WHHA + Ionic DeZign Studios expands RVA office

With the new year arriving we have BIG news.....We are getting BIGGER!

Eugene has been working with the landlord in Richmond at our current office location on Church Rd to extend our office footprint so we can accommodate additional design and production staff. The expanded office will allow for an additional eight design members plus give office space for general administration and an executive office for Eugene no that he will be spending more time in RVA assisting the growth of the firm.

The new space will allow for the creation of an open office plan in the production area much like we already have in Virginia Beach. The principle and founder of Ionic DeZign Studios, Eugene says, "The new renovations will promote the interaction of the design team during the collaboration of a project development. We have been successful with this concept in Virginia Beach and feel it will likewise be so in Richmond."

While WHHA previously focused primarily on church and other religious centered projects. With the merging of the two firms, Eugene indicated, "We are beginning to focus on introducing our current VB portfolio of offices, retail, restaurants and financial institutions. In order to do so, the interior renovations will depict our design skills and creativity for these markets. We have excelled in using technology to help promote our designs and present our concepts. The plan for the renovated conference rooms, materials library and reception will continue that theme. We look forward to sharing the new space with our clients and consultants."

WHHA + Ionic DeZign Studios hopes to have an open house in the fall to share in the new renovations and celebration of the first year of combined firms. The new space will reflect the vitality and creativity that has embodied the firm over the many years in business. It is expected to be unique in nature and surely a one of a kind statement. Eugene will likely create some of the architectural features himself. "Expect to see some fun ideas presented in the custom light fixtures, conference tables and reception desk just like we have done in VB. It has become a little bit of a 'brand expectation' that our clients see one of a kind chandlers or some type of lighting made by us for their spaces. We will continue to share those ideas within our own walls."

Those interested in joining our team add becoming associates of a fast growing and rewarding design practice, please reach out and contact us with your resume at info@WHHAdezigns.com. We would love to chat with you after the adventure we are planning.

Be on the look out for an invite this fall for RVA but until then feel free to join us at our Open House Event in VB on the 18th of February. We look forward to seeing everyone and sharing in our continued growth.

Eugene Thompson

Founder + President

Ionic DeZign Studios, Inc.

"Where art and architecture come together."

www.ionicdezigns.com

www.WHHAdezigns.com

16 Year Anniversary

It is pretty amazing when you go back and look at the path you have traveled. The perspective is so much different while you are on that journey. While on a hike, or as I have been doing a lot lately, running a marathon, your eyes are usually focused on each foot step. Sure, from time to time you raise your head up and take a peek around and gaze upon the sights. However, more often each of us are paying attention to our feet so we don't trip or fall.

In comparison, last year I ran the RimRock Marathon in Grand Junction, Colorado. I was out of my league in many ways. Racers, altitude, hill climbing and being a novice marathoner. However the surroundings proved to be the most beautiful......before the race. Yep, I could see the mountains (I did say mountains) in the horizon that early morning. I was about to run up, over, and back down again. After about mile .5 I didn't see much. My head was focused on surviving this crazy run. Focused on getting past mile points that was required or the race officials would scoop me up off the track.

Yes I finished. And yes several times I was able to pick my head up and look at the canyon below. I felt a little like Chevy Chase in National Lampoons Vacation looking over the Grand Canyon. " yep, nice......lets go." I wasn't able to appreciate where and what I had accomplished up to that point. 

Head back down......keep running.

It wasn't until after the race when we took the drive retracing the race course. We actually ran on the roadway that spiraled through the canyon. WOW, I was amazed at the scenery. I missed a lot! WOW, this hill is crazy steep....in the car.......how did I do that? We stopped the car for time to time at various points to go out and look over various areas and admire the surrounding nature. It was beautiful.

I say all that because after 16 years of IONIC, I have, more often than not, had my head down and kept pushing forward. There was always something that required my nose to be on the grindstone. A new project. A new client. Most often they were all good things. Good things that I always enjoyed working through. I just didn't raise my head to look around and see the journey as much as I probably should have.

So now we have reached a milestone of sixteen years. I finally raise my head and look around and see the many blessings that we have experienced. We have made so many wonderful relationships during the course that I would be hard pressed to count every one of them. There are many! I remember them all.....and all of them are important and special.

