Top Company 2019: Architecture and Interior Design

Lake Norman. Design by TRIO. 

In its 32nd year, ColoradoBiz's Top Company honors the Colorado companies that have drive, determination, a vision and a plan and are ultimately making the state a better place to live and work. These three companies – one winner and two finalists – represent the 2019 Top Companies in Architecture and Interior Design.

WINNER

TRIO

Denver

Combine creativity with market research and a deep understanding of your client, and you have the formula for the success of TRIO, one of the nation’s fastest-growing design and visual merchandising firms. TRIO collaborates with builders and developers across the country on all aspects of master-planned communities, model homes, clubhouses, sales centers, commercial and hospitality projects and multifamily apartments, and offers a comprehensive studio for everything related to interior design and merchandising.

When CEO and Principal Angela Harris founded TRIO in 1999, she saw the need for a design firm that not only conceptualized beautiful interiors but also understood the bigger picture of the client’s budget, their goals and their target markets.

“This unique market-driven approach to design has allowed TRIO to create more cohesive and ultimately impactful results for our clients,” Harris says. “We’ve earned a national reputation for the experiences we create and the exceptional results we achieve, helping our clients sell more than 50,000 residences and generate over $7 billion in revenue.”

The firm prides itself on creating trends, not following them. “No two TRIO projects look alike because we create a completely unique and compelling story for each design based on a combination of targeted market research and creative talent,” Harris says.

TRIO’s passion for making the world a more beautiful place extends well beyond interior design and visual merchandising, which is why the company launched the TRIO 3% Initiative. TRIO donates 3% of its revenue to nonprofits with community impact, including more $250,000 to organizations ranging from Whiz Kids, which provides tutoring to disadvantaged Denver children, to Exceptional Education Outreach, a public special education and literacy nonprofit serving students and their communities in Eleuthera and Harbour Island in the Bahamas.

FINALISTS

Workplace ELEMENTS LLC

Denver

ELEMENTS is on a mission to transform the way people think about the interior built environment. By offering a comprehensive and thoughtfully curated combination of progressive office and ancillary furniture, manufactured construction, floor coverings, technology and signage, ELEMENTS delivers workspaces that support how people think and move and capture what a company is now – and what it will become. “Although we started as an office furniture dealership, we have enhanced the customer experience with the ability to provide a completely integrated interior,” CEO Traci Lounsbury says. “This comprehensive, holistic approach to the work environment is what truly sets ELEMENTS apart as a company.” The company also works to better the community, with team members donating thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to causes such Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Colorado Pet Pantry.

EVstudio

Denver

EVstudio, a full-service architecture and engineering firm, believes that success is in the details. The firm has pioneered the all-in-one plan concept, combining architecture and engineering plans into one. This allows for great collaboration and understanding at the time of construction, producing fewer errors and saving clients money. The firm’s 10 EValues are posted around the office, and team members — Evleaders — are encouraged to promote and lead by them: Demand quality and excellence; deliver high service; communicate continuously; value intelligence and creativity; embody passion; trust the team; embrace change; play!; spread positive attitude; and be courageous. Team members work with Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity in Evergreen and engage in a wide variety of volunteer activities, including tutoring, providing engineering services for nonprofits and have instructional booths at events such as Girls In Science.

This article is part of the 2019 ColoradoBiz Top Company Awards. Read more about all the winners & finalists: 
ADVERTISING & MARKETING | DIGITAL MARKETING | CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING | CONSUMER BUSINESS | ENERGY | FINANCIAL SERVICES | HEALTH CARE | MANUFACTURING | NONPROFIT | PROFESSIONAL SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | SOFTWARE | STARTUP | TECHNOLOGY SERVICES | TOURISM & HOSPITALITY