VLK Architects’ Recognition for Business Success and Company Culture Continues Strong in 2020
(Fort Worth, Texas) – VLK Architects continues to earn numerous acknowledgments for its success in the A/E/C industry and the greater business community. VLK’s honors achieved new heights of recognition for its performance, growth, and company culture during an especially challenging 2020.
Reaching New Heights of Cultural Camaraderie
Among the accolades for growth and performance, VLK was also recognized for the strength of its company culture and quality working environment. This year the firm was honored among the Houston Business Journal’s 2020 Best Places to Work, the Zweig Group’s 2020 Best Firms to Work For, and the 2020 Fort Worth Inc.’s Best Companies to Work For.
"Challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have been universal across all market sectors. Fortunately, VLK was already in the process of developing more flexible and remote-oriented strategies to better serve clients and their stakeholders before the pandemic. "The acclaim for VLK’s company culture is especially meaningful in 2020,” Sloan Harris, CEO | Partner of VLK Architects said. "As many industries experienced, COVID-19 accelerated VLK’s suite of client services on digital platforms. We were resolute in our commitment to maintaining service quality to our clients throughout the pandemic. But we were less certain of the potential impacts the situation would have on the internal culture of the firm.”
As counties statewide imposed shutdowns and limits to the number of workers in offices last spring, VLK instituted numerous office safety protocols and invested in new remote working systems and strategies to ensure the well-being of every employee and the success of every project. The remote working situation yielded surprising benefits. “Maintaining connections among our project teams was never a problem,” Managing Partner, Todd Lien said. “Our greater concern was preserving the strong individual relationships each employee has with firm leaders and team members across the company throughout the state. To do that, we focused on creating more quality time for everyone with the firm’s leadership and touching base with employees almost daily.”
“The pandemic brought a level of uncertainty and disruption to almost every aspect of our lives and was a real threat to the quality of our culture. We made it a priority to create spaces, albeit virtually, for everyone at VLK to be in the know, to discuss their concerns, and to stay connected with each other. Post-pandemic, VLK will be more flexible and made stronger by its employees who know they are valued" Harris said.
Here is the comprehensive list of VLK’s 2020 awards and recognitions:
Firm Culture, Employee Satisfaction, and Benefits
- Houston Business Journal Best Places to Work: #12 Among medium-sized companies
- Fort Worth Inc. Best Companies to Work For: #3 Among medium and small companies
- Zweig Group Best Firms to Work For: #12 Among all A/E/C Firms and #4 among Architecture Firms (2019: #9, 2018: #6)
Growth and Performance
- Architectural Record Top 300: #63 (2019: #74, 2018: #106)
- Building Design+Construction Magazine Top 155 Architectural Firms of 2020: #33 (2019: #37, 2018: #49); #5 for K-12 Education (2019: #5, 2018: #8)
- PSMJ Resources 2020 Circle of Excellence, Representing the top 20 percent of participating architectural and engineering firms in PSMJ’s annual Financial Performance Benchmark Survey. VLK was also recognized in the 2019 Circle of Excellence.
- Zweig Group Hot Firm Award: #20 Among all A/E/C firms and #3 among Architecture Firms (2019: #7, 2018: #13)
- ENR Magazine Southeast, Southwest, and Texas/Louisiana Region Top 10 Design Firm: #8 among Architecture Firms (2019: #8, 2018: #10); Top 50 Design Firm: #37 Overall (2019: #41, 2018: #50); and #3 among Education Architecture Firms in 2020.
- ENR Magazine National Top 500 Design Firms: #294 (2019: #324, 2018: #414)
- Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 List: #4,219 (2019: #2,865, 2018: #3,369)
- Dallas Business Journal Middle Market 50: #45 (2019: #43, 2018: #41)
- UT Arlington Inaugural Mavs 100 Businesses: #13