The Method to Their Madness? BY FRAN PRUYN, CPSM Method Studio is a relatively young design firm (founded in 2007) that has experienced meteoritic growth, swallowing large segments of the Utah architectural market in the higher education, performing arts, workplace, sports and recreation, housing, religious, and healthcare sectors. From its small beginnings, the firm now boasts 100+ employees in four offices in Salt Lake City, St. George, Rexburg, Idaho, and Raleigh, North Carolina. That is quite impressive for a home-grown, nearly 18-year-old firm that has flown largely under the radar. There aren’t many secrets in the architectural design industry, but what Method has done is striking. We, the Utah architectural community that is, all want to know just how they have been so amazingly successful in a fairly short period, especially as the firm was founded on the precipice of a major economic downturn. So, I asked Becky Hawkins for the recipe to their secret sauce. First, she gave me some history. Becky Hawkins, Joe Smith, and Kelly Morgan are Method’s founding principals. The founding partners met when Becky opened the Utah office of a nationally recognized design and planning firm and was fortunate to meet and hire Joe and Kelly. That was where the seeds were planted to start their own firm. “While we valued the connection to the national firm and did some wonderful projects together, we really wanted to focus on projects that would have an impact in Utah, no matter the scale. It was much more about enhancing community, serving our community than anything,” shares Becky. They have built a firm focused on responsive client service as pivotal and a practice that puts the human experience at the forefront, working hard to serve the needs of our extended community. The three partners brought varied backgrounds and talents to the firm. Although Becky has been in Utah for a good portion of her life, she lived all over the country, including California, Chicago, New York and Virginia, before landing back in Salt Lake as a teenager. She studied business and marketing early on, moving into graphics and interior design. She has continued her studies in multiple design and executive education courses and considers herself a lifelong learner. Joe Smith was born in Brazil but moved to Mexico shortly after, where his mother and her family are from. Joe’s dad was a civil engineer, and his work ultimately brought them to Utah County, where Joe spent most of his younger years and where he still lives. Joe got his degree at UVSC and then transferred to the University of Utah, where he completed his education with a master’s in architecture. Kelly Morgan was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. Following in the footsteps of his parents and two older siblings, he moved to Utah to attend BYU, where he received a bachelor’s degree in interior design. However, his goal was always to become an architect. Strong consideration was given to moving back to the Pacific Northwest to attend graduate school either at the University of Washington or the University of Oregon, but he eventually decided to keep his young family in Utah, where he earned a master’s degree in architecture at the University of Utah. Joe and Kelly met at the University of Utah and then later worked together at NJRA before meeting Becky. Now, they have become close friends and trusted partners, having worked together for over 20 years. But as they started the firm, Becky shared, “It was really about taking a leap of faith and following our hearts. We knew we had experience and something unique to offer, but we also knew we 28 REFLEXION
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