Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Holland.
Hi Mike, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my architectural practice, Holland Architects in 1981 in a hallway to an abandoned theater in downtown Aiken for $50 per month.
I had just been laid of from my job as head of design at another architects firm in Aiken during a recession and decided to raise my family here instead of seeking employment in another city or state.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting out my family had no savings to speak of so I collected unemployment benefits and food stamps. My wife and I agreed that I would stand in line to get the stamps and she would do the grocery shopping. I built my drafting furniture with old doors and lumber from a shed that was demolished at my church. I had a red telephone that I prayed would ring with a project offer and hoped it would not ring because of a severe hearing impairment that made it almost impossible to communicate on the phone. The plan was that I would try to get a name and number then go home and have my wife, Terrie, call and make an appointment. we did not have internet in 1981 so could not text or email as we do today.
After about six months a local merchant walked in off the street and gave me my first project and we were on the way to 44 years of a very successful venture.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Holland Architects provides comprehensive architectural and interior design services for religious, commercial, residential and recreational projects and has completed hundreds of projects in all categories throughout Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Jamaica since its founding. We believe that a successful design will always consider the owner’s program and budget and the site’s history and contextural relationship to it’s immediate and extended environment. Good design will have a minimal impact on it’s site and will compensate for any intrusion with a beauty that complements and enriches.
How do you define success?
I define success as a balance between obligations of my work life, family life and service to my community while walking in my Christian faith.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hollandarchitect.com
