Awarded Shore Christian Academy

IONIC was recently awarded a new 22,000 square foot private christian school on the Eastern Shore. We look forward to working with the great people in Exmore.

Recycled Architecture

What in the world is recycled architecture? Have you ever drove down the road and saw an old building just sitting there vacant and barren? Unfortunately this has been happening more and more these days across the country from main street to the suburbs. Structures built in the prime for uses that are no longer appealing to the consumer or potential tenant to house their businesses. It might have been a restaurant at one time or even a retail store. Now it sits empty waiting for nature to slowly erode away at the structure and eventually leaving nothing else to do but scrape and rebuild.

This seems wasteful. Isn't there something else we could possibly do? Sure there is recycle the building. Over the last few years IONIC has been asked more and more to do "renovations" to existing structures. It is pretty common to but a new facade onto a fast food restaurant or update the entrance to a retail complex.  We have been involved in our fair share of those projects with great success. But that isn't what we are talking about when we mention RECYCLE.

We are talking about taking an existing structure intended for one use and re-purposing it for another. If it was a retail facility, it becomes a library.  If it was a day old bakery, it becomes a restaurant. In our economic fabric these days, as a consumer we want to go and use brand new facilities.  As a wise tenant, we demand better facilities to house our businesses. After all, an attractive facility often times relates to more business which means a stronger business and financially stronger. It is just what is expected.

Before Exterior

At IONIC we took an old shopping center near main street in Gloucester that was nearly 80% vacant and re purposed the structure with new uses. The vacant 22,000 square foot grocery store became the new county library. The 36,000 square foot vacate department store now houses multiple small offices and businesses within it's new interiors.

Before Interior

Recycled Interior

Recycled After



Before

IONIC's team of designers and architects worked with a group of contractors to transform a vacate day old bakery structure into the popular biker themed restaurant in Virginia Beach Knucklehead Roadhouse. Keeping most of the structure in place the interiors were massive transformations while the exterior was altered enough to accommodate the new use.  In this case by adding an exterior dining patio.

Recycled After



Before

Some times more of the structure is modified leaving little recognition of what remained previously. Currently near completion in the city of the busiest part of Virginia Beach lies Town Center Crossing. You remember the old Fuddrucker's restaurant? Yep they had some great hamburgers. Unfortunately every time I visited for lunch I was the one of only a few there. Now the site hosts 15,000 square feet of new retail and seeks becoming the first LEED Certified Retail project in Virginia Beach. Over 80% of the existing restaurant structure was maintained while there was an addition incorporated into the design as well.


Recycled After

One of the most necessary changes was the conversion of a former funeral home into a small office complex. The obvious need to change the perception of the former wooden structure to something that never reminded anyone that there once was a funeral parlor where your conference room now exists. We added the necessary expansion, dormers for natural lighting and a vertical circulation tower house the stairs and the elevator shaft. Even though the owner and builder didn't necessarily follow all of our recommendations, including colors, it was certainly a massive change  and recycled project.

Before

Before

Recycled Version.....not entirely what owner built

Should you find yourself needing some recycling of your existing facilities, please contact Ionic DeZign Studios for some ideas and concepts.  Real Estate Brokers, let us help your clients obtain new leases with a new re purposed facility. www.ionicdezigns.com

Breakfast of (Business) Champions

There is an old saying, "The early bird gets the worm." or "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." as a young man, I can tell you I used to sleep in all the time.  I couldn't possibly get up early if my life depended on it. However I thought I was making up the difference by working late each night.  I could stay up into the wee hours of the night/morning working on whatever was at hand.  Trouble with that is there isn't very many people (in the business world) that are up that late with you.  Flash forward a few decades and now I am no longer a young man...young at heart, YES.....however in body...that is another thing.  It screams out that it is tired all the time. I seem to make my way to bed before 10PM most nights.  Many nights before 9PM....and yes sometimes I just plain give up and am in bed by 8PM.