I want to thank each and everyone of our friends that have made it possible to achieve so much. Our clients have given us the opportunity to create and provide for our families. Our consultants have made it possible to piece together wonderfully successful projects.....over 1000 of them! Our vendors have supplied us with inspiration and tools to implement beauty, sustainability and quality into our designs. Most importantly our family of employees have made all this possible by their unending perserverence to seek perfection in their work and giving IONIC a name that others can trust.

Thank you again my friends. We are engaged in many new wonderful projects and look forward to sharing them with you. Be watching for some exciting news that we hope to share in the very very near future......like maybe next week!

Until then.....keep your head up and enjoy the run!

Eugene Thompson

President + Founder

Ionic DeZign Studios, Inc.

www.ionicdezigns.com

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

Sometimes it Takes Motivation Every Morning

Sometimes it happens to me.......again…and .....again

I just lay there. Still. Eyes closed. Mind racing, but body stagnant. The battle had begun…

Should I wake up and work out/send emails/write a new article/do anything mildly productive, or should I surrender to just one more hour of restless sleep.

On most days, this wouldn’t be a battle. I am better than that.

But even the mightiest success chasers need new sources of motivation every once in a while.

You see, most of us are indeed crazed to succeed, and rarely need any external pushes to get ahead. We are intrinsically motivated beasts 99.99% of the time, but one day (or week, or month…don’t judge) there will come a time where you everything will seem gloom, the important goals you’ve set for yourself become less noticeable than an extra 15 minutes of quasi-sleep, and the rollercoaster hits its lowest valleys.

WHY?!? Because you CAN create the life you want, but only if you work your rear end off to create it.

WHY?!? Because you INSPIRE others through your work, words, and actions, so it’s your responsibility to be a good role model for those who look up to you.

WHY?!? Because certain jobs, people, and friends passed you over, and it’s on you to PROVE THEM WRONG.

WHY?!? Because your family, friends, and supporters WANT TO SEE YOU SUCCEED.

WHY?!? Because you are a LEADER, and because people DEPEND on you.

However, all that being said, I know some days are harder than others, and because there have been days (weeks, months…) that I’ve had this same problem, I want to give you some ways to get motivation EVERY morning.

Make it a habit, just like brushing your teeth and tying your shoelaces, to seek sources of motivation every single morning. Watch an inspirational Youtube video, listen to you favorite, potentially-Rocky-inspired song, or get a group of friends together for a daily, 5 minute “pep” conference call.

Meditate and think of all the things in life you are grateful for. Give yourself a start on a miracle morning.

Prepare my friends for a new beginning and news start in 2015.

Wishing you all much greater success this year than the last.

D. Eugene Thompson, AIAHR

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

IONIC seeks Architects and Designers

Ionic DeZign Studios is looking for a Junior Architect to join our ever growing practice.

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.

Qualifications Summary:

Completion of five or six-year architectural degree program.
Minimum of 5 years total professional experience; experience required in all phases of project work including preparation of conceptual, schematic, design development, and construction documents and supporting materials.

Proficient in AutoCad and Revit.
Licensed Architect or actively seeking licensure.

Send resume and references to info@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

DIY Construction

It is dangerous for someone who knows too much about construction......namely an architect......more namely me......to do anything in actual construction. Lol. Just a quick picture of some Saturday morning concrete frames made and getting ready to prepare the rebar and WWF. 

And yes I have done this before......in another lifetime ago during summer breaks in college I worked various construction industries. Installed roofing, buried telephone lines, laid sod, dug trenches and installed sewer lines, poured concrete and even ran a backhoe. Amazing isn't it?

Well you will have to stop by our office in a few weeks for our grand revealing of all our renovations and expansion. Be watching for the announcement going out next week!

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

Where Art and Architecture Come Together

D, Eugene Thompson, AIA

Founder + President

IONIC: Manage Your Day 12.29.13

Have you ever felt that you couldn't really complete anything because it had to be perfect? That is the story of my life. Completion of task often times take forever, never getting them all the way done or changing plans because I understand myself to know that it won't be right.......if I keep going in that certain direction. So I compromise. 

Compromising isn't necessary a bad thing. Especially if you can finally complete something. If you are frozen in fear of doing something "unsatisfactory" you won't complete ANYTHING! Chances are your work......as imperfect to you as it may seem.....is most likely unrecognized as such.

