The U.S. Small Business Administration has selected Donald I. King as Region 10's 2007 Minority Small Business Person of the Year. King owns Donald King Architects, a Seattle-based firm that provides professional services in site master planning, facilities planning, architectural design, interior design, construction document production and program management.
"The business opened in 1985 with one employee and has grown to 23 in 2007," said Nancy Gilbertson, SBA district director.
"DKA believes that sharing their professional expertise to benefit the greater good is important. That is why giving back to the community has been a major focus of the company which has contributed hundreds of hours to neighborhood planning and improvement efforts over the years."
Small Business Administration Region 10 comprises the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
The firm was honored for its commitment to community involvement activities and its environmentally and socially responsible design philosophy. A member of the U.S. Green Building Council, DKA's staff members help educate clients about the benefits of sustainable design practices and ways to create high performance buildings. The goal is to improve sustainability without sacrificing reliability, flexibility or maintainability.
Staff members say the firm's commitment to cultural and ethnic diversity in its staff, clients and user groups is key to helping the firm deliver better results for clients.
Donald King is an active member of the African American Partners for Prosperity; the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees; and the Trade Development Alliance Advisory Committee.
