HBB Landscape Architecture

Specialty: Landscape architecture, planning and urban design
Management: Juliet Vong, president; Dean Koonts, principal; Colie Hough-Beck, principal; Jim Howard, principal
Founded: 1990
Headquarters: Seattle
2010 revenues: $839,000
Projected 2011 revenues: $1.27 million
Employees: 12
Projects: Port Angeles Waterfront & Transportation Improvement Plan; SR 520 Eastside transit and HOV project; Seafarers’ Memorial Park, Anacortes; Lower Kinnear Park Enhancement Plan, Seattle



Photo courtesy of HBB
Seafarers’ Memorial Park in Anacortes reopened in May following a two-year, $34 million cleanup.

HBB Landscape Architecture completed a decade-long ownership transition this year, consolidating ownership of the 12-person firm between principal Dean Koonts and the primary owner, President Juliet Vong.

With cofounder Colie Hough-Beck still involved as a principal (the other cofounder, Fred Beck, has retired), Vong said the changeover has been “seamless.”

The economy has presented its share of challenges, though.

“We got slow” during the recession, Vong said. “I think everyone did.”

The biggest disruptions were to big multifamily condominium projects, many of which were shelved.

Scrimping pays off

HBB adapted by cutting costs, issuing a pink slip and using staff time more flexibly, Vong said. So far, the scrimping has paid off: The firm was recently able to hire a new employee.

During the recession, HBB kept busy by providing services that remained in demand, such as assisting with federally funded contaminated-site cleanups. Other government-funded projects, such as for parks and transportation, also helped pay the bills.

“We’re also really lucky that the cornerstone of the firm has been in transportation,” Vong said.

Current projects include the Port of Port Angeles’ Waterfront & Transportation Improvement Plan, involving redevelopment along its waterfront corridor. HBB is also involved with the state Department of Transportation’s state Route 520 Eastside corridor project, with work on roadside plantings and large highway lids planned for Evergreen Point Road, 84th Avenue Northeast and 92nd Avenue Northeast.

Military projects

Looking ahead, HBB’s focus will remain on public projects, Vong said, where it has expanded into areas such as the military, for which “we’ve been doing a fair number” of projects.

Parks and trails are another staple for the firm, including a $970,000 project to enhance Kinnear Park in Queen Anne. Vong said she enjoys such community-driven projects that give her a chance to work with the public.

“People bring a good perspective,” she said. “I want it to feel like their park or facility, whether it’s a park or plaza or even if it’s a college campus.”

Now that sustainability has hit the mainstream, “green infrastructure is more of a given now,” Vong said. Clients no longer need to be sold on incorporating green elements into their projects, but instead need to be educated about the types of options they have.

“We’re providing a lot of information,” Vong said, as clients consider all the various products and issues such as aesthetics, construction costs and maintenance.



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