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BOTTOM LINE
By: Doug Straughan, AIA, Principal, Hussey Gay Bell
I
nnovative design starts with
knowing the client and knowing
the community. After nearly 30
years in business, I have found that
the benefits of a satisfied client
are three-fold
—
referrals, repeat
business and a robust community.
Some of our very first clients back
in the 1950s and 1960s are still
with us, and others, like Gwinnett
County Public Schools and the
USG Board of Regents, are coming
up on decades. To us, that speaks
volumes about earning their trust
and teaming on successful projects.
Here are the ways we earned that
trust with our clients:
Know the Client
In the design and construction
industry, relationships matter. A
good
designer is a good listener and
personalization is at the core of what
we do. We want to understand how
they do business before we propose
design solutions for our clients.
From our origins as a one-phone
office back in 1958 to an ENR Top
500 Design Firm with more than 110
professionals throughout Georgia
and South Carolina, we wouldn’t be
here today without those
relationships.
Know the Community
In addition to knowing our clients,
Hussey Gay Bell is passionate about
being involved in the communities
it operates in. From Hall County
schools’ STEM book fair to the
Boy Scouts of America Northeast
Georgia Council’s American Values
Dinner
—
we believe in giving back.
Hussey Gay Bell’s employees are
involved in more than 100
community-centered organizations
ranging from Urban Hope, United
Way, Kiwanis Club and Second
Harvest to Engineers Without
Borders
—
and I have been a Boy
Scout leader since 1995. Each year
our firm commits a substantial
amount of dollars and hundreds of
hours of volunteer support to the
communities in which we live, work
and play.
Deliver Innovative Design
We are constantly thinking about
what keeps our clients up at night
and how we can better their
bottom line or enhance their
mission through innovative
design. Our energetic and forward-
thinking team blends the wisdom
of experience with young creative
minds which allows us to deliver
solutions that solve real problems
for our clients. A prime example
is the Gwinnett School of
Mathematics, Science and
Technology which blended two
out-of-date schools into a
state-of-the-art STEM high school
that is recognized as one of the best
schools in America.
We are continuing to grow our team
with the addition of talented
architects and engineers. Whether
it’s clean wastewater treatment,
better transportation, improved
public safety or education, we are
here for our clients.
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