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ALTHOUGH
it has already made a name in the international
architectural horizon, Aidea Philippines, under the
aegis of president and chief executive officer Abelardo
Tolentino Jr., remains low-key while producing excellent
output.
“I
believe the branding of Aidea is being humble and
competent. In short, the work and reputation will speak
for itself,” says Tolentino, the recipient of the
Outstanding Thomasian Alumni award in Architecture for
2008.
 Manufacturing
giant Procter and Gamble (P&G) is one of Aidea’s major
clients. It is designing the company’s head office in
Rome and the research and development center in Beijing.
Aidea is also handling the designing requirements of P&G
in Poland, Croatia, Switzerland and Dubai.
The
partnership started when P&G’s Philippine subsidiary
commissioned Aidea to do an architectural design for
them. The first project was a small extension of the
company’s building in Cabuyao, Laguna.
On the
local side, Aidea is handling Ayala projects such as the
Serendra, Alveo (formerly Community Innovations), San
Lazaro redevelopment and the University of the
Philippines science and technology park.
Besides
architecture design, Aidea does interior design,
planning and graphic environments.
In an
interview with the BusinessMirror, Tolentino says he was
surprised to get the prestigious award because the other
nominees were accomplished UST graduates in
architecture. “Probably, they find something unique in
what we’re doing in Aidea,” surmises Tolentino.
With its
focus on the global market, Tolentino says the challenge
is to hire more competent people. After getting the
right people, Tolentino leads in developing the teamwork
to put up a family spirit in the company.
Putting
a family spirit in the workplace, according to Tolentino,
makes the members closer. “It’s our belief that if we
work as a group, we can achieve something,” says
Tolentino, one of the 14 finalists for the 2007
Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Through
Aidea, Tolentino says they want to tell Filipinos that
they don’t need to work outside the Philippines to reach
greener pastures. The most important thing, according to
Tolentino, is to find the niche that is geared for the
global market.
“We want
to change people’s thinking as far as working outside
the Philippines is concerned. There are good
opportunities in staying in the Philippines while
focusing on the global market,” Tolentino points out.
At
present, Aidea now has 130 personnel, compared with just
35 in 2003. “It’s been quite a good run and scary
sometimes because we are growing so fast,” says
Tolentino.
On the
possibility of a slowdown in the property sector,
Tolentino says Aidea believes consistency is the key to
be stable; quality always sells, he stresses, whether in
bad or good times. Pursuing quality in their work will
lead to repeat clients from the ranks of those who first
availed themselves of Aidea’s expertise.
He says
Aidea also relies on the referrals of previous clients
to expand their reach in the market.
Simple
but crucial insights from a low-key player that’s earned
global respect. No wonder he’s tagged among the best
Thomasians. |
