Why a Smaller ICSC RECon Show is Better

In a recent article from Globe St.com, Ian Ritter wrote that the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) annual RECon trade show and conference's attendance would "come in around 30,000 as opposed to upwards of (the) 50,000 in 2007."

That's a huge reduction in the number of attendees to a show that has suffered through the last couple of years' recession.  But that's okay.

From our perspective as designers and builders, the more deals that can be done, the better.  What's that? More deals with fewer attendees?  Yes, really.

The truth is, if a company is sending someone to a show, they have a good business reason to send them.  If they don't they are wasting money. That's also true of the people staffing the exhibits, the suppliers.  If they can only be there if they have a deal closing, then it makes more sense that the ROI of the whole event will go up.  More deals between fewer people equals more qualified business.

"It's called the dealmaking show for a reason," Dave Sykes said.  Dave is president of Sykes Construction, a design/build firm based in North Texas.  "It's more important for us to meet the person who has a closed deal than it is for us to watch the deal being made," Dave continued. "Otherwise, we would attend the show. But that doesn't make the show any less important."

While Dave and his team didn't attend the national event in Las Vegas last week, they do plan to connect with those makers of deals at the regional shows.

"We will be in San Antonio later this year," Dave said. "At the local level, we can be more visible and be more active in the process."

Sykes Construction is a full-service design and build general contractor, specializing in the build out and fitting of retail space.  Sykes takes tenants to an open store.


The Sykes Team

The People Who Work Here: Sandy Watson, Senior Construction Coordinator

Managing a building project is a lot like managing a lesson plan. And Sandy Watson should know.

“I was a career educator until I got into the construction and contracting business,” Sandy said.

Sandy is Senior Construction Coordinator for Sykes Construction/SCI Design in Dallas. What that means is that she coordinates the teams of designers, project managers and field team members in the design and build out of retail and other projects.

“My nickname around here is ‘The Glue’,” Sandy added.

And glue she is. She is known to stick to a project until completion and to attach herself to a project to make sure it stays on track.

“I stamp out problems before they become problems,” Sandy said.

Raised around the world as a Navy brat, Sandy studied education and was a track athlete at Texas A&M. Near the end of her 27-year career in education and administration for a number of Texas school districts, she found herself on a different career path with a move to Colorado.

“My first job in the construction industry was as a temporary,” she said. “Within three years I was regional director of construction for the company.” Work for general contractors, electrical subcontractors and excavating companies gave her a broad understanding and experience in the industry.

“What can I say? I like variety,” Sandy said.

“Sandy is an incredible asset to our company,” Dave Sykes, President and CEO, said. “Versatile talent is hard to come by,” he continued. “And you can’t be much more versatile than Sandy.”

You can reach Sandy, Dave and the other members of the Sykes team at 972-484-6855 or www.sykesconstruction.com.

The Sykes Team

Choosing Subcontractors

Most design/build firms are at the top of the building "food chain." That puts us in a position to choose and work with a variety of subcontractors to get a job done. 

Some of those subcontractors could include:

• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Inspectors
• Dry wall specialists
• Concrete providers
• Interior designers
• Glass specialists
• Door and door frame professionals
• Painters

Many of these trades are unionized and most are licensed or regulated in some way by the state or municipalities.  Knowing what to look for and then matching the partner to the job is a critical process.  Things to look for and consider as you choose a partner:

• Are they licensed or trained?
• How financially stable are they?
• Have you seen any of their work?
• Do you have any references for them for whom they have done work?
• How long have they been in business?

These basic questions will get you started.  If you need further help in choosing a subcontractor or need help with a recommendation, please contact us at www.sykesconstruction.com.

The Sykes Team

The People Who Work Here: Dominic Crespo, Project Manager

Dominic Crespo is one of Sykes’ “go-to” guys. Dominic has a decade of wide-ranging construction and real estate experience. He has established a reputation as a problem solver and one of those special people that bring the project in on time and on budget.

At Sykes, Dominic’s management efforts are crucial to the on-going success of the Toys R Us and Northern Tool and Equipment projects. His continued application of Sykes’ project management principles has allowed Dominic to routinely start more projects like two most recent ones located in Austin, Texas. These two projects are Texas Bright Ideas and ITT Technical Institute. While these projects are underway, he has also successfully completed a Toys R Us located in San Antonio, Texas.

A graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Building Construction Management, Dominic was President of the Student Builders and Contractors Association (SBCA) . Dominic loved the time he spent in East Lansing, Michigan, while studying at MSU, and is an avid Spartan fan.

