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St. Louis...National Minority Enterprise Development Week to be held in Washington, D.C., September 28-October 1, is an annual celebration in recognition of the contributions made by minority businesses to the Nation's economy.
Mak Architects,
Inc., St. Louis, will attend the national celebration representing Region VII U.S. Small Business Administration, which includes the St. Louis District.
Lei-Hoo and Christina Mak, a husband and wife team, opened Mak Architects,
Inc., in 1991. After much work and dedication to their architectural business, the team has grown to five full-time employees. Mak Architects specializes in residential, commercial and institutional design. Their focus includes, but is not limited to, new structures, rehabilitation, renovation and additions.
One major obstacle Mak Architects has faced is marketing. "After 12 years in business, we have successfully broadened our market to include different client bases through networking and references, but most importantly through our quality of work," Lei-Hoo said. "We have consistently maintained work to the highest level of professional service. People come to us because they know we provide quality work and service."
The SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program has advanced Mak Architects to better position themselves to earn federal government agency contracts. "SBA has given us much guidance and advice and has introduced us to various government agencies. The federal contracts we earned have resulted from involvement in the 8(a) program," said Lei-Hoo. One of Mak's largest dollar contracts was with the U.S. Department of Labor.
 
The SBA's 8(A) Business Development program assists the development of small businesses owned and operated by individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged.
Despite the small size of the company, Mak has been awarded international design awards. "In addition to handling daily business, we continue to pursue architectural competition projects to excel in our profession," said Lei-Hoo. The most recent architectural design award was in 2002, with a first place win in a cultural center competition in Vancouver, Canada.
Mak has been active in community service and volunteering. They have close ties with the Chinese American community in St. Louis. Projects and organizations the company has supported or sponsored include Chinese Cultural Days Celebration at the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Film Festival, St. Louis Art Fair and the Mid-American Buddhist Association.
Lei-Hoo and Christina received their St. Louis District Office recognition on September 23 at 10 a.m. at St. Louis Place, 200 North Broadway, Suite 1500.
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