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HARRISON FRENCH AND ASSOCIATES LEED CERTIFIED OFFICE BUILDING ENCOURAGES EFFICIENCY, CREATIVITY AND PRODUCTIVITY
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n 1990 Harrison French, AIA, decided to open his own architectural firm in Northwest Arkansas. The Bentonville native and University of Arkansas graduate never planned for the firm to be as large and successful as it is today, but Harrison French and Associates, now labeled as HFA, provides architectural, engineering and interior design services to clients across the country and internationally. In the early 2000’s, the firm added landscape architecture, interior design, civil, electrical, structural, mechanical, refrigeration and fire protection engineering to its list of services. Chris Horton, CFO for the firm, says the additions are all about providing the best service possible to the clients. “Our primary objective is to better serve our clients, so in order to do that we have expanded the list of disciplines under our roof,” says Horton. “We’re always looking for ways to do things more efficiently and by doing so, we are able to provide our clients with a better product.” HFA came across an opportunity to consult and work with Walmart in 1994. With only four employees on board, the company decided to embrace the challenge.
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Twenty-one years later, Walmart continues to be one of HFA’s biggest clients. The company’s work includes renovations on Walmart Supercenters, Sam’s Clubs and Walmart Neighborhood Markets. Since 2010, HFA has completed 8 million square feet of Walmart projects, and was named Supplier of the Year for Walmart in 2007, the first architectural and engineering firm to receive such recognition. The firm works with a long list of clients and has executed more than 7,000 projects across the United States. These projects were for clients such as Academy Sports, 7Eleven, Slim Chickens, Stripes Stores, the University of Arkansas, Walgreens and Starbucks. These projects include more than 3,000 largeformat stores and 1,600 fueling stations. One of HFA’s newest endeavors includes Walmart de Mexico, pushing the firm’s services into the international spotlight. Locally, HFA continues to serve the local market area. Over the past couple of years, HFA has designed over 300,000 square feet of retail space in Northwest Arkansas and recently completed design of the renovation of the Peel Mansion and the rebuilding of Fred’s Hickory Inn in Bentonville.
The beautifully remodeled Bentonville HFA headquarters features many stylish upgrades and convenient workplaces for employees. The design transforms a dormant building into a LEED CI Gold workspace, focused on encouraging collaborations and propelling the firm into the future. The vibrant, open studio and variety of amenity spaces serve as a new foundation for reinventing the company’s culture by providing a dynamic environment. The project was completed in December 2013, and received approval for the LEED CI Gold Certification in 2014. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is a national green-building certification program. “Our new office reflects a cultural shift within the company, embracing transparency, vibrancy and flexibility derived from the feedback from our employees,” says COO Larry Lott, AIA. “We are very proud of our office, which was designed entirely by our staff. We decided early on in the process that we wanted to fully commit to having a LEED office with an ongoing green program that would provide us a great work environment to enjoy every day.”
HFA employs more than 180 professionals at its headquarters in Bentonville, and regional staff in Houston and Dallas. Growth at the firm has been monumental in the past few years, with 2015 bringing new staff and awards to HFA. Just this year, HFA has been named the largest architectural and engineering firm in Arkansas and has been recognized as one of the top five retail design firms by Architectural Record. CEO and founder Harrison French believes keeping talent at HFA is the key to success. “We know that in order to retain our talented staff and to attract new staff, we must offer something that they can’t get anywhere else,” says French. “We want to offer opportunities for growth not only in management positions, but also in types of projects.” The leaders at HFA place a large importance on growth for its staff members, offering new opportunities and training. “We want to stretch our staff, to see them grow in their experiences and abilities. We want people to be a part of this family because they want to, not because they have to,” says French. “That’s why we offer training that helps them grow in soft skills as well as technical skills. That’s why we have a mindset for growth.”
HFA designers at work Photo by CannonMcNair.co
The firm remembers its Northwest Arkansas roots. HFA finances an architectural and interior design scholarship at the University of Arkansas. Staff members participated in the Cancer Challenge event for the past two years, and recently designed and built several entries for the Ozark Literacy Little Free Library Gala. Plus, last summer the HFA staff contributed to the ALS Foundation with the viral Ice Bucket Challenge. The video of French and other staff members completing the challenge can be found on YouTube. ■
For more information, visit www.hfa-ae.com.
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