Respect is a Two Way Street

I once coached rec league football, I did it for thirteen years. Flag football and tackle from ages 6 to 14. Most of that time was with boys ages 10-14, probably some of the toughest times young men have growing up. Both for them and for us around them. They are at that age they are trying to find themselves, trying to determine who they are....what they are......and torture many of us that have to interact with them.

Football is about discipline. Training and teaching an individual to do his part in an overall scheme. An overall scheme that has many other parts. Each individual does his part to the best of their ability and when everyone does this we have success. That is TEAM WORK.

It isn't always necessary for each player to know and understand everything that their teammate knows and understands. Just that they understand their role. A role that the coach has provided them to do. And when it is done well....their role in the team can quite possibly grow. But that takes discipline. Each piece of the team, regardless of the position or that player's experience, is important.

Now each young man that walked out on my practice field for the first time offered me up a challenge. They tested me. Did I know what I was doing? Or was I just a dad out there? How well did I play football? How well was I organized as a coach? Did I have a game plan? Was I a winning coach? Who was this COACH?

I believed that just because my title was coach.....that didn't mean that I had the respect automatically from these young men. I had to earn it. So therefore I had to work for it. Likewise, they had to earn my respect. Respect was expected by and from everyone. Over those first few weeks of practice at the beginning of each season we all quickly understood and appreciated each others role on the team. The older returning players on the team understood and knew my plan as a coach. They paved the way for the younger players as an example. The younger players proved their talent and skills to the others. Respect was born.

Discipline demands respect. Respect demands discipline.

This is what we found each year out on the football field. This is what we have often forgot in the work place. We have forgotten how to respect one another. We have forgotten how to appreciate each other's position on the team. I'm still coaching. Just as an employer now. Still working to earn what is expected. 

Everyone on our team is just as important as those players that were out on the football field. Oh it may not be as exciting as defending a touchdown or saving a tackle or even orchestrating a Hail Mary pass to the end zone as time expires to win the game.......but it is still important. Just as everyone on that football team expected each other to do their part for ultimate success, we in the business world expect the same of our teammates. Without that we cannot expect to succeed. Without respect of each other's talents or roles we cannot expect to achieve our goals.

Respect is a two way street and should be expected from everyone in a team environment. Respect has no boundaries. It has no restrictions, limitations or exemptions. It doesn't matter if you are young and inexperienced or old and years of practice. It doesn't matter if you have had years of education or how much you paid for that education. It just matters that you understand and appreciate what it offers. Whether you are in the battle trenches side by side, lined up on a hash mark in the middle of a field or sitting in a cubicle adjacent to each other......teamwork demands success.

In our field of architecture, we continually learn new things. There are always new products and materials that come out each year. Technology is ever changing and teams need to stay up on the latest to be successful. However, with the invention of all things new, we still harvest respect.

I have always COACHED to our office that just because you went to college for four or five or even more years that you know everything. Just because you have worked in an office for umpteen years and write specifications and draw details for all these products doesn't mean you know everything. Doesn't mean you know more than the guy who installs tile for a living....or the guy that puts together metal panels....or hangs drywall. Because they do that specific thing most everyday and have done it most every way. I bet they know more........RESPECT THE POSITION.

RESPECT requires DISCIPLINE 

DISCIPLINE encourages TEAMWORK

TEAMWORK rewards with SUCCESS

TEAM IONIC

"Creating places and space that enrich the lives of those who use them."

D. Eugene Thompson, AIA

www.ionicdezigns.com

EMPLOYMENT OPENINGS at IONIC

Ionic DeZign Studios is looking for a Design Professional to assist in our growing portfolio of multi location projects.

5-10 years experience in preparation and design of construction documents. Well versed knowledge of construction techniques. Capable of directing and managing others. Revit, autocadd and Microsoft software knowledge. Licensed architect preferred. 

IONIC is a Virginia Beach based Architecture and Interiors firm. We work on a variety of project types, including retail, restaurants, hospitality, corporate offices, mixed-use and commercial, financial, municipality projects as well as religious architecture and custom residential homes. IONIC is a firm that strives to set the bar higher in terms creativity and ingenuity throughout the design process. Yes, the work is demanding and it takes the effort of putting in the time in order to reap the rewards. However, just as hard as we work we believe in playing equally as hard. Team IONIC is about relationships. Within a supportive and mentorship philosophy, IONIC provides a climate where you'll succeed and be a part of a continuously growing and evolving family of designers.

Send resumes and interest to info@ionicdezigns.com

Attn: Eugene Thompson, AIA

Welcome to Shannon Riell

A late post due to all the holidays, finishing the office, and all the other hurdles the last few  months. We welcome Shannon to the IONIC family. She will be handling all the project management tasks while assisting our design staff and admin for many other things. She is another "glue" holding us together.