A few years ago I started getting back into sketching.....I couldn't. I didn't know what to draw and was afraid to put the first lines on the paper. Finally I convinced myself to just doodle......like I was scratching something out while talking on the phone. When I tricked myself into thinking that what I was drawing wasn't important and was just scrap......I getting some pretty neat doodles. From there I was able to take off again.

Don't hinder yourself with trying to me perfect my friends. Just try it. Something is always better than nothing!

Eugene Thompson

Ionic DeZign Studios

www.ionicdezigns.com

Thankfulness

Yep this is another Thanksgiving post about how somebody within our circle is thankful and wishing you a happy holiday. Sometimes we just get inundated with the out pouring of gratitude. Now don't get me wrong. I think we should all be very thankful and should share in the joy of the season. However, have you seen how the "holiday" part is slipping away and the "spending" part has become a big focus?

More and more stores are now open throughout the holiday. I remember back in use day when we forgot something for the dinner and had to try and find someplace open. The only place was a small convenience store with a limited selection. That was what we dealt with and it was all acceptable. Now I think we might freak out if there wasn't something huge open within 5 min of us.

Our attitudes have changed. 

I tried once doing the Black Friday thing......ugggghhhh.....never again. Not interested in crowds. Not interested in rude people fighting over the best deal or the last one of this that or the other thing. Guess  I am not interested in big savings either? Well, not at the sake of giving up all that I hold special. If that is your thing, then go for it. More power to you. For me.....I will take a little peace and quiet during this time. 

Thankfulness? We have a lot to be thankful at IONIC this year. It was yet another year of success. Some years in the recent past have been lean. You can define success in a lot of ways. They could be grandiose and dynamic. Certainly that is wonderful. Or they could be just some pleasant little things.

I am going to keep it simple this year. Sure, I am thankful for all the incredible work this year. It has been absolutely great. And with those blessings we have been able to add more wonderful people to our family. And let me tell you how much of a blessing they are! Hard workers that care about what they do. They are our greatest commodity. They make the office what it is. They are a true blessing. I don't know what I would do without them. I probably don't tell them how much I appreciate them enough.

Our clients, are simply wonderful. The big ones and certainly the small ones too. Each and every one of them are special. We wouldn't be successful without all of them. So for that we most gratefully and thank each of everyone of you. We are pleased to be of service to you. At IONIC we have always cared about the details. Details are small but make the biggest difference. So are the smallest of commissions are just as special as the big ones. All are important to us.

Our consultants, have been the greatest to work with this year. Mechanical, Structural, Civil, and every other engineering included. They keep up with us and combine to help put together a fantastic project. Without them we couldn't do it. Sure we give them work. But they give us great service and make great team members. Never to be overlooked.

Our vendors are equally as awesome. Supporting all the things we doing from printing and products to IT related issues. They are the glue.

The contractors that build our work. Honestly there has been so many discussions about how architects and contractors don't get along. I don't think that is the case with IONIC. The contractors make us look good. Make our clients happy with what we designed. We owe a great deal of thankfulness for their care and handling of what we spent some much time drawing and compiling. 

So with that being said.....yes, it is your normal pretty much typical THANK YOU....THANKSGIVING message. But we certainly mean it. All of us here at IONIC wish you and your families and very happy Thanksgiving this season. Enjoy your time with your families. Enjoy your time shopping. Enjoy the blessings that you have been given this year. Have a great time.

Ionic DeZign Studios

Eugene Thompson

www.ionicdezigns.com

IONIC & WENDY'S....this is why we are so busy.

Restaurant remodel programs are all the rage these days, particularly in a fast food business that is busy trying to play keep-up with McDonald's. Just about every major fast food chain is in the midst of a reimage program, but perhaps the most interesting of these is coming from Columbus, Ohio-based Wendy's.

The world's third-largest QSR burger chain is instituting a costly remodel program—its top option has a price tag as much as $700,000, which is high for a chain that has average sales of about $1.4 million. That cost appears to be scaring off at least some operators. Brokers have told us that some Wendy's franchisees have been putting their stores on the market to avoid that remodel.

Still, the remodels could well be worth the price.

