Working Together: The Spice Of Life

More than two million married couples work together adding a certain sweetness to life.
By Rebecca Esparza

Ask any married couple for the “how did you meet” story and you are bound to get two different versions. Corpus Christi-based architects Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA and husband David Richter, FAIA are no different.

“She asked me if I liked Chinese food,” David says, as he recalls their college days at the University of Texas in Austin.

“Actually, I asked if you liked spicy food,” Elizabeth interjected playfully.

Smiling, David replied, “Okay, spicy food. I grew up in South Texas. Of course I liked spicy food, I told her!”

The only problem was that he wasn’t quite prepared for her infamous spicy curry chicken. Elizabeth and her family emigrated to the United States from Hong Kong when she was 13.

“I just ate it and wept,” he laughs, with Elizabeth chuckling alongside. “The rest is history.”

The Richters are not your normal married couple. They are also principals at Richter Architects, a 16-person architecture and design firm. David serves as president of the company and Elizabeth is CEO.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than two million husband and wife business partnerships existed ten years ago. Although reliable current statistics are not readily available because most companies owned by couples choose one person for legal ownership purposes, most data implies the numbers are on the increase.

Marriage experts say successful co-executives (executives who work for the same company) find harmony at work and at home by understanding each other’s nuances before heading into the workplace.

That’s something that Elizabeth says is not a problem where they are concerned, especially after 33 years of marriage.

”For us, it’s about keeping a goal in front of you. We share the same desired goal, so we stay open to each other’s suggestions. Keeping an open mind is critical to how you are able to get along,” Elizabeth says of working alongside her spouse.

“We’re two people really committed to see it through and we’re both strong people,” adds David. “I think we are also very thoughtful of each other.”

The Richters say they have seen a growing trend in husbands and wives working together, even in architecture. “When we were in school, I would say less than ten percent of the students were women,” notes Elizabeth. “Today, that number is more than 50 percent.”

David adds the same holds true in other previously male-dominated professions. “It’s probably true in the medical field, as well.”

While both graduated from the University of Texas in 1974, David immediately joined the firm now known as Richter Architects the year after, and by 1979 was named Design Principal. Elizabeth chose to stay home to raise their three children and the day their youngest entered grade school, she began work at the firm.

Two of their children work in the business, while their youngest, Michael, is a third-year medical student. Eldest Maya is starting a Houston office for Richter Architects, while Elissa works at a design firm in New York City. “We didn’t discourage their entry into the business,” adds Elizabeth, of their daughters’ choice to become architects themselves. “But we didn’t encourage it, either. I think they must have picked it up by osmosis.”

The architecture profession is diverse, say the Richters, and helps make their lives more dynamic and fluid. “It calls for technical skills, but also requires a well-rounded business person. Because of that we can cross-train and interchange hats,” David says.
And they are no strangers to long hours, either. “It’s not uncommon for us to have a 12 or 13 hour work day,” he adds.
“If we didn’t work together, we’d hardly see each other,” Elizabeth jokes.

So with such crazy hours and the demanding rigors of designing award-winning landmarks like Texas Travel Information Centers in Amarillo, Harlingen and Gainesville, the Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz International Center in Corpus Christi, the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, and countless other projects ranging from religious to private to commercial, do they recommend this as a career choice?

“Architecture is a wonderful profession, but I almost never recommend it because it takes a special calling,” David explains thoughtfully. “I think it is the most wonderful thing you could do, but it takes a special kind of chemistry to pull it off.”

So accomplishing demanding work with your spouse by your side may appear to make things more complicated, but they don’t disagree over design.

“It’s odd to say that, I know. But with almost no effort, when it comes to design issues or really any issues that affect our clients, we always come to a consensus. This is something a client doesn’t have to worry about,” he assures.

Elizabeth adds it requires a special commitment, but in some ways is no different than any other business partnership, built on trust and give-and-take principles. “We start at our strengths and work our way up from there.”

“We have other interests we share, too!” she laughed. “We talk about economics, history and sports. It’s truly a rich life. We happen to work together, but we also share the same interests. We can always have an interesting conversation.”

David agrees, and says they enjoy doing things together outside of work that also require being in total sync. “We enjoy riding a tandem bicycle. We’ve participated in several biking-related fundraising events. For us, there is no fine line between work and play.”

Therefore, the couple agrees work is talked about at home and vice versa, but one never takes over the other. “It’s not like its omnipresent, but by the same token it’s not like normal people who work at different places,” he says matter-of-factly.

“I think we are extremely lucky to work together because we get to spend so much time together,” adds Elizabeth.

At the end of the day, while working together could spell trouble for a lot of couples, it works extremely well for the Richters, who complement each other both in and out of the boardroom.

“She is an amazing cook,” marvels David, as Elizabeth looks on with pride. “She can whip up the most elaborate meals in a moment’s notice. I do the dishes, though. I do my part.”