Rob LeBlanc, March 2014

One of the challenges (turned opportunity) of being located on the east coast of Canada is that there is a lack of design schools for some of the design services that we offer. Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, Environmental Design and Interpretive Planning are just a few of the programs not offered at Atlantic Canadian Universities. For over 18 years we have overcome that challenge by incorporating a healthy blend of local designers and high quality design immigrants from other countries or other parts of western Canada. Our very first staffer, Dave Moyle, came from Australia when I returned home after teaching Landscape Architecture at the University of Canberra. We quickly realized the potential of diverse multi-cultural staff, blending global ideas from around the world with local issues and local design styles.

Almost half our current 20-person staff hail; from other countries including China, Africa, the Middle East, Russia, America, and India. We value the perspective, work ethic and diversity of experience that these team members bring to problem solving in Atlantic Canada. The technologies we employ are constantly evolving and staying on the bleeding edge of design in order to keep up with the global work-place. The skills that these team members bring from other parts of the world is a benefit to our local staff and vice versa. This approach provides a win-win relationship. The thing that binds us together is that all of our staff are passionate about great design and using design to solve complex problems.

Consequently, we continue to work around the world on a wide variety of projects. I recently returned from St. Petersburg Russia working on a new golf community and we have worked on large projects from Morocco to Tanzania, to Egypt and Singapore, to Australia and the US; wherever people value deep thinking and a passion for design based problem solving.

Our approach of embracing design diversity has struck a chord in Atlantic Canada. We will continue to incorporate diverse thinking tempered with regional economic realities in all our projects from coast to coast and around the world. We look forward to showing you how design diversity can benefit your next project.