When Rob Iopa and three other partners started WCIT Architecture Inc. eight years ago, they knew they were going to do battle with the "big boys" of the industry and had to somehow distinguish themselves from the more established firms.

The partners — Iopa, Eugene Watanabe, Kevin Chun and Stan Takaki — had worked for these large companies and were respected among their peers. Chun designed the Hawai'i Convention Center, Watanabe was its project manager, and the list of other projects the four worked on included the Four Seasons at Wailea, Sheraton Maui, Grand Hyatt Kaua'i, and Marriott at Ko Olina.

But Iopa acknowledges that going out on their own was a gamble. The partners were solid architects, but had no business background and realized that the larger firms had history and a reputation on their side.

"The four of us started the firm out of our homes," said Iopa, 39, president of WCIT. "Kevin's house was our office and we met twice a week at his dining room table and went back to our homes to work."

INFUSING LOCAL CULTURE

But what the four lacked in flair they made up in creativity and the philosophy of incorporating the culture of the Islands into their designs, Iopa said.

"We talked about being local boys wanting to do projects here locally and infuse local history, traditions and culture into our design," said Iopa, a native of Hilo. "A lot of firms try to infuse Hawaiian culture into their projects. We try to go deeper. We really try to infuse what is unique about the place, the people of that area, and make that particularly evident in our design."

One example, he said, is the Ritz-Carlton Club & Residences at Kapalua on Maui, where Iopa said the upscale housing project was designed to resemble an "ocean-based village."

Another project that he singled out is the renovation of the historic Royal Hawaiian hotel, where WCIT wanted to "celebrate the history" of that part of Waikiki, as well as the hotel.

Iopa said he developed this philosophy while working in Malaysia, where he was tasked with infusing the Asian culture into his designs.

"Coming home, I said, 'That was great, but is there a way I could start practicing architecture that incorporates my own culture?' " he said.

Iopa said he was pleased when he was asked by Watanabe and Chun to join them in starting the firm because they shared his ideals.

STEADY GROWTH

Ernest Nishizaki, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Kyo-ya Co. LLC, which owns four Waikiki hotels including the Royal Hawaiian, said what set WCIT apart from the other firms was the amount of research Iopa put into a project. Nishizaki said he and other Kyo-ya officials were impressed with Iopa's knowledge of the Royal Hawaiian.

"When WCIT and the other architectural firms came in for a presentation — the thing that you could sense with Rob Iopa — there was a real study into the understanding of the historic nature of the Royal Hawaiian area," Nishizaki said. "He didn't come in just with a design, but came in with a story to tell us about the area and the significance of the area and how important it was that whatever we did that we're sensitive to the culture and the history and heritage of that particular area."

Nishizaki said WCIT also was open to suggestions from hotel officials, as well as the community, when developing the Royal Hawaiian plan.

"In every project, I sense that WCIT looks not just at the design, but also how it blends into the sense of place and sense of being part of the culture," he said.

Iopa said WCIT has grown steadily over the past eight years. He said he knew the company had the talent and would succeed, if given the opportunity.

"We knew how to do it, it was we had to convince people that we could do this in our own setting. That was the biggest struggle, getting to the table," Iopa said. "In almost 9.5 cases out of 10, when we got to the table, we won the project."

WCIT's big break came soon after the company was formed, when it was selected to design the remodeling of the old Kona Surf Hotel, now the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa. The deal was contingent upon the partners finding an office, Iopa said.

The partners found a small, 1,300-square-foot space on Kapi'olani Boulevard and hired two employees. WCIT has since moved into 8,000 square feet of office space in the same building, expanded its staff to 50, and added partners Lawrence Cunha, Daniel Kanekuni and Mark Higa.

'LEAN, MEAN MACHINE'

In addition to growing physically, the company has grown financially. In its first year, WCIT brought in about $200,000 in gross income, but last year reported $15.2 million, Iopa said.

Entrepreneur Magazine named WCIT one of its fastest-growing companies in 2006 and 2007, and this year the partnership was presented the U.S. Small Business Administration's "small business persons of the year" honor for Honolulu.

Iopa chuckles when he thinks about the awards because he says he and his partners don't know much about running a business.

"We're not supposed to be good businessmen. We're architects, and quite frankly we don't know what we're doing as businessmen," Iopa said. "We have good advisers and make what we think are common-sense decisions and hope they turn out to be the right ones. We're supposed to have design awards. We're not supposed to have business awards. So we take particular pride in our business awards."

The current downturn in the economy and tourism industry has Iopa concerned. While working for the larger firms, he's seen staffs cut in half because of a drop in business.

But Iopa said he believes WCIT can survive these tough times because of the number of projects already in the works, as well as the business philosophy of the firm.

"We want to run a lean, mean machine," he said. "We tell our people that while we could have two more people on a project, if we work a little bit harder, we'll be a little more successful financially and we'll be able to share that in the busy times. In the lean times, we don't have to downsize because we weren't fat in the boom times."

Iopa said WCIT also is looking to diversify its portfolio outside of the hospitality industry to healthcare and urban-renewal projects. He said he also wants to expand geographically by focusing on projects in Latin America, which is why WCIT recently opened a five-person office in San Francisco.

"There is a stigmatism that Hawai'i can do business in Hawai'i, but Hawai'i can't do business around the world," Iopa said. "What we want to show is Hawai'i can do business around the world, and if it takes opening an office in someplace out of Hawai'i to show that it can be done, then that's what we're doing to do."