Designing a Career:
An Interview with Architect (and Five O. Clock Clubber)
 Michel Franck

by David Madison, Ph.D. 

"I want to expand the firm domestically and land more projects in the global market place as well," says architect Michel Franck, speaking of his role over the next five years at his new firm, Owen & Mandolfo. 

            Owen & Mandolfo has specialized for the last 20 years in high-end interior design, primarily for leading financial institutions. Clients have included Goldman Sachs, Commerzbank and the Dime Savings Bank. . "At Goldman, for example," Michel points out, " we do about 20 private offices for partners at a time, at offices throughout the country. We are responsible for all interior installations, including technology requirements, furniture, custom cabinetry and artwork selection. We oversee the process from inception to finish, putting together all the documents for the contractors. For Commerzbank, we prepared and implemented the standard guidelines for offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Paris. a half million square feet of office space altogether."

Michel heads a firm

with a staff of 30.

             Michel signed on as principal at Owen & Mandolfo in October 2000, managing a staff of 30. He brought a wealth of experience to his new role. The previous year and a half he had worked as principal for a corporate design firm, but the previous 15 years he served as CEO for the architectural company he founded, overseeing 6 to 8 architects and support staff. A native of Luxembourg, Michel earned his first Master of Architecture from Ecole St Luc in Brussels. Looking for a two-year post-graduate study program, he won a full scholarship to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In 1983 he graduated there with a second Master of Architecture.

             In recent years Michel has contributed articles to Interiors, Oculus, Real Estate Weekly, Revue Technique De Luxembourg, Architectural Record and The New York Times . He addressed the 9th annual conference of Attorneys and Executives in Corporate Real Estate on the topic, . Environmentally Responsible Development, Architecture and Interior Architecture Installations..

 His true calling is business development and building client relations.

             Michel looks back with pride on more than 70 projects that his firm brought to fruition. These included design of the eight-acre Place de l. Etoile in the City of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Consulate and Permanent Mission in New York, and facilities for Guardian Life Insurance Company and RCA-Columbia Pictures. But reflecting on the decade and a half in his own business, he sees that his true calling is business development and building client relations, for which he would have more opportunity at a larger firm. "I'd gotten ahead of myself. I had the ability to work on large scale projects and secure large scale clients, but my firm did not have the necessary infrastructure."  

Expanding the Client Base and Maintaining Quality

            Hence winning. and keeping. the clients is Michel's primary role with his new employer. " I'm here to focus on business development strategy and expand the firm. I will lead the front-end effort to increase volume and secure more projects, while maintaining the quality of design. But I also bring a  layer of knowledge with regard to design and project management." Having deep product knowledge in addition to selling savvy should help Michel with another primary objective. " I want to assure long-term relations with clients, focusing on repeat business from a strong client base."

 Michel admires those architects who combine artistic

brilliance with an understanding

of how business works.

             Throughout his career, Michel has drawn inspiration from architects who combine artistic brilliance with an understanding of how business works. " I have looked up to architects for the quality of their design and the integrity of their work. but also to those with good business sense, a business-oriented approach." 

Positioning to Win Clients

            In his first three months, Michel has put together extensive documentation on the firm. s history, in order to develop presentations highly customized for individual clients. He feels that lessons from job search apply to winning clients. "It's much the same approach that the Five O'Clock Club recommends in pitching yourself to the target. When we go to a presentation to potential clients, we can't just say how wonderful we are. We've got to show how wonderful we are for them. We must address the needs of the clients as specifically as possible."

            Michel certainly has his five-year plan for leading Owen & Mandolfo forward, and while attending the Five O'Clock Club he managed to flesh out a 20-year personal vision as well. "This was a very good exercise. I had not done something like this before. I didn't do a Forty-Year Vision," he laughed, "because I would have been planning my own funeral!"  At 45, however, Michel grants that a 40-year outlook might not be such a bad idea after all: "My father is 82 and he just bought a computer!"

            Michel came to the Five O'Clock Club through a friend. s recommendation. He attended for 9 sessions, over a four-month period, before landing his job. "It was helpful to talk to others about my search. it boosted my confidence. Doing the Seven Stories was very valuable. it gave me insight into what I really like to do and who I really am. I benefited not only from the end result of getting a job, but from the process itself."

            Michel affirms the Five O'Clock Club approach: approaching the search like a consultant is the key. "Looking for a job is a very humbling experience, whether you do it because you have to or want to. The Five O'Clock Club prompts people to look at things differently. It's the candidate who has to be the leader, rather than just sitting back and letting things happen. I worked to get 6 to 10 things in the works, and got to the point where I was having 4 to 5 networking meetings and interviews per week. The methodology and the rigor were very good. I have been referring other people to the Five O'Clock Club."

 Planning Semi-Retirement

            What does Michel think his life will be like 20 or 25 years out?   "My goal is to semi-retire at age 72, at the level of being a consultant. My father still works a little, and I don't want to stop working. Especially for people in my generation, it's important for people to keep getting educated, keep growing and participating in the world."

 Winning new clients is the same as The Five O'Clock Club approach to pitching yourself. addressing their needs.

             Fluent in English, French, German, Luxembourgish and basic Italian, Michel sees himself spending more time traveling when semi-retired. "I will enjoy different aspects of life. Take walks, play golf, hang out, and visit the world. it's a very good way to keep on learning."