Mornings now are completely different. I haven't used an alarm clock in years.  My body wakes up everyday 5 minutes til 6AM or earlier.  Often times I am awake at 5:30. It could be the "old man syndrome" The old man syndrome is talked about more in my personal blog if you care to read up on what all entails becoming an old man.....it includes women too. Or maybe it is my common business sense telling me that I need to get up and begin work.  Start taking care of all the emails, internet marketing, blog posts and more. A cup of coffee or two sitting in bed and my laptop pecking away at the keys writing a new story or firing off some emails about the duties of the day.

Once I have read up on all the significant News I can possibly be interested in, I will often jump up and go for a short run.  Yes, I need to be more consistent at this part of my life, but I am working on it. I would like to say I am following after many others that are considered great successes in business.

Former Oxygen Channel CEO Gerry Laybourne is often up by 6AM and out the door 30 minutes later walking in Central Park. She claims that, "If someone is up early in the morning then they are serious about life." I guess the question for us is are we serious about life? Then the next question is define serious or even define life. That is a quantum consideration that maybe we will need a few cups of coffee to pontificate some.

Virgin America CEO David Cush described his morning routine as waking up at 4:15AM, sends emails, calls business associates on the East Coast, and that's before listening to Dallas sports radio, reading the paper and hitting the bike at the gym. Apple CEO Time Cook also finds himself up and at the gym by 4:30AM. I would say that certainly paid off well for him as he recently was named the highest paid CEO in the San Francisco Bay area at $375M for 2011. I think that morning exercise helps to get the blood pumping in your body and flowing to your mind to assist in all those important decision making processes. After all, more than likely you would have had to make a few important decisions if you are planning to be considered "successful". Success can be measured in many ways. It isn't always the amount of money you make that means you are successful. Again, read some of my blog posts in my personal blog called ET THIS I BELIEVE.

All of your big decisions should be made early in the day  Why, You ask? I believe that we have a finite supply of "decision-making power" meaning that all of the small decisions add up quickly and use up our super powers. Consider it your super powers, if you don't recharge your brain power, the villains of the economic world will capture you and and subject you to their scheme to conquer the world......errr...or maybe you just wont make the best of decisions that day. Maybe it is best to set up the critical meetings the first thing in the morning. Other meetings that require less input can possibly be put off to later in the afternoon.

At IONIC, we schedule our production meetings in the mornings.  It is a time where all the architects, designers and project managers get together in a round table setting and update the status of their projects.  It is important to communicate where we are and if there are any struggles we are having with certain issues. The team can then combine their efforts if needed to resolve the problem. Not only do we schedule for the first of the day but also early in the week. It help set the plan in motion (in a good way) for the tasks needed to be accomplished all week long.

Being rested and fresh helps the brain function at the highest level.  Later in the day I am more tired and even dragging at times. Even the wisest people won’t make good choices when they’re not rested and their glucose is low, That’s why the truly wise don’t restructure the company at 4 p.m. They don’t make major commitments during the cocktail hour. And if a decision must be made late in the day, they know not to do it on an empty stomach. This makes good sense to me as a diabetic, when my blood sugar drops, I probably will be more likely to make rash decisions or comments.

Christie's CEO Steve Murphy turns to poet William Blake for inspiration on how to start his day: "'Think in the morning, act in the noon, read in the evening, and sleep at night.' This has made a huge difference in my life."  He says that thinking and planning in the morning makes him strategic and proactive, rather than reactive. How about that plan.....a plan for thinking! Another idea is to "sleep on it" which aligns with psychologists' recommendations for complex decision making. This is always sound advice. We have learned that when we are about to make a big purchase we think and pray about it before moving ahead.  We tell the salesman that we will sleep on it.  They always say, " It might not be here tomorrow." and we always respond, "Then I guess that helps me make our decision whether it was right or not for us." Plan your moves and your decisions. Sometimes your conscious attention is limited, you should enlist the help of your unconscious. Dream a little dream!

Speaking of Prayer....let's enlist the best to assist us in making decisions, The Lord! Hain Celestial Group CEO Irwin Simon accomplishes more before 9AM than most people do all day. He wakes up at 5AM, going through emails and calling operations in Europe and Asia. He also prays, walks the dog and exercises before his kids wake up. He arrives at his office in Long Island usually after squeezing in a breakfast meeting in Manhattan as well. Combining all the best...Prayer, Exercise, Kids and a good breakfast.