Along with some general office duties, Shannon coordinates and tracks all of the product submittals that are received for the projects we are currently engaged in. Making sure that we review and return information in a timely manner is important to us because we know it is important to our clients and contractors.

She is also involved with engaging the local and out of town planning departments determining our design requirements for all of our projects on the east coast and Midwest. She tracks and follows up on progress with the submissions for building plan review and health department so we can obtain the necessary construction permits. After construction begins filing and organizing all the special inspections reports, field reports by our design team as well as progress payments to general contractors. She is a busy lady.

We welcome her to the team.

Ionic Dezign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

Welcome Alison Allred

We want wish a giant welcome to Alison Allred, Assoc ASID-IIDA to the IONIC family. She joins our team in support of our efforts in the production world for our restaurant clients as well as adding to the expansion of our interior design department. Be sure to watch for more as we post her profile information in the coming weeks. Welcome!

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

Creating Places and Spaces that Enrich the Lives that Use Them.

NFCU Jobsite Progress

The new Navy Federal Credit Union construction marches forward in Chesapeake Virginia. We did a quick site visit last week between the snow falls to see how the contractor, HOY Construction was doing. All was looking great.

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

The IONIC Rejuvenation- The Journey

This January we finished up the renovations and expansion to our office in Towncenter area of Virginia Beach. It was a long time in the planning primarily due to soooo many ideas running through my head and partly due to our expected expansion. Initially in January of 2013, we had decided that the front office area needed a facelift. We had been there nearly 11 years and several things that I didn't like......or maybe was just tired of...needed to be addressed. This area included only the front reception and the conference room.

Then it happened. I hired another person......and then another.....and then another....oh wait where are they going to sit? I needed to expand. Thankfully there was an open vacant conference space available adjacent to our existing space. We set out task to see how we could take just a minimal amount.......ahhhhh....might as well take it all.....you never know. So we did.

Planning your own architectural office isn't really an easy thing. After all we have so many ideas running around in our head for all of our clients. But this was ours! What could we possibly do? We had to restart our design efforts and begin again as well as negotiate the extension to our lease.

Phasing first had to be considered as we knew that we had to maintain operations throughout the entire construction time. One area needed to be finished....or mostly finished....before we could move on to the next area. We figured we would have to live through some mess.

Program space became our next issue to tackle. There were several areas we needed to account for in our new space that we lacked.
 

1. Storage Space: more storage space for all catalogs and samples that seem to continually spawn within our office walls. We never seem to have enough shelf space. A simple closet.....you know....a place that you can toss stuff you don't know what to do with and that cannot be placed on a shelf. We needed a junk closet bad. Of course it would be the nicest of junk closets! It needed to handle things like a vacuum cleaner, old files, old drawings, paper supplies....and whatever needed.

2. Production Space: obviously what started this whole thing! We needed to account for our current staff plus whatever additional we might anticipate in the near future. This was meant to be an open office studio area.

3. Conference Room: We really needed a new conference space since our little room couldn't even handle our own staff meetings any longer. There were times when our client meetings even got larger than we could handle. We needed something that could accommodate 10-12 seats. This held us back. Honestly, we also needed more meeting spaces because there seemed to be more and more times that more than one meeting was taking place. This was going to be a task to configure our space to handle something like this and still maintain proper flow. 

A few things that we wanted to incorporate into our renovation was sustainability or reclaimed artifacts. We needed to practice what we preach. However you can't always plan these types of designs entirely because you need to search for those products you have in mind. Then once you find what you are looking for.....figure out how to design around it and properly incorporated. Repurposing items in a manner that you never expected is also a lot of fun......another goal of the office design....FUN!

Over the next few weeks we will share in detail each of the rooms and the details of how we accomplished our goals. We will share materials acquired, furniture purchased, pieces made and how we did it. Stay tuned each week for updates.

Ionic DeZign Studios

D. Eugene Thompson, AIA

www.ionicdezigns.com

Where Art and Architecture Come Together

IONIC: Manage Your Day 2.2.2014

There are many times when I am going through various struggles in my life, business, career etc. I probably ponder way too much on these things but I am inquisitive and curious as to how one acts and reacts to suffering. There are many people that break down and figure it is the end of the world and there will be no tomorrow. Others just hunker down and push right on forward. I am not here to say which is better, everyone is different and everyone reacts different. I feel it is how we react to diversity that portrays our character.

The bible tells us that we are to embrace and appreciate the struggles. Easier said than done. These troubles not only defines us but shapes us and molds us for the future. Why do we face them? To prepare us (or others) for what may yet come. We never really know what is around the corner, but what we do know is that what ever it is, we should embrace it and figure a way through it, around it, over it or even under it. 

Consider the trials as tests of our endurance. Run the race my friends.

Eugene Thompson

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

"Creating spaces and places that enrich the lives of those who use them."