His experience ranges from single-family housing, office, retail, industrial and beyond. Dominic’s sales and field management positions with Ryland Homes and Centex Homes prepared him for his commercial career with CASCO as an architectural project manager. Dominic came on board with Sykes right after his time with CASCO, and has brought to the table a special skill set that allows him to effectively communicate with subcontractors, inspectors, owners and architects alike.


The Sykes Team

What Will My Office Cost?

We all want to know “what’s it going to cost?” You may have built an office before, or you know of others who have. Are your experience and/or the experience of others really a good barometer of what this project is going to cost? Well, yes and no.

“Yes,” in the sense that it can give you a good rule of thumb. But the answer is “No” if you don’t fully explore all of the variables that are going to make up the total cost. Let’s consider an example:

Say you want to build a log cabin in the mountains. On one hand you might want a real show place, or, on the other hand, you might just want a simple place to escape - just the basics.

In the show place, you’re going to want nothing but the best: ceramic tile, high-end carpet, granite countertops, a real stone fireplace, top-of-the-line kitchen appliances, crown molding throughout, and high-end paint finishes. Lots of high-end materials and money is not an issue.

In the just-the-basics place, you just want a fireplace and running water because it’s just going to be a place to escape and you want to make sure you can cook, sleep and go to the bathroom. There is nothing but the basics and everything has to fit into a tight budget.

Two wildly different costs - and yet the same place: a cabin in the mountains. So, what’s it going to cost? Here’s the answer. There are three variables in the scope of your project and of the three, you get to decide on two of them. Your Design/Build Team gets to decide on the third. The three variables are

• Materials
• Size
• Investment

To explain: If you want a 5,000 square-foot office and have $400,000 to spend, your Design/Build Team will tell you what materials can be used. If you want the finest materials and have $400,000 to spend, your Design/Build Team will tell you how large your office will be. If you want the finest materials and still need the 5,000 sq. ft., then your Design/Build Team will tell you how much your investment will be.

So now when your associates tell you their office cost $400,000 (or even worse, they say it cost them “x”dollars per square foot), you can now ask them some things that might help you determine what to expect yours to cost. The bottom line here is that you shouldn’t get caught up in the hearsay and hype. Your Design/Build Team can help you determine your budget so you’ll have a reasonable figure to plan on and take to your bank.

The DSKW Team

Employing a Design-Build Team to Build Your New Office

Traditionally, armed with a preliminary equipment plan, a small business professional will approach several general contractors for a fee and schedule proposal. The contractor applies his past experiences to the drawings to flesh out the actual scope of work from which to develop an estimate.

The professional and the general contractor are already at a disadvantage. The preliminary equipment layout or technical drawings that the professional is working from are, at best, a general guide to lay out walls and cabinets so the equipment ordered will fit. These drawings will not get a permit for your tradesmen, nor will they ensure that all of the trades are coordinated properly so the equipment will be easy to hook up once installed. For that, you, the professional, are relying on the general contractor’s ability to coordinate (wing it) in the field. Unfortunately, field coordination usually leads to confusion and confusion always leads to delays and cost overruns.

With a design-build team, however, confidence that your project is in the hands of professionals begins at the first stage. Design-build firms are construction management specialists and an integral part of the design team.  That means construction time and expense implications are assessed and addressed early in the process. The design-build team works together to decide the most cost-effective materials and methods of delivery before the design is finalized. This enables the team to provide accurate scheduling and costs. And, because the same group is responsible for drawings and functional performance (construction), the possibility of expensive surprises in the construction phase are virtually eliminated.

New office construction is one of the greatest areas of expense for most businesses; so it’s imperative to reduce the margin for error in this process. The greatest advantage of the design-build team approach is the potential for reducing this risk in your new office development. Single-source responsibility for quality, cost and schedule adherence clearly makes this the superior delivery mechanism for your new office. Because the design build team is accountable for design, construction and installation, you can enjoy the certainty of a well-executed plan from your committed design build team.

The integrated nature of the design-build team approach also eliminates project delay due to miscommunication between the parties on project in the areas of scope and responsibility. Bidding periods and redesign time are eliminated. Materials and equipment procurement and construction work can begin earlier (in some cases, before the construction documents are fully completed). Since total design construction time is reduced, you enjoy less stress and are in your new office doing business sooner.

The design-build team approach ensures high quality in your finished office because the team is contractually responsible to you from design through complete build-out and into operation. All too often, the professional plays the middleman distributing the work of design, construction and installation to various parties and becoming experienced on the fly. This is not necessary. Just as expanding your business to add a complete range of services allows you to create coordinated services with your clients , a design-build team does the same for you by coordinating office design, construction management and equipment installation to move you into your office faster and create a quicker revenue flow.

The Sykes Team