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Photo by Frank Aymami
From left: Interior designer Jennifer Mitchell, principals/architects Brian Faucheux and Thomas Brown, intern/architect Karl Bernhard and principals/architects Billy Sizeler and Allen Ohlmeyer pretend to
direct traffic outside the Department of Transportation and Development’s Regional Transportation Management Center. The firm designed the facility.
Sizeler Thompson Brown
Architects
As an intern, Karl Bernhard didn’t expect to
get very much respect or responsibility
when he began working at Sizeler Thompson
Brown Architects. Soon after stepping into the
firm’s office three years ago, he was pleasantly
surprised to be proven wrong.
“I’m involved with the design process,
speaking with clients, going to sites,” he said.
“Because of the experience, I feel like I’m growing
exponentially.”
Bernhard said there’s a sense of trust and
camaraderie at Sizeler that he really appreciates.
The architects give him the opportunity to
contribute to design and aren’t afraid to let him
talk to clients on his own.
“A lot of owners (from other architectural
firms) seem to be scared of that — ‘What are they
going to do?’ or ‘What are they going to say?’”
“We’re very team-oriented,” Studio
Administrator Veronica White said. “It’s
pleasant to come to work.”
White, who has worked at Sizeler for 22
years, said the firm’s annual employee retreats
encourage team building. When she was going
through difficult times of loss, the company
provided a lot of moral support and time off.
“They’ve really stood by me for a lot of trouble
I’ve had,” she said. “They were extremely
supportive and understanding.”
It took a disaster to bring all the employees
together in a way they hadn’t been before, said
Brian Faucheux, principal. After Hurricane
Katrina, the company set up a temporary office
in Prairieville where employees interacted in a
more tight-knit atmosphere than they had
before the storm in New Orleans.
“At the end of it all, we interviewed everyone
and asked what we should bring back from
this,” Faucheux said.
One answer that came up repeatedly was to
keep regular employee lunches, something the
firm still does. Sizeler buys lunch once a month
Nature of business: architecture
Where based: New Orleans
Employees: 50
Average starting salary: $36,600
Median salary: $53,000 for staff, $102,800 for
principals/associates
Average employment time: six and a half years
Benefits: health care with 75 percent coverage, dental, vision
and prescription plans, 401(k), continuing education program,
day care options, telecommuting, flexible hours
Wait time for benefits: none
Paid days off: 27.5
Web site: www.sizelerthompsonbrown.com
during full staff meetings.
“People really bonded in circumstances that
were not typical in the work environment,”
Faucheux said.
Since then, the company has encouraged a
lot of other community-oriented exercises.
Every year, the staff has a chance to participate
in the company’s Art for Art’s Sake exhibit in
the Warehouse District.
The company gives employees a challenge
and some materials and then offers a pre-show
screening and a reception with hundreds of
guests on the night of the event.
“We’re a fairly large architecture firm in New
Orleans, but we really have a close-knit, family
atmosphere,” Faucheux said.•
— Katie Urbaszewski
December 14, 2009 39