Stephen Jouflas of FCA: Five Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As An Architect

An Interview With Jason Hartman

Never Burn a Bridge, Build Long-Term Relationships — Thirty or so years working in an industry is a long time, and you will cross paths with many people. Those that you work with will come in and out of your life both personally and professionally. As your position elevates from junior to more senior roles, clients, construction managers, engineers, and more at the same positions will also grow with you. Coworkers that are architects/planners/designers may move to the owner side. Besides being able to earn more work or job opportunities, you will also be happier with your work when you invest your time and patience into others, and build a long-lasting relationship built on mutual respect.

As a part of my series about the ‘Five Things You Need To Know To Create A Highly Successful Career As An Architect,’ I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephen Jouflas.

Stephen Jouflas is a healthcare Principal at FCA with 20 years of experience working in various markets and building typologies. Using a combination of strong technical knowledge and quality interpersonal skills to deliver a consistently high level of service, Stephen’s main priority for every project is to create strong working relationships among the team members and client. Ultimately, his goal is to be a true resource for the client, and to help build something great with others.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to this particular career path?

I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. I always had an interest in architecture going back to grade school, drawing up “floor plans” for my dream house, deconstructing and building things. I took a drafting class in high school that solidified my desire to pursue an architecture degree. My passion for being an architect has only grown throughout college and my professional career.

Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that occurred to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or take away, you took out of that story?

For the first large scale project that I led as a project architect, I was working with a major retail developer based out of NYC. We had a design meeting at their headquarters in NYC, in a beautiful conference room on Central Park overlooking the entire skyline. I’m pretty sure my eyes were as big as saucers, and it was pretty apparent to everyone else in the room. However, it was an important moment for me to take advantage of a great opportunity to present to a high-profile client, and the culmination of a lot of hard work. I left feeling that I ‘belonged in the room’, and it would end up being a major jump-off point for my confidence and career going forward.

Do you have a favorite “life lesson quote”? Can you share a story or example of how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Hard work always pays off”. That’s not to say it’s always happened that way for me, but I am a firm believer that throwing yourself into your work with passion and a deep curiosity to learn more will pay dividends in the long run. I was put on a very large project with little support early on in my career and it nearly burnt me out. However, I learned an incredible amount in a relatively short period of time and it was ultimately important to my career growth. It helps me to see the positive side of things.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am nearing completion of a master plan implementation project at RWJBarnabas Health’s Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBI), a series of (3) additions and renovations to an existing urban campus in the South Ward of Newark, NJ. NBI is an incredible hospital that is embedded in and serves its community in a way I have not seen at other hospitals. This project allows the hospital to deliver better care to its patients through new critical care, imaging, and emergency services. It also was an investment in the streetscape and the aesthetics of a facility, serving as a true neighborhood anchor that both employees and the surrounding community can experience and be proud of.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

FCA stands out in its commitment to and support of employees on a professional and personal level. We have found a way to deliver beautiful, impactful projects with a focus on work life balance. The office brought my wife in for a surprise baby shower when we were pregnant with our first child, which really meant a lot to me at that time. John Campbell, our former president, also started a scholarship where he awards a travel grant to an employee every year to travel abroad and study architecture, something he continues to do even in retirement.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’ve been fortunate to have a number of people put me in position to succeed. A project manager I worked with for six years gave me opportunity after opportunity to take on new projects, always supported me whenever I slipped up, and taught me a lot about what it means to be a successful architect by pushing me where I needed to be pushed.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

In no particular order:

Commitment — No matter how big or small, I’ve always approached every project and initiative I’ve worked on with the same level of dedication. Being an architect is hard, and even a one-room renovation can prove to be difficult if you don’t think it through.

Curiosity — I’ve remained open to trying new things, and to always keep learning. Being a self-starter, and constantly researching how to fix problems has paid off in the long run.

Flexibility — I like to think of myself as someone that gets along with everyone. A big part of that is being flexible with the people we work with. Finding common ground with everyone has been very beneficial to my career, and also has made me happier with my work.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Can you share 3 things that most excite you about architecture and the Real Estate industry in general? If you can please share a story or example.

Reimagining commercial real estate — with the sea change caused by the pandemic and increase in work from home, I am interested to see in what new ways office buildings can be reimagined for new use. I recognize this is a problem for many in the real estate industry, but new mixed use buildings can be a driver of significant innovation.

AI is such a hot topic right now in nearly every industry. How the architecture industry yields the tools that will become available over the next decade or so may change our profession and the way we work.

New building materials and systems are transforming the way we interact with buildings. Building controls and materials will continue to drive the industry’s push towards more sustainable construction.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to

I mentioned AI in the previous section, but I’m concerned about the downside in terms of loss of jobs or work, and potential automation of building design. The architecture industry needs to harness this tool to improve our work and not have it be our replacement.

