Carl Schaffer
A Biography
The highly creative, strong-willed and goateed Carl Schaffer’s
architecture career began in the bedroom of his parent’s Long Island, New York home.
There, Schaffer constructed his first design, a futuristic looking environment using
his building blocks and Lego sets. It would take twenty years before he used real
concrete and scaffolding for a life-size concept similar to that one.
Schaffer always had a penchant for improvements and his innate creative sense drove
him to formally educate himself about how design could create more satisfying environments.
He was admitted to the New York Institute of Technology in 1976 and graduated with
a degree in architecture. With his certificate in hand, Schaffer took stock of the
competitive and limited opportunities in New York and explored what existed elsewhere.
At the time, design work in the Sun Belt was booming, so Schaffer decided that a
change of scenery to a less competitive city would be a good first move. Without
thinking any further, Schaffer packed all of his belongings and boarded an airplane
for Phoenix in August, 1978. He connected with a few architects there and worked
on several projects for local corporations and firms in the retail community. All
the while, Schaffer had been developing a new way of looking at retailing. “I wanted
(and still do), want ” says Schaffer, to change the face of retail by bringing entertainment
value into restaurants and retail.” After almost a year of freelancing, his yearning
for recognition and his desire to blueprint his own designs left him unsatisfied.
His “philosophy” ‘raised the brows’ of a small design firm, AAD, who were just beginning
to experiment with interior architecture and roll-outs for the retail, restaurant
and food service markets; that was in 1979.
Former partners David Udkow and Bill Werkart were looking to corner that market and
felt that Schaffer’s visionary ideas and passion for design would transform AAD from
a limited architecture and design firm to one that could conquer the retail market
for years to come.
“I always envisioned that I would be changing the way people look at retail,” Schaffer
said. “Let’s face it, retail stores lacked substance. There was nothing to them,
nothing exciting. I challenged myself when I said that people will enjoy both the
interior and the exterior of food courts, malls, franchises, or anything else I got
my hands on.”
Schaffer and AAD were a match made in architecture heaven. He joined the firm as
a designer and almost instantly transformed the company into a cutting-edge leader
in the retail and food service market. Schaffer’s designs helped many retailers to
establish images that have since become very well known. They range from The Body
Shop and Home Depot, to Nike and Warner Bros. Studio Stores. All of these companies
have benefited from an AAD makeover that directly impacted an increased customer
base and sales.
In 1981, after awards from Visual Merchandising/Store Design and Interior Design
Magazines, recognized AAD as one of the top ten architectural firms in the country,
Carl Schaffer was offered an partnership by Udkow and Werkart. In accepting, he brought
AAD to the next level by instituting state of the art computer facilities that utilize
programs such as CADD drafting, computer graphics and three-dimensional animation.
Today, AAD’s high-tech suite can illustrate in three dimensions and on video how
an entire building, or just a room, will look and feel.
In 1984, Mike Steveson, the company draftsman, was offered a partnership by Udkow
and Werkart. Although he concentrated on the day to day business end of AAD’s operation,
Steveson and Schaffer became friends outside of the office. It’s no wonder, as they
were both trying to do the same thing for AAD -- make a name for the company and
keep the budgets to a minimum. Schaffer says there is a good synergy working with
partner Mike Steveson. “We understand each other,” he says. “I understand that he
handles the business end of the firm and he understands that I handle the designs.”
Schaffer attributes his success with reinventing AAD as specialists in high profile
design to “twenty years of life experience,” In addition, he says that his “fresh
approach” to new projects is what makes the company so desirable to the diverse clients
it represents. “I’m like a sponge when it comes to seeing things and knowing things,”
Schaffer says. “I’m more aware of my surroundings and that benefits any new client
because they want to know that you’re actually thinking of them and the project and
not just trying to win them over. I believe in every idea I have.”
In the early 1990s, Carl and Mike, already partners, were clearly becoming the answer
to AAD’s success story. The two felt that the company needed a change and a fresh
look. They bought out Udkow and Werkart and restructured the firm’s concentration
to big name retail and food service industries.
Schaffer handled more than 500 projects for AAD in the early 1980’s and mid-1990s.
He cites the recent Los Angeles International Airport re-design as his favorite.
Working with Host Marriott Services, Schaffer envisioned an airport where travelers
can escape and shop while waiting for a flight. By adding food service outlets like
Starbuck’s and McDonald’s and designing the store fronts for The Body Shop and the
airport experience is no longer a nightmare. Schaffer’s “changing the face of LAX”
led to more than a dozen other airport re-designs and have generated millions of
dollars in revenue for the respectful cities. Clients such as Planet Hollywood and
Universal Studios have attracted a considerable amount of attention to the firm and
Schaffer plans to keep moving in that direction.
Schaffer’s philospohy is just as strong today as it was twenty years ago. He believes
that being in touch with technology gives him a headstart over his competitors. Adding
the most up to date computers and programs will make the design job easier for him
and save money for his clients in the long run. For the future, however, Schaffer
will be concentrating on the new millennium. “The millennium is going to be a big
deal. Corporations are looking for a new identity. Everyone is looking for a fresh
start.”
Carl Schaffer lives with his wife and two children in Scottsdale, just a couple of
miles from AAD’s offices. In their spare time, the Schaffer’s take to skiing at their
home in Park City, Utah.
# # #