Selecting an architect

I met with six architecture firms and narrowed the options to three. Any of these remaining firms would do a great job with Radius. To decide between the final three, I care most about these qualities:

• Excitement about Radius. Excited people do better work! They can empathize with our target customer because they are our target customer. 
• Aligned Taste. All of these firms have good taste, but it’s preferred to work with a firm whose aesthetic matches the vision for Radius. 
• Recent Related Projects. Experience in hospitality, restaurants, and ideally grocery to avoid common pitfalls. 

I ranked each firm on these qualities, with 1 being the best and descending from there. The lower sum total the better. A 3 isn’t “bad”, it’s just relative to the other firms.

Here are questions to help the decision:

I shared this document with all three firms to be transparent about our decision. The Michael Hsu team went above and beyond to show their excitement about Radius’s vision, not just the architecture opportunity. Additionally, the MHOA principals empowered Amanda to select the architecture and interior design team, and she chose folks who are all passionate about local agriculture. We’re very excited to move forward with the MHOA team for Radius’s architecture and branding!