#WeAreMBH
Teamwork
At MBH, succeeding means helping others to do the same. We do high quality work because that is our character, but we do high quality work at MBH because of our teams and the MBH family. We believe that the team is greater than the sum of the parts and value the talent and perspective each MBH employee brings to the team. We may move at a fast pace, but we make it a priority to support one another and have some fun along the way. Afterall, a team that plays together, stays together. We save our competitive streak for where it really counts, whether it be fun events like our annual Halloween costume contest or waffle-off or more serious business, like beating out the competition on an international design competition.
Life at MBH
Growth & Opportunity
Having a supportive team empowers our employees to create their own path and explore their unique interests. We are a group of creative problem solvers who share a multifaceted view of the architectural practice. Challenges allow us to grow, and firm leadership believes in an egalitarian approach to opportunity. We have an immersive knowledge sharing program to enable employees’ professional development and several interest-based practice groups that encourage employees to explore their passions.
Social Impact
Service to others has been at the core of MBH culture since the firm was founded more than 30 years ago. A member of the US Navy and a lifelong philanthropist, Founding Principal John McNulty cultivated the firm’s devotion to social justice work and continues to instill this ethos to this day.
Building More Just Communities Together
Children from disadvantaged communities are often denied opportunities to cultivate creative practices, which can develop into creative careers. With this in mind, McNulty became involved with the Good Tidings Foundation and holds a long-standing position on the board of the organization. Together with the Good Tidings and LeRoy Neiman Foundations, MBH designs art, music, and athletic spaces for children in underserved communities across the US. The programs, which are often contained in public schools or community centers that lost funding in struggling communities, are endowed by the Good Tidings Foundation, which ensures supplies, staff pay and operational costs for the entire life of the space. MBH has designed the spaces found in this gallery:
Community Partnerships
In addition to the Good Tidings Foundation, the firm also supports several other non-profit organizations. The firm’s first client in 1989 was On Lok Lifeways, a non-profit organization providing resources for the elderly to age in place in their communities, including non-English speaking populations. On Lok has supported the firm since its early days, and MBH is a lifelong supporter of On Lok Lifeways. MBH has assisted On Lok in building spaces throughout the Bay Area and provides monetary support for the organization.
The firm’s staff are encouraged to become drivers of philanthropic work and subsequently have developed an internal committee devoted to supporting and creating opportunities for volunteerism. Often combining a love for design with other passions, employees have engaged in both long and short term philanthropic work:
For the firm’s milestone anniversaries, the entire firm engages in a day of service to our local communities.
Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Our identity as a firm is shaped by our collective efforts and shared values. At MBH, we believe that our work benefits from diverse perspectives and have strived to create an inclusive culture since day one. At the time of our last internal survey, our firm represented 28 countries and 31 different languages, and approximately 60% of our staff identified as female. MBH is a certified Minority-Owned Business Enterprise, and we are incredibly proud of having an ownership team that reflects both the diversity of the firm and the values we hold dear.
Employees often engage in cultural celebrations together at work – sharing their own traditions for Nowruz (Persian New Year), Lunar New Year, Mabuhay Luncheon (celebration of Filipino holiday traditions), and diversity potlucks to name a few. While we take great pride in this differentiator within our industry, we also recognize the enormous strides the firm must take towards creating a more equitable organization, industry, and world.
In recognition of the systemic racism that plagues our society and in particular black communities, MBH formed the Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Taskforce to assist the firm in making progress on the following goals:
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Continue to expand MBH’s social impact work and develop new opportunities to assist in fighting injustice in our communities
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Increase African American representation in the practice of architecture through education, opportunity and support
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Have dialogue within the MBH community and be advocates of fairness, equality, and justice in our everyday lives
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Explore opportunities that encourage diversity and inclusion within the MBH organization
For more of MBH's culture, check out our social media accounts linked below.
