Meet Our Team

Located in Long Beach California, KARDENT offers clients the flexibility and creativity of a small boutique with the expertise and resources of a larger firm.

KARDENT is a commercial architecture and interior design firm that places a high value on client experiences. Located in Long Beach California, KARDENT offers clients the flexibility and creativity of a small boutique with the expertise and resources of a larger firm. For more than a decade, KARDENT has been earning client trust by becoming an extension of their teams. With projects completed in 15 states and growing, KARDENT provides services to tenants, owners, and brokers. 

Listed on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work”, we are more than a team, we are a family that likes to work hard and play hard. The value that we place upon our company culture and employees is reflected daily in our work.

K . AR. DENT

/ka/ ‘ardent/

(adj) meaning very enthusiastic or passionate. KARDENT is devoted to our promise to always be Better Together as a true partner. Our core values of transparency, trust, and value are rooted in our daily work and reflected in the experience that clients and employees have each and every day. We pride ourselves on client relationship longevity, which comes from living out our core values. Being “K-Ardent” is a way of life for our team. Our passion and enthusiasm is the same for all clients, no matter the size of the project.

Our core values are grounded in transparency, trust, and value – and our brand promise is to always be Better Together as a true partner.

A Message from the President

Welcome! I’m excited you are here, learning about what the KARDENT team can do for you.

Of course, I realize that there are plenty of Architecture and Interior Design firms in Southern California, but I have always felt that our company could offer something different. My goal and my partners’ goals have always been to achieve happy clients, from the very start of your project to long after you have moved in. We love what we do and its reflected daily.

Success to me is the value we provide our clients. Never underestimate the value of doing great work. Word of mouth is how we have been able to grow our business and we couldn’t be prouder. Our organization is ideally suited for businesses of every size.

A design firm is only as good as the members of the creative team and KARDENT is proud to offer a talented group of seasoned professionals who take great pride in their work. We have the best Architects, Designers, and Construction Managers so that we can offer our clients top-quality service. We place a high value on office culture, and it starts here. Voted “Best Places to Work” didn’t come by accident; we strive to have a work environment that reflects who we are. We enjoy what we do and we make the process of building out your new space enjoyable.

We welcome the opportunity to learn about your business and identify the strategy that best supports your needs. Please contact us to discuss how our full-service Architecture and Interior Design team can help take your office to the next level.

KARDENT'S History

KARDENT was founded in 2010 as a commercial architecture and interior design firm by Richard Dilday, Jodi Reese, Wayne Tweddle AIA, Pat Rass AIA, Karen Nixon and Valerie D’Ordine. After working with each other for more than a decade, the founders came together to form KARDENT after realizing they all shared common goals — their clients are truly partners and they hold themselves to a gold-standard of service. Their motto, “Better Together”, was created out of this shared honest approach to their work and clients. For more than a decade now, KARDENT has completed a variety of successful projects in commercial, industrial, recreational, religious, hospitality and special-use projects.

In 2022, Richard Dilday passed away, leaving a legacy of creativity and high standards that the team is still inspired by daily. The firm’s founding core values remain as a strong foundation today, focused on customer service, principal involvement in every project and mentoring of emerging leaders in the architectural community.

We wished happy retirement upon Wayne, Pat (2015) and Karen (2021). Their impact on the firm was profound and we are grateful for their contributions.

Jodi Reese assumed leadership as President and Chief Creative Officer after Mr. Dilday’s passing, and will continue to model his legacy of leadership. Valerie D’Dordine also remains as a partner, CFO and Controller.

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