L-R: Rod Booze, managing principal with principals David Tooley and Erick Westerholm.

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“We call it our green card table conversation,” said Erick Westerholm, one of three principals along with Rod Booze and David Tooley.

“David had called Rod and said I want you guys to meet me in Arlington at 7 tonight.  We met at the address, he unlocked the door and he had a green card table with three chairs sitting around it.”

The trio had worked together for five years at another firm but left when that firm was being acquired and the direction of the company was changing.

“It was a very interesting day looking back because we sat down and scripted what our goals were going to be as we moved forward with our company.”

Some of the original goals included staying in health care and continuing to be experts in that field, not diversifying and getting distracted and hiring people who had similar goals and work ethics as the founders. They also wanted to build relationships and service people that they could continue to work with over the years. 

The first two projects the firm designed, one in Lake Charles, LA and the other Alamogordo, NM were for clients they are still working with today.

Ascension Group has come a long way in the past 10 years and presently has a staff of 30 divided into three dedicated health care architectural studios and one dedicated interior design studios.

“We like this part of architecture, the heath care niche,” says Westerholm.  “It touches everybody and it’s very highly valued.” 

Numerous projects with a combined construction value of over $1 billion have been completed during the years but dollar size isn’t the only factor that determines importance.

“One that touches me the closest was a 15-bed hospital in Bastrop outside of Austin,” stated Westerholm. “If they have a hospital in their town and they are self sufficient it really means a lot to these small rural Texas communities.

“When the blue haired ladies came up and hugged us at the end of the job and told how thrilled they were to have their own hospital, that was one of the most proud moments of my career.”

Asked why he feels the firm has grown through the years, Westerholm gives several reasons.

“I think a large part of it is keeping our commitments.  I would say that is the number one reason. Whether it is commitments to our clients, our partnership, our employees or to our families, keeping commitments is one of the core values of Ascension Group.

“The other piece would be that we have achieved most of our original goals.

“Our firm is only as good as our people, and this is something we have preached quite a bit internally.  We have grown quite a bit over 10 years and we have a great group of people who have been willing to do whatever it takes to continue the success of the business.  –bd

©2011 Construction News, Ltd.