Construction & Real Estate
Innovation Breeds Success Why Delaware can compete and win on the national level BY SHAWN CROWLEY, AIA
CAN THE LESSONS LEARNED from distributed workforces be applied to distributed business opportunities? Remote work is now as ubiquitous as the corner office once was. Many business professionals can accomplish a large percentage of their professional responsibilities from anywhere with a stable internet connection, only coming together for in-person meetings on an as-needed basis. So how can businesses develop these same concepts to pursue new opportunities outside of their traditional markets and regions? One of the keys to this approach of pursuing remote work is developing a time-tested business process that has yielded successful results, time after time, despite being faced with significant competition, disadvantages, or difficulties. Delaware businesses are uniquely prepared to take advantage of distributed business opportunities far beyond our immediate region. Bloomberg ranks Delaware in the top ten of their 2020 U.S. State Innovation Index, while Wallethub ranks Delaware eighth in their 2021 list of most innovative states. So what makes one of the least populous states in the country one of the most innovative? It could be argued that it is the concentration of DELAWARE BUSINESS | Nove m be r/ De ce m be r 2021
successful businesses here in Delaware that results in higher competition, a more capable workforce, with a need for innovation and superior results. With this understanding, the Delaware business community is already uniquely positioned to compete in markets throughout the country. The practice of architecture is no exception. Our firm, Tevebaugh Architecture, has worked with one of our national clients, Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care (Seasons), throughout the country to develop a timetested process honed here at home in Delaware. Our project development process has yielded successful hospice and palliative care projects throughout the country, from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale, Houston to St. Louis, Phoenix to Phoenixville. One of the keys to our project development process is our openness to collaborate with other companies on items that require local relationships. In our professional service of architecture, it is important to have resources on our team that include existing relationships with government contacts in the planning, public works, and building departments. We remain engaged throughout the entire project lifecycle to ensure the quality of service is provided that our client expects, but it avoids having to “re-invent the wheel” and start from scratch. 49
