Development News From Southwest Indiana

Firm builds relationships while constructing buildings
By TOM RAITHEL EBJ staff writer, July 6, 2005

Hafer Associates is in the business of not only designing buildings, but of building relationships.

"We have a strong repeat client base," said David Wills, principal and architect at Hafer. "We establish relationships that last for years."

Vectren Corp. of Evansville is an example of that. The relationship goes back about 20 years to the chairmanship of D.W. Vaughn and has continued through three top leadership changes in that company to today.

Hafer Associates was the architect on the new $26 million Vectren Corp. headquarters building at Riverfront Drive and Court Street in Downtown Evansville. That building opened in April.

The relationship building involves everyone from the building owner to the people who use it, Wills said. The company has also collaborated with other architectural firms, as is common in the industry, in order to gain the expertise it needs on a special project, such as the building of the Evansville Regional Airport.

"We pride ourselves on the fact that our work is delivered on time, on budget," Wills said.

Hafer Associates, which has its offices at 21 S.E. Third St., Evansville, was founded in 1978 by architect Ed Hafer and Steve Pugh.

The firm is owned by six principals - four architects and two engineers. One rule at the corporation is that, when a principal reaches age 60, they sell their stock in the company. As a result, Hafer divested himself of his ownership in 2004, though he continues to work for the firm.

Along with Veazey, Parrot, Durkin & Shoulders, the firm is one of the two large architecture firms in Evansville. It employs 32, including nine architects and five graduate architects and three engineers and three graduate engineers. Graduates are full-time employees that have finished the college education but not yet received their professional license, Wills said.

Over the years, the firm has expanded its service. Begun strictly as an architectural firm, it added mechanical and electrical engineering in the early 1990s, added interior decorating service in the late 1990s and added landscaping service around 2001.

Today, "we're pretty much a full-service firm," Wills said.

While the firm does a lot of different projects, from historic renovations to new headquarters buildings, most of its work falls into four categories, Wills said. They are higher education, health care, corporate facilities and banking.

The Vectren headquarters building along Evansville's Downtown riverfront is probably the firm's most striking recent project. Wills said the architects had several goals they wanted to accomplish with this building.

"The primary purpose was to maximize the views - lots of glass, lots of light and great views," Wills said. The building was curved to maximize those views, and its eight floors offer spectacular overlooks of both the Ohio River and the Evansville Downtown.

The architects also wanted to have a building that was good to view as one drove along Riverside Drive, Wills said. "We wanted a structure that had a presence on its own and fit in with the cityscape," he said.

Another concern was to make sure the building looked good at night, Wills said. The architects took pains to make sure lighting was uniform and aligned.

Among the other projects the firm has designed are Casino Aztar properties, the Evansville Regional Airport, the Deaconess Gateway Center, the new Rice Library at the University of Southern Indiana, the Integra Bank building, where the firm has its offices, and the Victory Theater.

It has restored the Old Post Office in Downtown Evansville and the Granary in New Harmony.

The firm has also done much work for Atlas Van Lines, Vectren and the University of Southern Indiana. It is currently working on renovations and new construction at St. Meinrad Archabbey, Wills said.

Although the firm offers a full range of services now, it may expand those offerings in the future, Wills said. "I think we're always searching out new opportunities," Wills said. "Nothing is done because that's the way we've always done it."

The company is also seeking to expand the geographical area it serves. Although it has done work outside of the Tri-State area, in Michigan, Tennessee and elsewhere, most of the company's work has been within a three-hours drive of Downtown Evansville, Wills said.

Wills said his company is very much a design firm. It's also "very service oriented," he said.

They also build relationships. "We pride ourselves on our repeat clientele," he said.