Compared to the business trends in other industries these days, the construction industry has remained a very physical, hands-on line of work, and for obvious reasons. Contractors can’t work remotely, buildings aren’t built via a chain of emails, and the finished product can’t exist electronically—that is, unless you’re in architecture.
Because so much communication and reporting happens digitally, we’ve found that the location of a project does not affect how we as an architecture firm approach the day-to-day business of designing for our clients. Our work with Graybar, for example, now has locations in fourteen states nationwide, and we’ve been able to establish a process that delivers unparalleled work while also saving Graybar the trouble of finding a new architecture firm in each new state.
Curran’s Graybar project locations (2014)
Like any project, an out-of-state project is not without its challenges. Navigating the local jurisdictions can present a challenge on the front-end, but simply knowing what questions to ask will smooth over many of the initial bumps.
Customer service, too, is a top priority for our out-of-state work. When you can’t shake hands with a client who lives across town, how do you nurture a relationship into something that’s more than just an unread email in your inbox?
Curran’s Firehouse Subs project locations (2014)
Maintaining a high level of responsiveness and client service will always be one of the most important issues to us at Curran as we look beyond our backyard into other states to work with even more national clients. Through our experience working with clients like Firehouse Subs (whose locations are pictured above), we’ve learned that in addition to meticulous planning, long-distance projects also require a little creativity and improvisation—which is true of how we want to treat all of our clients’ projects, no matter how near or far.
“I find the Curran team to be very responsive to our needs with a proactive approach. This has been very helpful in assisting our Corporate Properties Group define our local needs around the country.”
— Kevin Vercauteren, Corporate Properties Manager | Graybar