According to Wendy's, the $700,000 remodel option produces a sales lift of at least 25 percent, considerably higher than the 15 percent sales lift Burger King's remodeled units get, though at a much higher cost. Still, for the typical Wendy's, that equates into $350,000 in additional revenue every year, which makes for a relatively quick return on investment for restaurants that remodel their stores.

It also could provide a significant boost for Wendy's overall, particularly if the company is able to meet its remodel timeline.

The company plans to have 75 company-owned units remodeled by the end of the year. And it wants half of its corporate restaurant stock remodeled by 2015.

It's also hanging $10 million in incentives in front of franchisees to entice them to remodel their stores next year. In so doing, Wendy's joins rivals McDonald's and Burger King in employing a carrot approach to increase the number of restaurants that get remodeled. As McDonald's has proven with its remodeling program, and then Burger King, carrots work far better than the far more common "stick" approach at getting franchisees to remodel. And given the apparent sales lift these remodels can generate, those incentives produce good returns for the franchisors.

Net-Zero Architecture

Market for net-zero energy buildings expected to soar
Construction of zero-energy buildings, or structures that produce all of the energy that they use, is expected to grow over the next several years, in large part because of mandates in the European Union. The market for net-zero energy buildings is small today, but it could reach nearly $690 billion by 2020 and almost $1.3 trillion by 2035, according to projections by Pike Research.

Check back soon to see how Team IONIC will be reaching for this goal.

Where Art and Architecture come together.
Www.ionicdezigns.com

Fire Station Designs

IONIC is involved in preparation of some conceptual designs for a Fire and Rescue Station in North Carolina. The structure will contain offices, meeting rooms, bunk rooms, kitchen and of course the engine bay area with gear storage and maintenance all within the facility. This is early on within the design process but a good start on our work as the go to regional Public Safety Architect.

It is all important to generate timeless and sound architecture when working with firehouses, police stations and other municipal buildings. Critical in the life of a building is the application of proper solid materials for use in these high use areas. Equally important is the necessity to keep maintenance low. Now throw in the idea of creating the same project as a sustainable entity. The value and integrity of the work at IONIC establishes the efficiency of the structure while placing the resources where they matter the most. This is an important component of our practice serving our clients that use our buildings and serve our communities.

 

 

 

 

 

www.ionicdezigns.com

D. Eugene Thompson, AIA

Wendy's - Independence Blvd

IONIC just finished the pre-construction meeting at the Wendy's on Independence Blvd in Virginia Beach. I know there are a few of them so for all you fans out there it is the one near Haygood Shopping.  Construction should begin on February 4th and last for six weeks. Another week for the managment and training and they will be back up and running. Quality Builders trong> out of Raleigh North Carolina
will be the general contractor on the project.  They have significant experience doing these additions and renovations for Wendy's.



This model will be the New Ultra Modern Tier Two style. The design has become so popular with their customers that more and more people are staying around longer meaning that they need more seats. So this one will have a 10 foot addition to the front to help accomphish a larger dining and seating area.

Look for our construction sign out front soon.

www.ionicdezigns.com

Residential - FDV Residence

Not everyone knows that we do quite a bit of residential work....not even myself sometimes. When asked a few years ago about our portfolio of work for custom residential work I had to honestly reply that we never seemed to make it back out to the houses to take pictures.  In most cases, the owner doesn't contract with us to do construction administration. Therefore we often don't see the finished product until much later.  That isn't the preferred method but just a reality. We have a significant number of homes of all types.  This post will begin a series of renders and some actual photos of our residential work.

Working out at the Beach

Working down at the beach is always a wonderful experience.  Okay it is getting a little cold right now down there but that is when we, as architects, are called upon to begin the process. Work has to be completed within a window that allows construction to be completed during off season and open once the tourists are hitting the waves at the beach. Here are a few rendering of our work begin planned for a new retail and restaurant facility on Atlantic Ave.  SURF'S UP!

 

 

Ionic DeZign Studios, Inc.

www.ionicdezigns.com

 

 

Dahlia Pecka - Short Stop

Dahlia Pecka, Assoc. AIA
project manager

production coordinator

Dahlia comes to us from upstate New York as an Architect Intern working her way up into position of Project Manager. Her involvement in our firm at an early beginning in her career has allowed to tailor her education and provide an enormous amount of field experience. She has assisted other designers and architects within our office in the development of construction documents and has found that to be an interested focus thus far in her career.

