Russian LAs Touring Calif. Firms

On March 3, 2004, Foothill Associates, a multidisciplinary consulting firm located in Rocklin, Calif., that provides services in environmental consulting, planning, and landscape architecture, hosted 11 Russian landscape architects and two interpreters for a business briefing. The visiting landscape architects are in California for a three-week tour of landscape architecture firms to gain first-hand knowledge of how U.S. landscape architectural firms operate. The visit is part of the Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) organized by the Center for Citizen Initiatives in San Francisco to foster economic reform in Russia.

The Rocklin office of Foothill Associates, just northeast of Sacramento, was the venue for the three-hour visit. The Russian LAs toured the facilities and learned the functions of the different departments. Kate Kirsh, vice president and a senior landscape architect, provided an overview of how the company has grown and is managed, the geographic area it serves, the range of services it offers, company operating policies, and the technology that the company employs. Bob Schreiner, the marketing coordinator, discussed the techniques he uses acquire new clients. This was followed by a discussion by Roy Imai, manager of the landscape architecture department, on client relations and the importance of this to the overall success of any private enterprise. Ed Armstrong, manager of the technology service department, wrapped up the evening by demonstrating CAD/GIS technology to evaluate land areas and natural resources, develop and evaluate conceptual plans, and prepare construction plans.

The Foothill Associates?EUR??,,????'??? staff enjoyed the cultural exchange and the insights into how the transition from a communist state to private enterprise is coming for their fellow professionals.