Manica Architecture: Lean Team, Global Impact

Manica Architecture takes on world class projects with a lean team and a relationship driven mindset.

From its Kansas City headquarters, Manica Architecture designs sport and entertainment venues around the world. Its portfolio includes NFL stadiums in Las Vegas and Nashville and an NBA arena in San Francisco, along with projects for top European soccer clubs and stadiums in China and Russia.

The projects are massive. The firm behind them is not.

With about 25 employees, including a small team in London, Manica specializes in the early stages of the design process, partnering with larger firms to carry these projects through final design and construction.

“We start with a blank piece of paper and listen closely to understand what our client wants,” explained David Manica, who spent 13 years at a large, global design firm before launching his eponymous practice in 2007. “From there, we move into design development, where that vision is translated into a clear direction for the project.”

At any given time, the firm may be working on four to five different projects, usually in different stages of development. “We often say no to projects,” Manica explained. “I would rather say yes to the right project than yes to all projects.”

“The way we work, there’s really no one between me and the client,” Manica said. “That focus allows us to maintain a level of personal involvement that would be difficult to replicate at a larger scale.” This approach has also helped build the firm’s international reputation.

Choosing a bank on day one.

Manica’s personalized, nimble approach shapes not only how he serves his clients but also what he looks for in his own collaborators, including his bank.

He found the bank for his new business when he walked into the Commerce Bank branch link opens in a new window across the street from his home in 2007. His former bank didn’t offer business accounts, so he decided to start fresh.

“I met a couple of people that day and told them what I wanted to do and my aspirations for the company,” Manica said. “They were as excited for me as I was.”

That initial meeting turned into a relationship that has lasted nearly two decades. “In a bank, I look for many things — the ability to manage funds online internationally and handle banking issues after hours or when I’m in a different time zone,” he said. “But what matters most to me is the personal attention that Commerce gives me.”

In practice, that means direct access to people who understand Manica’s business and can respond quickly. “Whether I need a wire transfer or a way to manage all my accounts in one place, they make it happen,” he said. “I can pick up the phone and call someone at Commerce on the business or personal side, and it’s taken care of. They feel like part of my team.”

That personal connection has been a defining part of the relationship.

“Commerce has been on this journey with me from day one,” he said. “I still work with some of the people at the bank I met that first day, and that means a lot. When there isn’t much turnover, you can build relationships and maintain trust over a long period of time.”

For Manica, the connection between how he runs his business and how his bank operates is clear.

“They make my life easier,” he said. “The personalized service that I get from Commerce means everything to me.”

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