Paragon Architecture

A common thread among clients of Paragon Architecture is growth. “They all seem to be growing right now,” said Gina Harris, marketing manager. “Our job is to help them on that journey by figuring out exactly what they need from their space.” That includes assessing a client’s current space to see what may be lacking and what can be done to make it more user friendly or whether or not it’s time to think about an entirely new facility. 

New branches, new services, new facilities

Whether clients like Citizens Memorial Hospital and Old Missouri Bank are expanding by offering new services or opening new branches, Paragon is able to work with them to create those new spaces to accommodate whatever that growth necessitates. Sometimes clients need to relocate to another space entirely. JMARK Business Solutions outgrew their current facility and were looking for a new home for their Springfield headquarters and Paragon was with them from the outset. “We were able to help them renovate and remodel the interior of their new, larger space,” said Harris. “The JMARK project was really about putting them in a space that was intentionally designed for the growth that they’re experiencing,” said president and principal architect Brad Erwin. 

A fresh set of eyes

When it comes to accommodating additional staff or additional service lines, a new location isn’t always necessary so Paragon typically starts with a space allocation study. “We’re really taking a look at how their current space is utilized and helping them determine how it can work better for them,” said Harris. “A fresh set of eyes on your existing space can help open the door to different possibilities. Even just changing a few things with a remodel or renovation really can give you a more efficient workflow.” 

If a new facility is what will work best for the client, Paragon uses the client’s goals to customize that design, whether building from the ground up or renovating an existing building purchased by the client. 

Cultivating the customer experience

The pandemic brought specific challenges to many industries, sometimes necessitating big changes in the way they actually did business. Paragon helped reorganize the customer experience for a local public utility company. “They found they needed to alter their business model as a result of lessons learned from the pandemic to provide better service for their customers in their future, whether in person or virtual,” said Erwin. Paragon’s changes started by putting the company’s customers at the top of the list of design considerations. 

Partnerships pave the way for the future of regional manufacturing 

Paragon is currently working with MSU on an annex to the Jordan Valley Innovation Center. “By partnering with regional entities and our established relationships with educational clients, we’re able to harness those partnerships for the good of the community,” said Harris. “We were able to accommodate new technology and new equipment that will bring advanced manufacturing capabilities to the area.” 

Using design to attract and retain talent

Talent attraction and retention is at the forefront for many companies right now and Harris mentioned that having an updated, employee friendly facility can give a company a competitive edge when wooing prospective employees. “Growing companies are always looking for the right people to join the team,” she said. “Designing your space with that in mind will allow you to have an advantage over the competition and will allow you to attract and retain those valuable employees.” 

While growth can take many forms for different companies, having an experienced architecture and design partner can make all the difference in the end result for owners, employees and their customers.