University of Wisconsin - Extension

"I've heard throughout my career that architects aren't business people."

Todd Grunwaldt smiles as he reflects on his 18 years as an architect - 12 of them as an employed architect and "turnkey" project manager - and the last six years as the owner of his own firm. He realizes just how much of a business person he's had to become, in order to make his enterprise thrive.

A big factor in business success is maintaining adequate records and generating timely financial reports. That's where Barb Grunwaldt, Todd's spouse, comes into the picture. An architect's worth comes from his or her drawing board and client relations work, not poring over the latest cash flow statement. Barb, trained as a teacher, has taken up much of the numbers work, so that Todd can do more of what he is very good at.

Todd had been operating Grunwaldt & Associates for nearly five years before he came to the conclusion that he needed some business management help. He had met Vicki Lobermeier, SBDC counseling manager at UW-Stevens Point, at a business meeting years earlier, and had kept her card.

"So I called the SBDC," said Grunwaldt. He and Lobermeier met and established some counseling goals that included strategies for business growth, cash flow management, and computerization of accounting and records.

For the majority of the detail work, Barb Grunwaldt worked with another counselor that Lobermeier assigned through the SBDC. She is Norma Jean Rombalski, who is both an accountant and an expert in business software.

"Our computerization has really gone well," said Barb. "Todd asks for reports, and I can generate them pretty quickly." Some of the benefits of the software include planning and management of the firm's monthly cash flow, and aging of the accounts receivable.

Says Todd, "Now I get a receivables report each month, so I'm able to follow up on overdue accounts. I call them all. It's a must for our cash flow projections." It's one of the functions of the business side of his practice that he knows he must maintain.

Architecture in the 21st Century

Most architectural firms in Wisconsin are relatively small. Grunwaldt & Associates is typical. In addition to Barb, who maintains a flexible work schedule around the school day, Todd has two professional employees and part time student worker.

Both Grunwaldts are graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but they choose to make their home in central Wisconsin. It is sometimes a challenge recruiting good help to their location, but the quality of life their family enjoys here makes it worth the effort.

Most architects like to hone a specialty in their work, and Todd Grunwaldt is no exception. Although he presents Grunwaldt & Associates as a full-service firm, his niche is in a growth area - Community Based Residential Facilities, for growing populations that are aging or coping with disabilities. But his portfolio also includes municipal, institutional, religious, manufacturing, retail and educational facilities.

"We want to become the local architectural firm of choice, especially for municipalities," says Todd. He maintains his firm's visibility by active volunteer work in the Portage County Business Council and locally with the school district, children's museum and Boy Scouts.