William Dorsky’s words take on a solemn tone as he talks about the morning in 1994 when he awoke to discover he could not move his arms or legs.
Although he did not know it at the time, the problem was the result of a rare syndrome that strikes about one in every 100,000 people worldwide.
“My nerves degenerated, then the muscles went and I was flat on my back,” explains Dorsky, who has since recovered. “I just couldn’t move.”
He was rushed to the hospital and later diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a nasty side effect of a viral infection that damages the covering of the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. It would be a nightmarish ordeal for anyone to endure. But never far from Dorsky’s mind was his business and staff of more than 50 employees, who would also be affected by this turn of events.
At the time, his Beachwood-based architecture firm, then known as William Dorsky & Associates, was already a mighty player in the elderly and commercial design markets, not only snaring high-profile projects, but in many ways helping set the tone for the industry. While other business owners may have taken time away from the daily pressures to focus on recovery, Dorsky’s fierce entrepreneurial spirit forced him to persevere, even if that meant taking short naps in his office when the fatigue became too much to handle.
It was during that period that Dorsky did a lot of thinking about his life and the way he had built his business.
“I realized how frail we all are,” Dorsky explains in a deep, friendly voice. “Whether you’re in a car accident, have a heart attack or come down with some strange malady, which in my case cured itself, it made me realize that I needed to build an organization and that I had the people here to do it.”
So after decades as a lone entrepreneur, Dorsky seriously considered taking on partners rather than calling all the shots by himself. The big question was whether he could handle sharing the responsibility for the ultimate success of the firm. What followed was a good deal of soul searching, during which Dorsky asked himself the unavoidable question: “Can I change?”
“I had to think long and hard about whether I was the type of person who could take on partners,” he explains. “It wasn’t that I didn’t think I could do it, but I wondered what it would be like after shooting from the hip for so many years as a sole proprietor. I very much wondered, ‘Is that me?’”
Six years later, the answer is a resounding yes. Dorsky’s moves during the mid 1990s set the stage for a growth phase during the last half of the decade that doubled the company’s work force and led to the opening of a new office in Washington, D.C., to secure the firm’s grasp on East Coast markets.
But reaching that point has hardly been an overnight affair. For Dorsky, it meant changing some long-held beliefs, sharpening his managerial skills and taking a long, hard look at his company. He is the first to point out, however, that he’s never enjoyed his business more than he does today.
Since nearly 85 percent of people diagnosed with Guillain-Barre make a full recovery, Dorsky was not particularly worried about a relapse.
But as the condition reversed itself, he starting looking at his business in a different light.
“I knew I would recover,” he says. “At least that was my frame of mind. It wasn’t a question of if I would get better. I knew I was going to. But I also knew the firm would be better if we made some provisions in case something else happened. The whole ordeal really focused my perspective.”
Dorsky didn’t have to look far when searching for long-time employees to bring on as partners. First, there was his wife, Cornelia C. Hodgson. She was vice president of the firm’s elderly design studio, and had built a reputation as one of the nation’s leading authorities on compassionate design for the elderly. Then there was David Parrish, vice president and director of the firm’s commercial division.
The performance of these two company leaders during the difficult times had impressed Dorsky and convinced him it was indeed the right time to revamp the firm’s management and build a stronger, better company that would benefit everyone.
Then, in 1996, a name change accompanied the transformation occurring inside the company’s walls. For the first time in more than three decades, it was no longer William Dorsky & Associates. Instead, the firm adopted a new moniker, Dorsky Hodgson & Partners Inc.
“I had people really step up,” says Dorsky, who has brought two additional partners on board within the past year. “Once I got into that frame of mind, during four or five months that followed, I decided on partners and made an organization not only for my sake, but the sake of my people.”
Focusing on the elderly and commercial design markets over the years had helped Dorsky Hodgson & Partners grow into a leader in both areas.
One side of the company worked with heavyweight commercial developers like the Simon Group and Developers Diversified; the other focused on designing innovative elderly communities that challenged traditional ideas of what retirement homes should be.
But even with a solid share of the market, competition for projects and talent was fierce. So when the changes in top management at the firm set the table for growth, Dorsky knew he and his new partners had their work cut out for them. Attracting top talent and keeping it was already an important part of the company’s culture, but Dorsky knew they needed to make it more of a focus if they hoped to grow.
“I think our attitude has always been the same,” he says. “It’s just that we realized to grow, we have to invest in our people, and that’s the key. There are a couple ways to invest, and that’s to train them and provide them with an environment that is fun to work in and will support their personal and professional growth.”
Dorsky and his partners continue that practice today through a very aggressive mentoring program that begins the moment new talent comes on board. Employees are encouraged to become involved in one of the firm’s several committees, which range from information technology to design. The interaction facilitates cooperation between workers and allows newer hires to gain experience by naturally striking up relationships with more senior members of the firm with whom they would like to work.
“That way, people can become much more acclimated and actually find their mentor,” explains Hodgson. “It lets people match themselves up and then gives them the encouragement and the resources they need, and then lets the people move on to a different mentor.”
The mentoring even reaches college students who need internship opportunities to pursue a career in architecture. Every Monday, schedules are made that outline which students will visit during the week and what types of projects they need to work on to fulfill university requirements. Inevitably, many interns have found the company culture attractive and signed on with the firm after graduation.
“We’ve established a ladder of growth in the firm,” says Dorsky. “We have taken on a very aggressive mission by mentoring young talent and we’re seeing the fruits of investing in it.”
In any given day, there may be people in Dorsky Hodgson & Partners’ Beachwood office working on designs for projects undertaken by the Fort Lauderdale office Dorsky opened in the early 1970s or the Washington, D.C., branch that opened its doors late last year.
The addition of technology, specifically a Wide Area Network, allows staff architects to work on a wide variety of projects instead of being limited to the ones based out of the Cleveland office.
“There’s no sense having an environment you spend a major portion of your life in if it doesn’t reflect what you want it to be,” says Hodgson. “We’re fortunate enough to have the ability to create it. Then, it’s an atmosphere that attracts other people who feel the same and want to be part of this.”
It is just one example of the diverse work environment Dorsky and his partners are constantly nurturing. Staff architects are not limited to designing for either the elderly or for the commercial arm of the company. Some work several years in one, then switch to the other to stay interested in their work and hone their skills. Dorsky says he tries to deliver on employee requests for different types of experience. If numbers are any indication, the firm’s current staff of 93 seems to indicate that Dorsky and his partners have created a strong and stable batch of loyal workers, which is exactly what they have wanted all along.
“We’re only looking for people who want to grow with us,” he explains. “We don’t profile a job and say we have a position open. We look for talent, then we take what they do well and build a position around them. This way, they feel we’re building a position around them. That’s one of the important things.
“We look for people first and worry about the job description later.”
As for Dorsky, he’s never been happier with the company and shape it’s in.
“I haven’t had as good a time in the 30-some years before than I’m having right now.”
How to reach: Dorsky, Hodgson & Partners, (216) 464-8600
Jim Vickers ([email protected]) is an associate editor at SBN.
