Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Gross
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In early 2016 I left my 20-year career as a Civil Engineer. It was time for something different. Among other pursuits, I looked into buying a business and came across a listing for “Architectural Products”, which instantly caught my eye. My wife and I had just remodeled and expanded our nearly 50 year old home and the process had rekindled my childhood interest in architecture.
Once I learned more about the business, Two Hills Studio, its lasting imprint on Austin (and elsewhere), and its founder, Architect Britt Medford, I was hooked. The opportunity to get involved in custom manufacturing and carry on a legacy was really motivating.
While I had no experience in manufacturing, lighting design, or small business ownership, I felt my long and varied civil engineering career, including roles managing multi-million and billion dollar projects, along with an eye for design, actually prepared me well to step in as owner, manager, designer.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My tenure running Two Hills Studio has been marked by constant ‘headwinds’. It started on day 1 when my predecessor introduced me to the team and his – now my – key employee, the Design Associate, broke down crying and quit on the spot because, after 20 years, he felt betrayed and feared he’d have to take on more responsibility since I was new. The loss of this key employee with all his institutional knowledge definitely steepened my learning curve!
Then, after a 2 month transition with my predecessor, he retired and passed away 4 weeks later. He was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer during our negotiations, so it wasn’t a surprise, but coupled with the Design Associate’s unexpected departure, left me on my own to figure it all out.
Then there was the COVID pandemic that shut us down for 4 weeks (fortunately, the construction industry was able to obtain an exemption to stay-at-home rules and we were able to reopen, too, because we’re a part of the industry) and led to countless other difficulties.
Then there was the local/national/international supply-chain disruptions, combined with rapidly rising inflation, that created all sorts of problems, from drawing out lead times, to spending much more time sourcing everything, to keeping our pricing apace of rising costs.
As you know, we’re big fans of Two Hills Studio. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Two Hills Studio was founded in 1987 by architect Britt Medford to create decorative light fixtures for architects and designers that are easily customized to a project. Since then the product line has expanded to offer other complimentary metalwork such as vent hoods, cabinet door panels, mirror frames, and other architectural decorations.
Our work blends metals in various finishes with glass, acrylic, mica, and mirror. While our fixtures look great during the daytime, our trademark light and shadow patterns give a dramatic effect when illuminated. Everything we create is handcrafted in our Austin studio by our talented craftspeople.
We work primarily in copper, brass, and galvanized steel for smaller format fixtures and welded steel and aluminum for the big stuff.
Our products are specified for a wide variety of projects such as, custom residences, multi-family developments, office buildings, retail stores, shopping centers, banks, restaurants, religious projects, retirement communities, movie theaters, hotels, and casinos, etc., and are shipped all over the country.
While we are a manufacturer, Two Hills Studio is really all about providing a service to our clients. Most projects are addressing a need or solving a problem and our specialty is designing and manufacturing solutions. We go to great lengths to support our clients during scoping/specifying, production, installation, and maintenance. Whether it’s designing large scale chandeliers so they can be safely transported and installed or timing our finishing process so a designer can approve on-site, we thrive on service.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://twohillsstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_hills_studio/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twohillsstudio
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotthgross/
Image Credits
Andrea_Calo_0281.jpg credit to Andrea Calo
Andrea_Calo_1965 (resize).jpg credit to Andrea Calo
Andrea_Calo_0252 (resize).jpg credit to Andrea Calo
Dave & Lisa Palmer_P120-1.jpg credit to Dave & Lisa Palmer
