SBTM Apr. 2014 | Page 10

The Montgomery Roth Design Team always provides quality assurance for their growing family of satisfied clients! Immediately following the evacuation, New Orleans area hotels began to fill up again housing the National Guard, disaster management teams, insurance company underwriters, and even returning residents. Montgomery Roth’s previous clients, like Harrah’s Casino, Sheraton, and Hilton, looked to them again for design assistance. “Having guest damage and flood damage, they called on us to help them with the necessary renovations. Basically, we were one of the few firms actually working in New Orleans immediately following the storm. There was a mutual benefit; we were trying to rebuild and so were they,” recalled Lisa. For four months, the New Orleans team worked out of Lisa’s home which had the least amount of flood damage while Lisa established and worked with a team in Houston to continue to meet other clients’ needs. Along the way, new working relationships were created with the likes of Starwood Hotels, Hilton Hotels, and Pinnacle Entertainment. After experiencing Houston’s incredible business environment, John and Lisa knew that making Montgomery Roth’s Houston office a permanent one would be a good decision for the success of their firm. “Houston is a great city. It is a city that really welcomes people. Obviously, there are challenges when you have a lot of people coming here, many without any money or resources. All in all,” said Lisa, “we found that everyone we worked with was very supportive, very informative, and really wanted to see people land on their feet. The business community was amazing, and we were met with supportive, caring, and extremely helpful Houstonians at every turn.” of connecting with local architectural and interior design firms when working nationally and internationally so that they are always on top of local regulatory codes and policies. Briefly subletting in a downtown high rise tower, Montgomery Roth then moved into a self-designed new build-out in the Galleria area of Houston where they still reside today. Due to Houston’s incredible business development, the office has grown three times the size they were in New Orleans before the Katrina devastation. Months following the storm, a new location for the New Orleans office was found in the Texaco Building in downtown New Orleans. John and Lisa made a commitment to reestablish business there and go back to give support to the ones who helped them. John and Lisa act independently in their roles with the company. They have different client groups with varying desires, approaches, and building types. One thing that always remains constant is their commitment to excellence in both design and functionality. Lisa explained, “We always meet interesting people who are very challenging, creative, and intense. They are very aware that the quality of the design and how well it’s thought out is not only from an esthetic perspective. How well the design functions and how it can be maintained is critical to the success of all of our projects. So there is a lot of time spent on each property trying to get it right; it’s a collaborative effort.” Montgomery Roth has weathered through the times and has been able to grow since its inception in 1998 because of its flexibility and diversity. They have been listed as one of the “Fast 100” by the Houston Business Journal for the past two years and have received many design awards along the way. With business currently in twelve states, Montgomery Roth is l X