Dahlia first began working with us as a college student and has worked several days a week during school and full time during summer and holiday breaks. Her enthusiasm and work ethics are comparable to none when it comes to her coordination and drive for perfection. Her employment with IONIC has proven beneficial for her own experience in addition to having been an excellent asset to the company. Our office benefits from the diversity she brings with her through her education and experience.

You can see much of her work on our website.
www.ionicdezigns.com

13 YEARS OF SUCCESS

It is hard to believe that we started IONIC over 13 years ago. A bit amazing at times when we realize it wasn't a planned agenda of beginning a design firm. It just kind of happened. Yeah, I know, you were hoping for some sort of giant planned organized development of a business plan sort of corporate agenda story.  Sorry to disappoint.
It just happened.

One day in the fall of 1999, I came home from work and told my wife I was going to quite my job....I had always told her that if I decided to leave the firm I was with that I would begin looking at other local firms.....it didn't quite happen that way. No planning, no preparation no searching for other work.  Just decided it was time to leave. Usually it is a good idea to find other employment before you give your resignation.  My method isn't highly recommended. But that was the way it happened.

We went to church the Sunday after my discussion with my wife, a normal occurrence with our family. I decided to ask the congregation for prayers has I intended to go in the next day to work and give my resignation. They thought I was a bit crazy.....brave, but crazy none the less. Prayers were certainly needed as we had four children and my wife was pretty much a homemaker. Yep, wisdom might not have been a major element of this decision but faith certainly was.

About four days later, I was coaching our boys in football when my team mom came up to me (she was team mom for the last five years) and said that she was impressed with my decision. Maybe that was her way of saying that I was crazy too. After all, I always wanted a full time job of volunteer coaching a recreation league football team for no pay.  Well, I do love football. She was the office manager of a major corporation and they were getting ready to do a full scale interior renovation of their local corporate headquarters.  Another friend and fellow coach was a general contractor and had offered to introduce me to several other architecture firms in the area if I was interested. Yet another football coach was a millwork fabricator and they all became part of the beginning of Ionic DeZign Studios. McDonald's Corporate office was our first project 13 years ago in downtown Norfolk.

I thank my friends Cheryl, Adam and Ron for supporting me and making sure I didn't goof something up on that firs project. I guess I should thank football too! Later still, a dad called my house to check when practice was scheduled for that evening and got a message saying to press one for IONIC, press two for Shaklee, press three for flute lessons and finally press four to reach the Thompson family. Yep, those early years we did all we could do to survive. Mike mentioned that he heard all the "stuff" on the answering machine and wondered what I did.  I guess I didn't do a very good at marketing back then  and had to explain that I was an architect. He mentioned that he might have a few things for me to do. That began a long relationship with many of our friends at Great Atlantic Properties. A few multi-family projects, a library, and office space and on and on. Thanks Mike for calling my house that afternoon!

That was 13 years ago when I worked out of my dining room in my home. The kids would interrupt their piano playing when the phone rang for business and then start right up where they left off once I set the phone down.  The dog would announce the arrival of the UPS or FEDEX man each day....who needs a doorbell? I painted the walls around me bright purple and the IONIC blue for inspiration....the same colors that now adorn our walls in Pembroke when we moved in 9 years ago.

We have grown a lot over the years.  Learned a lot too.  Made a bunch of friends and hopefully turned out a few really nice projects for our clients. Success is not measured by how much money you have  in the bank or even how many projects you have completed.  BTW we have completed nearly 1000 projects in these last 13 years. I believe it is measured by the relationships that you create along the journey. We have had a great journey so far.

Thanks again to all those that have supported us and we look forward to continuing our work for many years. We wish you the best from your friends at IONIC.

Be sure to look back at the blog over the next few weeks as we introduce the individual members of TEAM IONIC.
www.ionicdezigns.com

The New Chairs Have Arrived

The new office chairs have arrived! Yeah, finally we were able to get some really nice chairs for the staff. Time to get rid of the old junk and put these new ones to work.  Thanks to our friends at Workplace Solutions!

