San Francisco, California—Studio O+A has announced a restructuring of its management team to improve coordination of the company’s growing project list. Neil Bartley and Elizabeth Guerrero will lead O+A’s two interior design studios, Elizabeth Vereker will head its branding studio, and Steve Gerten will be in charge of business development. All four will support the firm’s principals, Primo Orpilla, Verda Alexander, Perry Stephney, and Denise Cherry.
“The management changes are integral to the company’s future development,” says Cherry. “These four people are part of the creative backbone of our organization, and it’s important to us as a design-first company that we give them the ability to lead and shape the firm.”
Each interiors studio will have a designated team of designers who work as a unit on selected commercial design projects. The branding studio will oversee the company’s expanding graphic and environmental design capabilities and will spearhead O+A’s own marketing efforts. The business development division will focus on growth.
The new management team consolidates some of O+A’s rising talents as the firm settles into its new office on Tehama Street. Neil Bartley has led the charge on projects for clients including Climate Corporation, Marriott, O+A’s pop-up shop Bureau, and the award-winning Giant Pixel project. Elizabeth Guerrero and Steve Gerten have steered some of the firm’s largest projects, for clients including Zazzle, Cisco, and Uber. Elizabeth Vereker, who joined O+A in May, comes to the firm from Embarcadero Partners with a strong background in branding strategy and graphics.
“These new appointments are going to give us the opportunity to expand,” Cherry says. “Expand our design reach with the appointment of Neil and Liz, expand our branding and strategy with Elizabeth, and expand our workload and reach with Steve. By doing that, we have enhanced our capabilities in the four main facets of the design business.”
About Studio O+A
Studio O+A was founded in 1991. With a staff of about 35, the San Francisco– based interior design firm has become well-known for workplace design for technology clients, including eBay, Facebook, PayPal, and Yelp, as well as for companies such as Emergence Capital Partners and Levi Strauss & Co.