Architects are expected to manage and perform such a wide array of tasks, we need to continue to build up the next generation of architects who are coming into their own in a world of instant communication, tighter deadlines and lower fees. We need to be competitive while allowing our staff to learn and grow on the job, it is a delicate balance.

The trend of private equity companies acquiring A/E firms, while it poses an upside for growth, has me concerned about the downside of architecture firms becoming profit centers for larger corporations that may be looking to exit in the short term. There are always good partnerships to be had, but architects will need to be more versed in the business side of these types of deals.

Ok, here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share with our readers the “Five Things You Need To Know To Create A Highly Successful Career As An Architect?” If you can, please give a story or an example for each?

1. Never Burn a Bridge, Build Long-Term Relationships — Thirty or so years working in an industry is a long time, and you will cross paths with many people. Those that you work with will come in and out of your life both personally and professionally. As your position elevates from junior to more senior roles, clients, construction managers, engineers, and more at the same positions will also grow with you. Coworkers that are architects/planners/designers may move to the owner side. Besides being able to earn more work or job opportunities, you will also be happier with your work when you invest your time and patience into others, and build a long-lasting relationship built on mutual respect.
2. Don’t be afraid to assert yourself — Our clients hire us as architects and designers because they value our knowledge and expertise. Bring our clients along for the journey and be a trusted advisor to help make their life easier.
3. Never Stop Learning — Always keep honing your craft. Keep attending CEU’s, and not just the bare minimum required by the state for licensure. Building technologies continue to evolve rapidly and it’s very easy to fall behind. Keep other interests outside of your work as well, it all feeds back into your growth as a professional and a person.
4. Get your license — Obtaining your professional license is a rite of passage for many, but it also opens up more doors for you to advance in your career, especially if you want to pursue a career path that may lead to being able to be an owner or stakeholder in your company. The exams are difficult and time consuming, but you will feel an enormous sense of accomplishment when you achieve this goal.
5. Don’t pigeonhole yourself — Become technically proficient in many areas of expertise and create ownership over your work, no matter how small. Write your own specifications and check your own drawings so that you can truly own your work when it’s time to get built and speak to the construction team in the field. Learn about the business of architecture for project management and how to make a job financially successful. Even if you’re doing a lot of the same types of projects, find beauty in the new details and nuance that each job brings. We spend a lot of our days doing this job, so seek out work that is fulfilling to you wherever you can find it.

Because of your position, you are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

The lack of affordable housing is a problem that appears will only get worse due to the shortage of housing relative to demand. There are a lot of people already doing amazing work in this arena, but inspiring an effort across the entire AEC sector with both public and private partners to reimagine this country’s approach to zoning, housing construction, and community building could be life changing for millions of people.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

You can find our work at www.FCArchitects.com

Thank you for your time, and your excellent insights! We wish you continued success.

About The Interviewer: Jason Hartman is the Founder and CEO of Empowered Investor. Jason has been involved in several thousand real estate transactions and has owned income properties in 11 states and 17 cities. Empowered Investor helps people achieve The American Dream of financial freedom by purchasing income property in prudent markets nationwide. Jason’s Complete Solution for Real Estate Investors™ is a comprehensive system providing real estate investors with education, research, resources and technology to deal with all areas of their income property investment needs. Through Jason’s podcasts, educational events, referrals, mentoring and software to track your investments, investors can easily locate, finance and purchase properties in these exceptional markets with confidence and peace of mind.

Starting with very little, Jason, while still in college at the age of 19, embarked on a career in real estate. While brokering properties for clients, he was investing in his own portfolio along the way. Through creativity, persistence and hard work, he earned a number of prestigious industry awards and became a young multi-millionaire. Jason purchased a California real estate brokerage firm that was later acquired by Coldwell Banker. He combined his dedication and business talents to become a successful entrepreneur, public speaker, author, and media personality. Over the years he developed his Complete Solution for Real Estate Investors™ where his innovative firm educates and assists investors in acquiring prudent investments nationwide for their portfolio. Jason’s sought after educational events, speaking engagements, and his popular “Creating Wealth Podcast” inspire and empower hundreds of thousands of people in 189 countries worldwide.

While running his successful real estate and media businesses, Jason also believes that giving back to the community plays an important role in building strong personal relationships. He established The Jason Hartman Foundation in 2005 to provide financial literacy education to young adults providing the all-important real world skills not taught in school which are the key to the financial stability and success of future generations. We’re in a global monetary crisis caused by decades of misguided policies and the cycle of financial dependence has to be broken, literacy and self-reliance are a good start. Visit JasonHartman.com for free materials and resources.