News Release – May 23, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BSB Design Earns International Trade Award
U.S. Department of Commerce Honors Firm
Contact Info: Thomas Dodson – Manager of Public Relations
(Sacramento, CA)
BSB Design was hailed on May 20, 2008, at the 11th Annual Capital City Consular Corps Luncheon in Sacramento for its expansion into the global marketplace. The international architecture and community planning firm received the Export Achievement Certificate from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Kerrin West, Partner in Charge of BSB Design‟s Western Regional Office, accepted the award from Ambassador Charles S. Shapiro. “It was an amazing event,” noted West. “Being recognized in front of dignitaries from around the world was an amazing feeling. I felt a lot of pride in standing there. Our folks have worked very hard at making us a global company. This event was the exclamation point on that endeavor.”
BSB Design officially decided to go global just 20 months ago. The company‟s leaders met with George Tastard, Director of U.S. Commercial Service, and committed the firm to expansion beyond the continental U.S. BSB Design President Steve Moore said, “We wanted to expand into global markets for years but never took the crucial first steps for fear of doing it wrong. After meeting with Mr. Tastard, we had a much clearer understanding of how to proceed. We are thrilled with the progress we‟ve made, and that success is certainly due in part to the guidance we received from U.S. Commercial Service.” Moore cited the Gold Key program as a key factor that enabled BSB Design to “achieve significant results in a very short period of time.”
BSB Design has now landed jobs in Mexico, China, Korea and the Philippines. The company is also working on proposals for several other countries around the globe. “Given the current state of the housing market, which for many years was our bread and butter, the timing of our international push could not have been better, “said West. “We knew the market was going to self-correct back then, but little did we know just how deep or long that correction would be. Luckily for us, we aligned ourselves with some very smart people in the Department of Commerce and pushed forward.”
In early 2008, BSB Design conducted two Gold Keys in China and Mexico. West felt that without the Gold Key service, the firm‟s international success, while achievable, would have taken much longer. “The Gold Key service is tremendous. It is an introduction to the „Who‟s Who‟ in the construction industry in each selected country. Through this service, we met some amazing and visionary people who are now (or soon will be) our clients.”
The attached photo shows Kerrin West accepting the Export Achievement Certificate on May 20, 2008.
BSB Design was founded in 1966 and has become one of the country‟s leading architecture and community design firms. Headquartered in Des Moines, IA, the firm operates 15 regional offices nationwide in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Chicago Loop, Costa Mesa, Fresno, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento and Tampa.
An innovator in residential architecture, BSB Design is the only firm awarded the design of The New American Home® on three separate occasions since its inception in 1984. The firm also designs a wide range of commercial, mixed use, hospitality, resort and other projects, including complete land planning and landscape architecture services. BSB Design has won countless awards, is regularly featured in national trade publications, and was ranked among “America‟s 200 Hottest AEP Firms” in 2007.
Visit the company online at bsbdesign.com.
To learn more about BSB Design’s recent international expansion, including a complete list of the firm’s international work, please contact:
Thomas Dodson, Manager of Public Relations
916 941 0990
tdodson@bsbdesign.com