Stress should be avoided as well. The most successful people conserve willpower by developing effective habits and routines in school and at work so that they reduce the amount of stress in their lives. They use their self-control not to get through crises but to avoid them. They give themselves enough time to finish a project; they take the car to the shop before it breaks down. They make their big decisions in the morning, before decision fatigue sets in.

Successful people make time for adequate sleep, eating healthfully and exercising.

Benjamin Franklin would wake up at 5AM and say to himself, "What good shall I do this day?" That is an excellent thought for the first moment of each day....What GOOD shall I do?

www.ionicdezigns.com

Rumble in the Jungle

Join IONIC and many others from Hampton Roads as we gather at the Norfolk Zoo to Mix n Mingle with HRACRE.  We look forward to seeing everyone there.  Give us a shout if you are going to be there. We will have a special treat for you.

Behind the Red Door

I recently read an article about the color you choose for your front door and how it may send a message about your personality and the atmosphere inside your home. Here are some of the comments from the article below:

What does your front door say about you?

According to the Paint Quality Institute, your front-door color is a key to your personality as well as to the atmosphere inside your home.

"Like a necktie, which is the focal point of an outfit, the front door is the focal point of the home," writes Debbie Zimmer, the editor of the institute's newsletter. "The color there sends a strong message – in the case of the front door, providing insight into how we view our home."

And just what do those color choices say?

Paint Quality Institute doesn't comment on white, a color that may communicate "This is how the door came, and I didn't care enough about my home's exterior to change it." I am sending this message with my back doors. My front door sends a similar message: "I came with the house, and my owner is too busy writing to paint me another color."

Maybe your front door is speaking more eloquently. If you have a bright-colored front door, here is the message you may be sending, according to the paint people:

Red: You've chosen the color of passion. Your door says the home inside is vibrant and "full of life, energy and excitement."

Green: Your home is a place of health, safety, tranquility and harmony. This is a popular color.

Blue: This color, which may be the most popular, connotes home as sanctuary. A blue front door signifies that the home is calm, serene and relaxing.

Black: This color doesn't signify depression or mourning but power. The owner of a black front door is sending a message of strength, sophistication and authority. His home is a serious place "inhabited by a person of substance."

Brown: Uh-oh. This color carries a mixed message. A brown front door, either painted or stained, may convey warmth, stability and reliability. Or maybe not. A dark-brown front door suggests a desire for privacy and isolation. Changing your front-door color is a quick way to add curb appeal.

Okay so many of you have seen our designs and the way we often use some unusual colors for various accents.  What does all the other colors have to say? Some of our favorite colors are:

LIME GREEN: Is it the same as regular green? I don't think so.  Lime says inspirational, sustainable, but yet bold and lacking fear.

PURPLE: We use purple a lot in our work.  Purple is a sign of Royalty and richness.

CRANBERRY: Not the same as purple nor red.  It is it's own color family in my opinion.  I recently said in a previous post that Cranberry was the new color for 2012.  Cranberry I even painted my front door this color.  Used it to accent our house during last Christmas.  Cranberry has a bit of royalty in it along with sophistication and warmth.

ORANGE: Wow...would you really paint your front door orange? Maybe....you never can tell.  Orange says that you are playful, cheerful and just plain happy all the time.  It could also mean that you went to a school like Oklahoma State and it is your school colors!

YELLOW: There are so many different shades of Yellow/Gold that can be used for everything. The brighter the yellow the more playful and sun-worship like you may feel. The darker the yellow the warmer you feel and richer it comes across to others. Yellow certainly inspires happiness and open feelings. I think many of the shades of Yellow can be used together as well.  I have several different color stripes on my living room wall doing that very thing.  It works!

Those are just the colors of your front door.  I would love to try out other ideas that relate to materials.  What about GLASS doors? How about a silver metallic door like STAINLESS STEEL or ALUMINUM? What about CORE TEN STEEL.....with a bit of RUST? I think we could have some fun......what would these materials say about you?

