The most successful business owners are always sculpting a vision for how to move their business forward. When it comes to fulfilling the vision, major capital expansions may seem too intimidating and time consuming and the vision may get lost in the reality of daily operations. Between manufacturing schedules, sales, workforce management and everything else that comes with running your business it may seem like you don’t have the time to take on another project and expand your facility footprint.

The prospect of finding the right location for a new facility, hiring a broker, engaging an architect, designing a building, bidding out the project, contracting with a builder and last of all paying for it all is a daunting task that often holds businesses back from expanding when they need to.

In the past, owners had to separately hire experts in each step of the construction process to keep the project moving. This required real-estate brokers, bankers, engineers, architects, constructors, subcontractors, and others to be individually hired and managed by your already busy business. Even more of a problem, the process was long and it could take years to complete a project. Meanwhile production needs are still outgrowing an undersized space.

Thankfully there are newer ways for you to hire the experts you need to get your project completed without the risks and time commitment of a traditional project. Consider the Design-Build process. This method allows you to hire one single expert to represent you in both the design and construction of your project. You can know that if an issue with the project comes up, there is already a single entity at the ready to address it. Design-build eliminates the adversarial relationship between contractor and architect and assembles a cohesive team that has one goal: get your project completed efficiently. Design­-Build is at its biggest advantage when schedules are tight, and you need your project completed ASAP.

Yet another option comes with a Construction Manager (CM) as Agent process where a CM company acts directly on your behalf to look out for your best interests no matter the situation. In this scenario, the contractors and designers are directly contracted with you the owner. However, the CM acts as your representative to ensure the entire project team meets your every need from start to finish. This method is great for projects with demanding technical needs and stringent budgets. 

Consider using an alternative delivery method for you next facility improvement project. They can greatly reduce your costs, improve schedules and mitigate project risk while getting your business in the facility it needs to grow and expand.

Colin Simpson P.E. is President of Imperien LLC and a construction professional with over 15 years of experience. Imperien offers construction industry expertise and turn-key building packages including site selection, incentive negotiation, design, construction and capital planning. To get help on your next capital project contact colin@imperien.com or 815-988-7970.

The COVID-19 pandemic has obviously had a huge impact on nearly every business out there today. Big or small and regardless of industry you’ve had to make changes to the way you do business.

So you have two choices; hide under a rock and wait it out or prepare yourself to beat your competitors when the bull market returns. If you’re smart, you’re working right now on plans to come bursting out of the gate with new products, new marketing, and new clients once the pandemic ends and life returns to normal. Shouldn’t you also be considering how to better position your capital assets today so you can grow again tomorrow?

It usually takes on the order of 12 to 24 months to complete an in-depth site selection process, design a new facility and construct it. History teaches us that the bull market will return in 12 to 24 months. That means that this is the best time for you to consider future growth and develop a facility plan to accommodate your future plans. That also means if you wait until after the economy turns around to begin the growth process, you could end up two years behind your competitors.

The SMART move is to assess your facility needs NOW. Check your operation, assess your costs, anticipate your upcoming needs, and plan for the future. That’s how you beat your competitors to be punch!

By designing your facility solutions TODAY, you’re ready to start construction immediately after the economy comes back. It allows you to take a very low risk approach to getting the fastest possible rebound for your company tomorrow.

If you aren’t prepared to expand when the time comes, your competitors WILL BE. The companies with the experience to develop an expansion strategy during hard times are the ones who will be best positioned to grow and excel after the pandemic is over. Will that be you – or the competition?

Imperien is excited to announce that we will be hosting an exhibit at FABTECH 2019 in Chicago. FABTECH 2019 is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing trade show with 1800 exhibitors and nearly 50,000 attendees.

Any manufacturer interested in expanding their operation and growing their facility is invited to come talk with us at booth #A3176 and learn how we can help you grow your business. If you’re interested in getting free tickets as our guest at the show click the link below and register. See you there!

https://campaigns.fabtechexpo.com/FB19Imperien-LLC

Flexible Services Allow Clients to Focus on Running Their Business

October 23rd, 2018

ROCKFORD, IL – Colin Simpson, P.E., launched Imperien LLC to help companies across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin expand existing or build new facilities. Imperien’s construction management services offer alternative delivery methods, such as design-build, to allow clients to focus on their businesses while Imperien represents solely their interests throughout the design phase and construction of their facilities.

Imperien is uniquely qualified to serve the construction needs of small- and medium-sized businesses due to its size and depth of capabilities. Unencumbered by high overhead costs, Imperien can offer a higher-level of service and a more diverse range of contract options, reducing risk, time and cost for its clients.

For example, traditional construction contracts are typically a “design-bid-build” model; this commonly used model creates a separation between the design team and the construction team, often adding cost and time to projects. The separation of design and construction services means clients are managing two separate service providers that may have opposing interests. Imperien solves this problem by managing both the design and construction, protecting solely the interests of the client. The alternative models may be design-build, construction manager-as-agent, or construction manager-at-risk contracts. While managing the process from design through construction, these contracts offer customized solutions not currently offered to small- and medium-sized companies.

Since 2004, Colin Simpson has worked on behalf of owners to execute developments in commercial, industrial and municipal infrastructure construction, featuring both private and publicly funded projects:

$36 Million luxury apartment development in Downers Grove, IL
$25 Million reconstruction of the City of Monroe, WI’s waste-water treatment facility
$32 Million hangar at the Chicago Rockford International Airport
$22 Million terminal expansion at the Chicago Rockford International Airport

Colin’s experience working on behalf of municipal governments has made him extremely effective at advocating on behalf of his clients with government agencies while ensuring projects meet code requirements. Colin maintains close relationships with the public works community, serving as Director at Large for the American Public Works Association (APWA) Illinois Chapter, Northwest Branch since 2014.

Colin founded Imperien based on the core values of:

Protecting our clients’ interests
Quality construction
Partnering with our clients and vendors

Colin Simpson P.E. is President of Imperien LLC and a construction professional with over 15 years of experience. Imperien offers construction industry expertise and turn-key building packages including site selection, incentive negotiation, design, construction and capital planning. To get help on your next capital project contact colin@imperien.com or 815-988-7970.