Longevity is the key to success in most walks of life, including business. Started out of a small house on Marsh Street in San Luis Obispo by three Cal Poly graduates, Bob Richmond, Rob Rossi, Ken Wolf and their teacher, Tom Priest, RRM Design Group is now celebrating its 40th year in business.
As one of the states premier design firms concentrating on architectural design, engineering, civil engineering and landscape architecture, RRM has designed many projects, both commercial and residential, including many within SLO County. The new skate park at Santa Rosa Park in SLO was designed by RRM, as was the entire new frontage of Avila beach after the Unocal spill. They are currently working on a project adjacent to the old Foster’s Freeze and a New York-looking housing tract on upper Marsh Street.
Now in what he describes as their “second tier of ownership,” current CEO Erik Justesen is excited about the future of the firm.
“The recession hit us hard like eve
ryone. We had to trim back from 165 employees and four offices. Luckily, we survived, and as things are now starting to turn around, we are back up to 100 employees and managed to keep our SoCal offices. I think what makes RRM unique is our culture of collaboration. Almost every project we do has an architect, an engineer, a civil engineer and a landscape architect all working together towards a common goal. It’s a really fun place to work. Everyone has such a good time. We really enjoy making our clients dreams appear before their eyes,” Justesen said.
Having recently transitioned the company into an ESOP, Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Justesen sees RRM’s talented workforce as key to not only their past successes but also their future.
“Sometimes it can be hard to find good employees in SLO. We want the best people we can find that fit into our culture. We have set up a business to help our employees become the best they can be in their field. We started the ESOP as a way for our employees to gain a sense of ownership of the business. The way our employees perform has a direct connection to how well we as a company perform,” Justesen said.
As for the future, their office is overflowing with projects. One of the firm’s specialties is that of parks, open spaces, trails and urban revitalization, something happening all over the state.
“There’s a lot of baby boomers with design firms suddenly looking up from their desks and wanting to sell their companies. This has resulted in a few mega design firms appearing that are highly competitive. We’re up for the challenge. We have a few big projects locally, the Avila Ranch, the San Luis Ranch (formerly the Dalidio project) and an update on the Cal Poly master plan to name but a few. We recognize the need for additional housing within SLO and are working hard to address that with various mixed-use projects. It’s a really exciting time too in this industry and we are all having a ton of fun,” Justesen said.
From that small house on Marsh Street in 1974 with four guys, this firm really has come a long way. There are many projects dotted all over our local area that have an RRM stamp on them, perhaps not noticeable to most of us, but all the staff at this local business notice and take great pride in their work. With such an almost family-like group of people all working in harmony under one roof, it’s not hard to imagine RRM will be around for at least another 40 years.
To find out more about RRM Design Group, visit www.rrmdesign.com.
Change, just like winter, is coming. What’s your new year’s business resolution? Gareth would love to know. Email him at .
