For a company to be true to its identity it must represent its core values and focus outwardly to achieve the best relationship between it and the people it serves.
At IDEA Inc., realizing their identity meant taking a revolutionary approach to their Sault Ste. Marie architecture and design firm. The local business formally known as EPOH Inc. has recently completed a rebranding process that encompasses both who they are and why they’re positioned as a leading firm locally while quickly expanding nationally and internationally.
“We bring an integrated approach to our projects. And we take the ego out of the process,” explains Franco Pastore, Principal and Director of Architecture at IDEA
Inc. “That is the foundation of our business.”
“Our multidisciplinary method blends conceptual design, site planning, engineering, architecture, project management and interior design. And the results achieved all stem from this holistic approach blended with the absolute needs of our clients. Our clients are the most important driver behind any project.”
IDEA Inc., formed as an acronym for Integrated Design, Engineering + Architecture, was developed to reflect the firm’s philosophy that focusing on the client will in turn result in the most superior end product. For the partners at IDEA Inc., high design is best realized through integration of all disciplines of design.
“It’s about the vast collective knowledge we can bring to our clients,” says Pastore.
“Our new name has a true meaning that gets to the heart of what our business offers and why we do it,” adds Jeanette Biemann, Principal and Director of Engineering. “IDEA Inc. is not about us as individual partners. We’re beyond that threshold. Our business is about the people we serve.”
At its foundation, IDEA Inc. has been a well-established business in Sault Ste. Marie for over sixty years. The firm proudly employs local young professionals and strives to continue bringing career opportunities to Sault Ste. Marie’s creative thinkers. “We want to provide an environment for new generations of designers, engineers and architects to develop locally but also give them a rounded career experience by working in new markets,” says Pastore.
“Our foundation is in the Sault and we work outwardly both nationally and internationally. To advance our company’s future growth strategy we have proudly established IDEA Inc. in Ottawa. Our Ottawa office will ensure the ongoing development of our team through new projects and nurture our expansion in Sault Ste. Marie.”
Growing in Sault Ste Marie has allowed IDEA Inc. to capitalize on undertaking a variety of projects. “Within our community we’ve developed projects from residential, commercial and recreational to health care and border crossings,” says Biemann. “Our experience allows us to cross pollinate ideas to bring the best result to our clients.”
“Not many firms can say they have such a diverse background.”
IDEA Inc.’s project diversity is supported by a cross section of staff that brings unique elements to the team and a working chemistry that drives them forward. “Franco Pastore, Kenneth Oliver, Ryan Crowle and I have a multidisciplinary partnership and an equally diverse and talented staff, many of who have been with the firm for over a decade,” explains Biemann.
“We have a fantastic team complement of experience that practices a fluid sharing of ideas and knowledge between disciplines, project types and project stages to
continually improve the end product for our clients.”
As IDEA Inc. moves forward under their new name, not much has changed in the soul of the firm according to Pastore, Biemann, Oliver and Crowle. “We bring an integration of art, science, technology and imagination to all of our work. But to us, a project isn’t truly successful unless those elements align with the needs of those who place their trust in us.”
For more information on IDEA Inc., visit integrateddesign.ca.