full-service West Coast design firm specializing in architecture, interior design, planning and landscape architecture. The award-winning company has an experienced staff of nearly 100 design and construction professionals. Since 1987, Weber + Thompson has developed a diverse practice with projects that include master-planned communities, high-rises, high-density urban infill, residential, hospitality, senior housing and commercial office projects. Weber + Thompson seeks effective results through a thoughtful and collaborative design process. For more information, visit www.weberthompson.com or contact Weber + Thompson at 206- 344-5700 or info@weberthompson.com.