Westgroup Designs is proud to announce the well-deserved promotions for several of our team members! Thanks to the progressive leadership style with innovative approach to design solutions, these invaluable team members continue to chart new paths to improve environments that help people work, learn, serve, play and heal. WD is proud to announce the following promotions:
David Smith promoted to Principal at Westgroup Designs.
With a 35+ year career, Dave has been responsible for a range of diverse, award-winning projects and continues to lead our team through successful planning, design, and construction phases of work.
Kenneth Ong promoted to Associate Principal at Westgroup Designs.
Ken brings over two decades of professional experience and an impressive body of work that includes international high-rise projects as well as mixed-use, retail, commercial office and K- 14 academic buildings.
Robyn Taylor promoted to Associate Principal at Westgroup Designs.
A Certified Interior Designer with three decades of experience in creative workplace, and with lifestyle, health & wellness, and commercial clients, Robyn is regarded as an expert in the delivery of transformational environments that promote clear branding, learning, collaboration and communication, efficiency and enhanced user experience.
Craig Whitridge promoted to Senior Associate at Westgroup Designs.
Craig offers a vast amount of technical expertise in projects including office, medical, civic, manufacturing, military, entertainment, residential, and school buildings. His dedication to quality and attention to detail have earned him industry praise and recognition from contractors, owners, and building operators alike.
Dave Duff promoted to Associate at Westgroup Designs.
Dave’s 25+ years of architectural experience form the basis of his exceptional expertise and mentorship in design team management, client collaboration, construction documentation and construction administration. His expertise includes civic, K-12, mixed-use, and retail.
Jon Freeberg promoted to Associate at Westgroup Designs.
Jon’s leadership and commitment to modern, sustainable practices across all aspects of the design and construction process have resulted in WD’s most notable high-performance buildings.
About Westgroup Designs
Westgroup Designs (WD) is a comprehensive Planning, Architecture and Interior Design firm with locations in Los Angeles and Orange County. Founded in 1989, WD is a woman-owned business that values passion, integrity, execution, teamwork and an enthusiasm for discovery. We specialize in educational, civic, aviation, healthcare, and commercial facilities, ranging from tenant improvements and renovations to new ground-up buildings and campuses. Learn more about our company culture on Instagram.
WD’s Bocce Ball team name, The Notorious B.O.C.C.E., pays tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. who is ranked one of the top 10 greatest rappers of all time by Billboard Magazine. Gold crowns & chains, spirited shirts, Bocce skills, and a custom rap led WD to victory for both the Most spirited team and first place in the A+D Division!
We are so grateful for IOS and Haworth for putting on such a great event that creates an opportunity to raise money for Laura’s House, an important charity in Orange County.
8th Annual IOS + Haworth Charity Bocce Ball Tournament is a social gathering that raises money for the winning Bocce Ball teams’ charity of choice.
Laura’s House is a domestic violence safe refuge, providing over 4,000 abused women and children with shelter, as well as supportive services for 50,000 people such as counseling, life skills education and legal assistance. To learn more, click here.
WD is proud to announce that our company is listed in the Top 5 Best Places to Work from the OC Business Journal. What makes us stand out? Team spirit, happy employees, and projects we are passionate about! Here at Westgroup Designs, we design experiences that positively affect the way people live, creating memorable experiences with innovative and out-of-the-box design. We have a team that supports and encourages one another, making each day at WD a fun one! Our office culture, love of collaboration, and passion for our work is taking us places.
Great things happen when you love what you do!
Best Places to Work in Orange County is a survey competition that determines the best employers in the area. Managed by Best Companies Group (BCG) and published in the Orange County Business Journal, 2017.
Opzoon Technology Co., Ltd. Is a global solutions provider for data center and cloud computing with over 400 patents. Fueling the company’s meteoric growth is an expansion of its core R&D operations through the construction of a new R&D Tech Campus / Data Center in Tianjin and Westgroup Designs (WD) is designing the first phase. Click here to view the project case study.
Orange County Public Works and WD are moving forward on phase two of ‘Bridges at Kraemer Place’ - a comprehensive facility dedicated to transitioning homeless individuals into permanent housing.
On May 5, Orange County’s first year-round emergency shelter and service center, Bridges at Kraemer Place, officially opened in Anaheim. Orange County Public Works engaged Westgroup Designs (WD) in late 2016 to design a facility that fulfills the basic day-to-day needs and provides critical resources for individuals transitioning from homelessness into permanent housing. This opening marks the first phase of the project, providing beds for 100 men and women. Phase two will provide occupancy for an additional 100 residents and include an on-site health clinic, kitchen and computer lab.
WD is providing architecture, planning, and interior design services to renovate an existing industrial concrete tilt-up structure and redesign its 1.87-acre site into a 24,000sf comprehensive facility that serves as a pathway out of homelessness. The design of Bridges at Kraemer Place provides a temporary home for 200 individuals with broad support spaces, including restrooms, showers, lockers, laundry, kitchen, dining hall, computer lab, multi-service conference rooms, in-take and reception area, administration suite, and a complete medical clinic with reception, pharmacy, nurses stations, lab, and three exam rooms.
Most importantly, the facility provides residents with resources to transition out of homelessness, including case management services and daytime services providers. These programs are tailored to individual needs, which could range from reconnecting them with family, to job referrals and shuttle services, to placing the chronically homeless in rent-subsidized permanent housing that includes supportive services.
WD’s design of the Bridges at Kraemer Place will serve homeless individuals from 15 communities in north Orange County. Susan Price, the county’s director of care coordination, states, “This project creates a bridge between the streets and home.”
Riverside University Health System (RUHS) is engaging Westgroup Designs (WD) to design and deliver multiple revitalization projects at the 439-bed Moreno Valley Medical Center. From its humble beginnings in 1893 as Riverside County’s first general hospital, RUHS Medical Center stands today as a pillar of excellence in health care and medical education in the region.
Westgroup Designs is providing planning, architecture and interior design services to transform various areas in the medical center into a more cohesive, engaging experience and sense-of-place for visitors and medical staff. WD is beginning by designing a new beacon at the Women’s Center entry plaza to provide increased street visibility without overbearing pedestrian traffic; transforming the existing Medical Mall atrium space into a welcoming and relaxing waiting area with enhanced wayfinding; and creating a serene retreat at the public cafeteria and medical staff lounge and dining room.
WD’s design solutions will deliver an enhanced experience at the Moreno Valley Medical Center in support of RUHS’s vision to lead the transformation of healthcare and inspire wellness.
