Wallace Design Collective

Here at Wallace Design Collective, it feels like the sky is not the limit ‒ the limit does not exist. As we continue to grow, we have found we need new spaces to grow into. 

With the exciting prospect of new locations and markets to work in, where should we go? 

As the Internship program manager, I have been able to ask our interns where they would like to see us open an office. Some of the more common answers from our past interns include Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, and the Carolinas. Some of the less common intern answers were Boston, Portland, Seattle, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Missoula, Columbus, and Tempe. And the intern suggestions I will be pulling for include Miami, Hawaii, and Paris.

So… where did we end up?

Northwest Arkansas!

Our new Northwest Arkansas office opened mid-January 2024 in Rogers, Arkansas, offering structural engineering, civil engineering, landscape architecture, land planning and surveying services. 

Interestingly, Northwest Arkansas (NWA) was also a pretty common answer from the interns. 

But why Northwest Arkansas? 

Northwest Arkansas has so much to offer.

Architecture

If you enjoy architecture, there are several award-winning structures, including Theater Squared, Ozark Co-Op, Crystal Bridges, The Momentary, Thorncrown Chapel, and many others. You could also see the Bachman-Wilson House at the Crystal Bridges Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Outdoor Sporting

If you are more into outdoor sports, Northwest Arkansas has gained a reputation as one of the premier off-road biking locations. As a rock climber myself, I recommend Lincoln Lake, Sam’s Throne and Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. There is also incredible hiking and camping to be explored with friends and family. Maybe you feel like a day on the water? Try rafting or kayaking down Mulberry River or visiting Siloam Springs Kayak Park.

Museums

If you are more of a museum person, Northwest Arkansas has you covered. As I spent the first several years of my career working on Walmart projects here at WDC, I would first go to the Walmart Museum. Are you more into art and history? Check out the Crystal Bridges Museum and The Momentary or the Museum of Native American History. 

Well, I don’t know about you, but I am sold! Sounds like the perfect place for my young family. But the above is mostly about employee fulfillment and joy outside the office. Apart from happy employees, what was the motivation to expand here?

Read on to hear what made Northwest Arkansas such an attractive opportunity from a business perspective.

Why Northwest Arkansas?

One of our 2021 strategic planning goals was to evaluate and adopt new and profitable growth. We considered expanding into Northwest Arkansas because there was interest in pursuing more work in NWA where we have employee ties, client relationships, and knowledge of a fast-growing market. We have already achieved our 2021 growth goal in a few different ways, including adding KSi and Bennett Surveying, but now we can add our NWA Office to that list as well.

Why now?

The timing of this was mostly due to having an actual strategic planning initiative to look at growth opportunities. Employees with ties to the area (Doug Fredeen, Mandy Bunch, Mike Thedford, Nicole Watts, Arlin Vancuren among others) and requests by our clients to do more work in that area pushed the initiative along. Wallace Design Collective has completed numerous projects in Northwest Arkansas and has relationships with a range of clients with offices in the area. This office will allow us to better serve existing clients while also developing new local relationships.

Probably the biggest challenge we have faced in bringing the office from idea to reality has been how busy everyone has been. The surplus of work across the company kept us from giving this strategic planning initiative the attention it deserved. Another smaller challenge was where to locate the office. We looked at several locations before settling on the current location in Rogers, which is centrally located between Bentonville and Fayetteville.

What are our Goals in NWA?

We have set an initial 2024 net revenue goal for our in-house civil engineering, structural engineering, landscape architecture and land planning services. For now, surveying will be provided by our Tulsa office. Having an office in NWA will also allow us more face time to expand our special inspections and roofing inspection opportunities. We expect there to be pretty strong competition across the board, especially on the civil side, and we are excited at the opportunity to make our mark in the region.

Who can we expect to see there?

James Granich, Doug Fredeen and Arlin Vancuren are the initial champions of their respective services from that office. Several senior employees are already on the ground and working for Wallace in Arkansas. They include Mandy Bunch – Civil PE; Lee Myane – Landscape Architect, and Chris Lang – Structural PE.

All in all, it was the right time and the right fit for Wallace Design Collective to take up residence in Northwest Arkansas. 

That’s why we choose NWA. Between the experiences and the business opportunities that NWA has to offer, we’re excited to settle into our new office! Please stop by and say hi, or better yet come work for us!