A friend, Leslie Daniel is asked me to post this on the CRAN site.
Hello fellow CORA, AIA, residential architects,
*****I need your HELP to find 4 - 8 residential architects!!!
This spring I, a residential architect, in Charlotte, NC, have been working as an industry advisor on an interesting project - with a building product manufacturer. This international company, Royal Building Products, is launching a new high quality vinyl siding product in 4 test markets in the Northeast USA. These products will be introduced in select higher end neighborhoods beginning Summer 2011. This will be a one year marketing program to introduce the new product.
We are looking for 1or 2 GOOD architects/designers in each of the test markets to be their designated consulting representatives (NOT a sales reps!!). After each sale, but before determining the specified items, the manufacturer is offering a free Design Consult (of 2 hours max) for the homeowners. The manufacturer will pay the architect for each consult ($150/hour).
The manufacturers' goal of the consult is to help the homeowner with design solutions incorporating siding, trim, and accessories on the exterior of their home taking into consideration home style, neighborhood appeal, etc.
My goal is to show the public how much architects really can help them in making their initial design decisions!! We are all working in a very backwards world where the contractor usually gets the "first call" from a potential client. So this effort is my way of facilitating a "partnership" between manufacturer/contractor/architect to affect the design outcome and hopefully raise the integrity of our American homes. The key to making this successful is to have a person with enough years in residential practice and experience (with clients, job site, and detailing) to make the Design Consult effective enough for the client's project. This could offer a positive experience to a homeowner that would not normally use an architect, and leave a positive impression on the contractor and manufacturer. It is an interesting marketing idea and could spread to other manufacturers' promotional venues. *I also feel that this experience can ultimately inform better details back to the manufacturing sector, and thus, have our "design touch" come full cycle.
Your goal is to get design projects. And then, thru this, there is always the possibility of finding an interesting whole house job if you so choose!!
The 4 Test Markets are: Boston, Philadelphia, NYC/NJ, and the DC areas. You can see the neighborhood names in each of these markets on the attached DESIGN CONSULTANT Criteria.
Bottom line - this manufacturer is going head to head with Hardie Products. This is an interesting (and profitable) way to learn how housing products get "to market", how the public is educated on these products, and here is a great opportunity to overlay our education and expertise. We can touch a broad base of the public with efforts like this.
If you can not do this endeavor yourself, then hopefully you will know of someone that can!! If not the long term practicing architect, then I could also see this position being filled by an architectural degree personnel who was recently laid off from a residential design firm due to this economy, or a new start-up firm. This person might not have completed their state boards yet but long finished with their internship and is highly skilled. You know someone that can use this job! WE NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER! So, please forward this email to them!
Thank you for any help you can give me!!
Lindsay Daniel
lindsay@lindsaydaniel.com