Wallace Design Collective

After owning a business or being part of the ownership team of a business for over twenty years, the economy threw a curve ball and I struck out. As usual, God had a better plan for me than I could see. This is what brought me to the incredible firm of Wallace Engineering. During the downturn of the economy in 2008-2009 and within a three-month span of closing a business and trying to find work, I found an opportunity with Wallace to start the Civil Engineering group in our Oklahoma City office. Wallace was already doing work in Oklahoma City and the ownership felt having a civil practice there would better serve their existing clients.

Starting a practice from scratch is very difficult, but the strength of Wallace made it fairly easy. Having existing clients and an established work product provided for a base that we had to build on. My goal for the office was to increase the base already set by the principals involved in Oklahoma City. We had to get our name out to more firms and establish the fact we had a viable office located in the heart of Bricktown.  This meant getting out to the AIA events, meeting with government officials whenever possible and – a great tradition Wallace has had for years – delivering Valentine’s Day cookies to clients. All of this interaction provided necessary time in front of existing and prospective clients.

Another important factor in establishing a new office was to stay focused on the quality of our product and  the timeliness of our services. I have always thought the best way to get new clients is to make existing clients repeat clients. The architecture/engineering industry is a small world and recommendations go a long way within it.

The support of the principals, a strong local economy, a strong basis of existing clients and talented staff provided the necessary ingredients to build a successful office. We are growing in Oklahoma City and look forward to the future.