ABA Design Studio: A Unique Approach
Featured Spotlights
Written by Ashley McGown   
Wednesday, 01 July 2009
ABA Design Studio: A Unique Approach
This 10-year-old design firm uses its flexibility and experience to stand apart from competitors.
Premier Business Partners:

Eric Brand
Interior Visions
Janet Yonaty, Inc.
Malabar USA
The success of a start-up business is dependent on many things, including timing, approach, service, and luck. In the world of hospitality, young design firms have to work hard to build their reputation and build a strong client base.

Todd Lenahan, who founded Las Vegas-based ABA Design Studio in 1999, is well aware of the amount of work required to grow a start-up business, and after 10 years, he continues to see his efforts pay off.

Prior to ABA’s conception, Lenahan spent 10 years working for Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of Walt Disney Company responsible for the business’ master planning, creative development, and project management, among other things.

ABA Design Studio: A Unique Approach
Todd-Avery Lenahan, principal
After parting ways with Disney, Lenahan has only positive things to say about the company, and he said the decision to leave was a tough one to make. “I really didn’t want to leave Disney,” he said. “I loved it there, but after a decade, I had fulfilled all of the goals I set for myself that could be achieved at the organization.”

At Disney, Lenahan was responsible for selecting and managing design consultants that supported the company’s global portfolio of projects. After working in that position for several years, he became very familiar with the top organizations in the sector, what each specialized in, and how they operated.  

“Toward the end of my time there, I began to feel confident that I could run my own business and even provide a new point of view on design,” Lenahan said. “I knew the hospitality design industry was full of great opportunities for young firms.”

When he decided to open his own firm, Lenahan knew he’d need two things if he wanted to be successful: a strong team and a fresh approach. Subsequently, one of the first things he did was contact Kimberly Trueba, who now serves as managing principal at ABA, and ask her to join the team. Because the pair had worked together for several years at Disney, he knew she would bring strong ideas to the table.

Regarding the development of a fresh approach, Lenahan said that in the late ’90s, a lot of the firms were much older, and although they were well established, there was a sameness among them, which led to a lack of creativity in terms of how projects were designed.

From the start, the business model for ABA revolved around three key factors: creativity, technical expertise, and quality client service. According to Lenahan, each segment is as important as the other two, and if any of them is lacking, the chance of gaining repeat clients decreases significantly.

A high-end appeal
Toward the beginning of the development of ABA, Lenahan had a lot of important decisions to make, including where in the US the firm should be located. Ultimately, he decided to establish headquarters in Las Vegas, an area he believed was home to an emerging market.

Today, ABA serves a wide client base and works primarily in the luxury sector of the hospitality industry, specializing in five-star hotels and resorts. “We didn’t set our sights on working exclusively in the luxury sector,” Lenahan said. “It came about because companies in that sector appreciated our level of design, and they were the ones that approached us.”

Although Lenahan didn’t found ABA with the intention of targeting clients exclusively in the luxury sector, it’s clear he and his team are comfortable working on those types of projects. In fact, he summarizes the sector in very simple way. “The essence of the best luxury hotel lies in its ability to access anything you desire,” he said.

At a five-star hotel, most guests expect to get what they want when they want it, and they expect each hotel to offer a unique experience. ABA’s job is to design rooms, lobbies, and lounges that have a unique appeal and help differentiate properties from their
competition.

Key characteristics
Among the most important characteristics the team at ABA possesses is the flexibility it offers to its clients. Due to the nature of many of the projects the firm takes on, Lenahan and his team often have to work with a handful of other companies, like architect firms and consultants, to complete a property.

“Whether we’re brought onboard first or last, our team always operates in a manner conducive to collaboration,” Lenahan said. “Many members of the team here have previously worked in positions where they were responsible for orchestrating a number of different consultants at once, so the collaborative environment is one we actually embrace.”

In addition to its flexibility, the team at ABA is extremely cohesive as a unit, which also helps set the firm apart from competitors. Currently, it staffs a team of 27 employees, nearly 20 of which have been there since its conception.  

Lenahan attributes the loyalty of his team members, in large part, to ABA’s democratic model. “We work in an environment that’s relatively flat in terms of hierarchy,” he said. “This allows our team members to feel personally connected to their work, and it promotes a sense of mutual respect.”

To date, ABA’s model has proven successful. Despite a tough economy, the firm is currently working on projects in its hometown and across the world in countries like Saudi Arabia and Moscow. Although its team doesn’t intentionally seek international work, the firm has always had a global footprint.

“Right now, we’re focused on making it through this economic cycle, and we hope that when we come out on the other end we’ll be even stronger than when we entered,” Lenahan said.
 
< Prev   Next >