The origin of SHP dates back to 1901 when a sole architectural proprietorship was founded in the small town of Hamilton, Ohio. We have grown from that community-based practice to the diverse, multidisciplinary design practice we are today. This evolution has resulted in a culture that marries the personalized engagement and attentiveness of a small firm with the deep experience and resources of a national practice. From our two offices in Ohio and one in Kentucky, we execute projects and sustain relationships with clients throughout the United States.
Throughout the years, our commitment to our clients has never wavered. We have grown into our larger and broader role by expanding our service and leadership capabilities. Our planning and architectural services have extended into a complete suite of design service offerings including interior design, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering and landscape architecture.
Our spirit of innovation has carried our firm to the forefront of design. We have led the way with research-based work, sustainable practices, and the use of cutting-edge technology. Our research-based culture is focused on the impact design can have on the life-long, life-wide and life-deep (what we call L3) learning journey. In fact, we recently wrote a book, 9 Billion Schools, recognizing that there will soon be 9 billion people on this planet, representing 9 billion personalized educational journeys. We continue to reach new horizons in other areas as well, such as visualization and virtual and augmented reality.
But our evolution isn’t limited simply to design. In the quest to better respond to the needs of clients, we have expanded our impact through the development of several leading service offerings. We were one of the first firms in the country to integrate stakeholder values into building design and, to this day, set the benchmark for engagement. Other leading initiatives include a commitment to integrated design and construction services, advanced data analytics tools and funding assistance, and educational and community visioning services.
We remain true to our tradition of customer focus and leading our profession with new methods and strategies. Our commitment to our clients, projects and the future keeps us going strong.
Our Culture
We take our work and community seriously–but not ourselves. Our office culture is both dedicated and lighthearted as we believe in achieving the perfect balance of work and play. A workweek can begin with a relaxing Monday Massage and end by unwinding with colleagues at our Friday Beer Club. On a daily basis, the office provides fruits, snacks, infused water, tea, coffee and wide selection of drinks to keep everyone comfortable and working hard. We believe a positive atmosphere brings about our best work. Employees are valued at a personal level that reaches far beyond what he or she brings to a project. In each of our offices, you’ll find a wall of pictures highlighting each of our employees and their unique personalities.
Create. Inspire. Strengthen.
In 2016, a wellbeing team was established to keep employee health and happiness a priority. The team sponsors events such as lunch & learns on topics like nutrition, finances, and health; and monthly activities including coworker buddy lunches; 20-minute recesses and a walkathon to Key West Challenge.
Outside of the office, you can find our employees hanging out at work-sponsored events such as baseball or soccer games, or attending local festivals together. If we’re not watching games together, we’re probably playing them. Each employee is welcomed to join our intramural softball or volleyball team. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, as long as we’re having fun (and sharing a beer after the game). For those of us who aren’t so active, the office competes in March Madness and fantasy football competitions. Together, we celebrate as a team at our annual cookout, winter social, and Halloween party.
We see each and every one of our employees as a member of our SHP family. Sadly, in 2014, we suddenly lost a bright, young, 27-year-old mechanical engineer. To honor his memory, SHP established a scholarship to support two first-year engineering students at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati. Our main fundraiser each year is the Play4Josh Memorial Golf Tournament which attracts 120 golfers from around the area. Since 2014 the tournament has raised over $25,000 for scholarships.