Sharing your Business

One of the greatest things about owning your own business is sharing it with others.  Others that have become part of your team. Over the thirteen years we have had a few different faces within the walls of our tiny office, but I think just about everyone of them took some pride in being part of the "TEAM". Those in our family that helped kick off the early work, to those that were part of the "Great Recession" right down to those that are currently integral in the success of the projects that go out.

I have always felt that the TEAM was important to the success of our work needless to say even our firm. In the beginning....No not Genesis 1:1....but long before we ever opened the door to Ionic DeZign Studios, it was understood that my name would never grace the doors of my firm. Yes, sure, it is MY firm, but just as much as it is anyone else that works here. You have heard it before...There is no I in TEAM....maybe I should add....but there are several I's in IonIc dezIgn studIos Inc. All of those I's, and even the ones that don't show up in the name, are very critical to what I feel is the heart of our business. Personal attention!

Our TEAM takes their work personally always focuses on the client first and foremost. That is what makes them so great and why I care for them so much...just like family...because they are! This usually ends up in translation to our clients. They become part of the TEAM as well as the family. We have fun and accomplish a lot together as we build. Isn't that what is supposed to be like? To find a partner in your endeavors that care for your interests and watch out for them? Not just "spend their money"?

Wait, did I just say FUN? WORK and FUN together in the same sentence? Sure, why not? I enjoy what I do and hope that at the end of even the most hectic days I can still say that it was fun. At at the end of a completed construction project our clients can say, hey that was fun....okay maybe that won't be the first thing to come out of their mouths but maybe: Pleased, enjoy, thankful, success, excited, helpful...you get the idea! I will tend to believe that all of those complements add up to FUN.

FUN is what TEAM IONIC is having. We take opportunities to get together to relax and enjoy the leisure part of our lives. Take a look at our jerseys made up for our seasonal picnic. This year at the Harbor Park watching the Tides.  We cannot wait to wear them around town and show our colors.

Enjoy my friends and remember to have FUN everyday.

Social Media Event

As a follow up to the Social Media in Small Business blurb I sent out earlier. Click here. It was a great evening of discussion, thought and questions.  We want to first thank Women in Design for organizing the event to fit in along with the rest of Architecture Week for AIAHR. Also for Hudson's Building Boutique for being host for the event. There were approximately 50 in attendance to hear just a bit about the benefits of social media marketing and how they can become involved in better utilizing the tools that are already in place out there.

Patrick Matterson with AECOM started off the discussion by presenting a video on social media and its growth in the marketing industry showing how dynamic and important it can be for your businesses. He was the moderator for the panel.

Pratik Kothari from Techark Solutions spoke on the use of mobile apps and how the community is more and more turning to mobile devices over PCs or Macs. The community is on the move and solicits information accordingly. When asked in the audience who had a smart phone nearly everyone raised their hands.

Andrew Craven with Lyall Design Architects spoke about the interaction with certain custom Facebook uses requiring interaction and feedback by others. The interaction with all types of social media has been the essence of what "social" is all about. The sharing and borrowing information from others freely.

Eugene Thompson with Ionic DeZign Studios spoke on the use of blogging for the small business and how even the basic writer can utilize the simple blog platforms to reach many of the audiences out there. By combining the other venues such as Linked-in, Facebook, Twitter etc. one article can become a full broadcast ultimately being recognized during Google searches.

LaTonya Whitaker with H&A Architects and Engineers out of Richmond expressed her ideas of utilizing the social media to track and follow the trends that are surfacing by examining Google Analytics. The information provided on the Internet can create opportunities for business when seeing what possibilities are occurring and the return on good content.  Nothing replaces good content.

The event seemed successful and hopefully encouraged others to find their tools within the social media realm to further their connections and advance their uses of social media to create an awareness of themselves, their firms and their products or services. Should anyone have questions for any of us, we hope you will contact us and share your thoughts.

Progress continues at Four Square

Another visit out to the jobsite as things begin to morph very quickly as the wood framing begins and the building profile starts to take shape.  Can't wait to see the Rotunda being framed up along with the cantilevers. It all looks exciting. Let us know your thoughts.

The tenants are already plugged in as Starbuck's, AT&T and Mattress Firm. The plan for Starbuck's takes advantage of the round space with a custom "tasting station" right in the middle.