184: Back Office Support Teams for Successful Construction Projects

Judy Goldman, Founder and CEO of Front Range Design Center (FRDC) and Owner of Design Studio Interior Solutions joins us for episode 184 of Art of Construction. Judy had a long career in banking before coming into the AEC industry. After her banking endeavors Judy purchased a design studio, and as she became involved in construction, quickly realized what a disaster so much of our industry is. As we all know, being on time and under budget on a construction project almost never happens. For most of us, on most projects, the question is never if something will go wrong, but when. Seeing firsthand how projects commonly get bogged down, Judy decided to launch Front Range Design Center as a full enterprise support service for builders, contractors, architects and designers. FRDC's services include spec'ing, procurement and logistics, as well as supplying a whole library of building products, with an expansive showroom featuring collections of carpet, flooring, countertops, hundreds of fabrics, wall coverings, window treatments, several lines of cabinetry and custom furniture. Judy stresses the importance of planning projects "budget forward" instead of "design forward" in order to set realistic expectations that don't fall apart later on. With their deep relationships with many building product manufactures, and Judy's background in banking, they are able to help their clients plan out and execute their projects both financially and logistically and lead them to success.Join Devon as he goes on a journey with Judy to uncover the importance of calculating your opportunity costs, of handling the back office portion of your business as efficiently as possible, and of forming the right relationships with the right people to do projects that elevate our clients' lives and our industry.