George Little, HDR’s president of engineering, hesitates when asked to name a favorite project or two.

The airy offices of klipp in downtown Denver contrast mightily with the drab �slice of an office� that founding principal Brian Klipp describes as his first. Slide Show Brian Klipp In 1979, when he was 29, Klipp launched his own practice, hiring only a part-time receptionist, making the drafting tables himself and furnishing the remainder of the office from his apartment. “Yes, ignorance is bliss,” he says. “I charged in.” Klipp also set the phone book on his desk and started calling possible contacts and clients, A to Z. Now, 30 years later, Klipp and his architecture, planning and interiors

Randy Thorne, president of RTA Architects, Colorado Springs, fondly remembers original firm-founder Leland B. Roberts. “He taught me that service is number one,” Thorne says. “It will make you successful if you make it a priority.” Slide Show Photo: LaCasse Photography Related Links: Top Design Firms Top Architectural Firm of 2009 Top Engineering Firm of 2009 Thorne is a quick study. Since 1996, RTA has swelled from four people to its current 46. It is ranked as the largest architectural firm in southern Colorado by the Colorado Springs Business Journal and the eighth largest in the state by Colorado Construction