Have some fun my friends and experiment with color in your latest projects.  Enjoy the color pallets!

The Best Worst Idea is your Business Plan

Didn't they always tell you that you needed a business plan?

Just read this blog post by Chuck Blakeman.....good stuff.

One of the worst things you can ever do is write a business plan. But easily the worst thing you could do is follow it. It’s a great way to go out of business. It’s the 97% rule.




97% of all businesses leave their prime objective in order to find the thing that eventually makes them money. Good businesses almost always start with a bad plan.


You just can’t make this stuff up.


Harmonica Tuners Gave us Silicon Valley


In the late 1930’s two guys started a company for $538 and were messing around in a garage. They made an automated bowling lane violator, a harmonica tuner, an automated toilet bowl flusher and a few other stupid products. Somebody came along with something called an oscillator and asked them to build it. They didn’t think it was a very good idea, but that bad idea became the first thing they made money at – HP was born and became the foundation of silicon valley.

Model Rockets Gave us the First Personal Computer  In the very early 70’s a couple guys were messing around with a simple automated launching system for model rockets. They put the kit in a magazine and thought they would sell a few dozen. They sold thousands. They used that experience to focus more on technology than on model rockets. In 1975 they put another kit in a magazine for something called the Altair 8800, and thought they would sell a few dozen. It was the first personal computer and it sold thousands. They ended up building the kits and selling them as finished computers. Five years later this stuff became the basis for Microsoft’s Altair BASIC language.


HP Gave us Apple


Around the same time some 12 year old kid called HP and demanded to talk directly with Bill Hewlett because he wanted to buy parts (for his Altair?). Bill took the call, was really impressed and a few years later gave the kid an internship. Later in his life that kid, Steve Jobs, who also met Steve Wozniak at HP, said, “Without HP, there would be no Apple.”


Xerox’s Business Plan Gave Apple the GUI


In 1979 Jobs visited Xerox and saw something called a graphical user interface – GUI. Xerox invented it but couldn’t find it on their business plan, so they sold it to Jobs for $50,000. Bill Gates visited Apple later and poached the idea.


All of this, from the 1930s to the 1980s involving a few dozen people from all walks of life in many different places, came together to give us the personal computer. It wasn’t on a business plan, and the only guys with a business plan – Xerox – ignored it because it wasn’t on their business plan.


Bagels or Ice Cream?


Ben and Jerry make ice cream. What few people know is that the ONLY reason they make ice cream is that a bagel machine was too expensive. They were all set to go into the bagel business but hadn’t bothered to price out the machine. When they did, they found out an ice cream machine would be cheaper, so they did that instead. Wasn’t on the business plan.


Panty Lines or Millions of Dollars?


Sara Blakely looked in the mirror just a few years ago and saw panty lines under her slacks. She couldn’t find underwear that didn’t show, so she started Spanx, which is now a huge international clothing line success. Not a business plan – a mirror.


Webvan Followed Their Plan


In the late 1990’s Webvan decided people would buy groceries on the internet and have them delivered by van. They put together one of the most elaborate and detailed business plans ever concocted, raised $2billion, hired the best talent in the technology and distribution businesses, and followed their business plan right off the end of the earth. They took $2billion of investor money with them – a lot of people were really impressed with their business plan.


Let it Collect Dust!


97% of businesses leave their prime objective to become profitable. Webvan stuck to theirs, none of the others above had one, or if they did, they left it behind as the world interacted with their “plan”. If you can’t help yourself and just have to do a business plan, at least have the common sense to put it on the shelf and ignore it like most people.


You won’t find success in a business plan or in an MBA program. You’ll find it in the trenches by being willing to adapt and execute exceptionally on what may seem ordinary or throw-away ideas.


Do Something.


Ask the successful people. It’s never how good your plan is that matters. It’s how committed you are to the bad plan you’ve got.


Speed of execution. Stop planning. Get moving.

Here Comes Number 13!

Here comes our number 13.......IONIC's thirteen years in business celebration comes this September.....wonder what we should do? Any ideas my friends?