Shlemmer, who started his architectural and interior design business 13 years ago, has done business locally for four years now. With offices in Century City and Long Beach in addition to Orange County, Shlemmer, his two partners and the firm's 55 employees does the lion's share of Arden Realty's business. His firm has also done corporate projects for Dreamworks, GMAC/Ditech.com, Panasonic Corp. and Newport Corp.

Nancy Levy, VP of the Orange County region for Arden, says that the most important things that Shlemmer and his firm bring to the table with potential clients is their speed in getting the work done and the relationships they have built with different cities.

"Our business is very fast track and, because of that, our clients like us to be 10 minutes away in order to meet with them at any time," Shlemmer says. "With Arden, we look at ourselves as business designers--very transaction and business oriented. In the real estate world, people want the job done in concert with their real estate ideals and goals. The real estate transaction, the lease, is what generates the funds and the need for the design/architectural project. In realizing that, we help facilitate the deal. Our people have to learn how to read a lease."

Although the image a company wants to portray to its clients is still important in designing the workspace, Shlemmer says more CEO's today are taking employee lifestyle into consideration when planning the work area. "The first words out of a CEO's mouth is, 'How can I make this place work for our employees?'" he says. "I find that I get into more conversations with clients about lifestyle of their employees. They want technology, a flexible workplace and a place that shows they are congenial to their people."