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Celebrating 40 Years • MBH ArcHitecture 5 Humble Beginnings Herlands decided to strike out on his own during a recession in 1973. e firm he worked for was downsizing dramatically. "You never want to start a business in a recession he thought, however, the firm i was with went from 28 down to six. Basically, they were fighting to stay alive. Despite the recession, it seemed like an opportune time to go into business. in my brain, the only thought i ever had was to open my own business," he said. Herlands' one-man shop opened in the basement of his Long island home. in six months he would outgrow the space and open an office in a town close to NYc. His path leading to connecticut would commence when he was awarded several light industrial projects in a connecticut industrial Park. "For three years, from 1976 to 1979, i traveled to connecticut two or three days a week to ser vice clients. As travel increased, my wife would eventually suggest it was time to think about moving because 95 percent of our business was coming from the State of connecticut." Despite starting the firm during a recession and experiencing another recession shortly after relocating to connecticut in 1979, the firm continued to prosper with more light industrial work, retail space design, and high-end residential projects, which became more popular in the mid-80s. A Brief Timeline of MBH ArcHiTecTure >>> 1970 Top Left: Konica Minolta production warehouse, Windsor Top Right: Unisource, Windsor Bottom: Governor's House, Simsbury 1974 Firm moves to offices in Manhasset, NY 1976 Lands major light industrial design projects in cT, which necessitates commuting three days a week. 1979 relocates to Old Mountain rd. in Farmington as focus continues to grow on light industrial design, retail and major residential projects. Within a few months firm grows to three people. 1985 Firm grows to include two associates with Herlands as principal. 1973 Michael B. Herlands leaves an established firm to start Michael B. Herlands Architect in the basement of his Massapequa, NY home.