Boutique scale Small to mid-sized architecture practice with 11-50 employees and under $1M annual revenue presents a potential entry point for cost-effective, high-touch design services, digital collaboration tools, and scalable project management solutions tailored to smaller firms.

Sustainability angle Position Hepper Olson as a sustainability-minded partner by offering optimized, energy-efficient building solutions, LEED or equivalent certification support, and integrated BIM workflows to differentiate from larger firms focused on volume.

Tech enablement Leverage their current tech stack (Open Graph, Wix, Google Cloud, Sentry, Office 365) to propose seamless design-to-delivery platforms, cloud collaboration and monitoring tools, and security hardening services aligned with their existing infrastructure.

Regional growth Based in Grand Forks, ND, there is opportunity to expand into regional markets with similar project profiles, offering scalable design-build and consulting services that address local codes, climate considerations, and client needs in the upper Midwest.

Competitive positioning Highlight value propositions for mid-market firms in the architecture sector by offering specialized services or partnerships that complement large-scale players (e.g., Gensler, HDR) with personalized client engagement, faster turnaround, and targeted design optimization.