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 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.

After demonstrating our ability to provide the same level of service on a local and national level, it greatly increased the number of potential prospects considering us for their project. At this time, we now have 15 unique projects across seven different states. Two examples of these projects include:

Seasons at Wilmington Hospital, DE

The renovation of the third floor of ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital North Tower strengthens the partnership that Seasons provides to the local health care service providers with a hospice unit embedded within the hospital itself. By repurposing a former behavioral health unit into a vibrant and contemporary fit out, the team found efficiency in the design by refreshing the existing patient rooms and nurse station layout with new finishes and services focused on hospice operations.

Seasons in Phoenix, AZ

The new 14-bed Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care in Phoenix, Arizona takes into consideration patient privacy while mitigating the significant solar heat gain of the region, and balancing that with the zoning requirements for shading and contextual building elevations. The reserved street front elevation creates an architecturally contextual solution that aligns with the desert-contemporary modern aesthetic of the neighborhood. Patient rooms are oriented along a single loaded corridor allowing each room to have a connection to the outdoors through a glass facade that opens onto private, shaded outdoor patios on the rear elevations.

About Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care

Seasons focuses on providing residents and their families with an environment that is a welcome escape from typical health care environments, providing hospitality-like amenities for patients and families while fulfilling Seasons’ mission of providing compassionate care. Most recently, Seasons completed its merger with post-acute care company, AccentCare. The combined company will provide a full continuum of home-based health care services, including hospice, palliative care, home health care, and personal care.

Shawn Crowley, AIA is a principal and an owner of Tevebaugh Architecture. With more than a decade of experience in health care design, project management, construction, and marketing, Shawn continues to promote the firm’s development and growth in all sectors.