Verne McClelland will be the first to tell you that when the planning process started, he knew nothing about how to design and build his company’s new facility. Now he’s an expert.
McClelland was able to dedicate himself to the project because of co-owner Bill Tyers.
“We were fortunate that we have a partnership where Bill was able to continue to be involved in the company and I pretty much backed out of the company, particularly in the last six months of the project,” McClelland says. “It really did require more and more of my time the closer it got to the actual move date.
“It really does consume you,” he continues. “If you don’t let it consume you, then you won’t get what you wanted. You’ll ignore a lot of details and you’ll end up moving in and being unhappy. I was able to spend the time, so we ended up with a great building.”
That attention to detail helped Moving Solutions Inc. in the end.
“We came in at budget and had everything we wanted because we spent a lot of time with the architect going over (everything) in minute detail, right down to what the window sills were going to look like,” he says. “We got what we expected.”
Spending that time has other advantages as well.
“I think what happens to a lot of business owners is when they go to build a building they say, ‘I want a box and I want this much warehouse space. Architect, you handle it. Just give me someplace to go.’ And then they don’t think about it again,” McClelland says.
“They get into the process, and as it’s going up, they look around and they go, ‘Hey, I don’t like the size of this room,’ or, ‘I don’t like the way these docks lay out.’ They start making changes and that’s what blows their budgets.”
McClelland’s bankers required a $100,000 contingency built into the building.
“We didn’t use it. Our bankers were astounded. They said everybody goes over a few percent.”
Of course, not everything worked perfectly. While the project may have come in on budget, it didn’t come in on time. The planning and building permit processes took longer than expected. Construction was delayed due to weather and there were utility problems with the undeveloped site.
But even with all that, the project was only about 45 days behind schedule, McClelland says.
Two other factors make it worth the time and effort needed to get the building you want.
Explains McClelland, “For most small businesses, your building is your retirement. It was of great concern to us where we built the building. Would it appreciate in value and would it be safe?”
With the 10-acre site they found in Mentor, the answer to both questions should be yes.
The other issue is the look of the building and its effect on employees and customers.
“There is a certain level of client that won’t deal with you unless you look the part,” McClelland says. “And from an employee standpoint, there’s some fairly high level salespeople that don’t want to park in front of our old building in Eastlake with the gravel driveway and the dirty environment.
“There are certain people who want to work in a place that looks like it’s a professional organization. This clearly does now. We hope to be able to attract a better caliber of employee and to be able to approach some of the larger firms in Cleveland.”
How to reach: Moving Solutions Inc., (440) 946-9300
