6
PROFILE
Trustworthy: David Schrader Managing partner of SCHRADERGROUP (Philadelphia, PA), a full-service firm that creates enhanced environments for the people who use them.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
A s managing partner, Schrader is responsible for SCHRADERGROUP’s leadership, including design, management, and business development. His ability to create a vision with his clients has fostered significant success for all involved. “Over time, clients grow to trust us because we deliver what we say we can,” Schrader says. “And, when something doesn’t go as planned, we’re the first to step up to solve the problem. At the end of every project, I like to believe that our clients felt well guided to achieve their vision.” A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID SCHRADER. The Zweig Letter: Your career has focused on designing facilities of public interest. Can you tell me about one that really stands out in the group and explain why? DS: Our firm (and the work I did in my prior life) has focused on K-12, higher education, and public safety/mission critical facilities. Each one is important and each one builds on what we’ve learned from prior projects. As we continue to evolve, one that stands out right now is the Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Like so many of
our projects, one of the greatest highlights is working with the client. In this case, we toured a number of facilities with the client and took bits and pieces from what they saw to create a cohesive new facility for their students. It boasts a contemporary exterior and an interior that’s a combination of higher ed-type and industry spaces so when students move out of this environment, they’re comfortable with the spaces they may encounter after graduation. TZL: How has COVID-19 permanently impacted your firm’s policy on telecommuting? DS: We’ve landed permanently (for the meantime) on a hybrid work environment. People spend three days (of their choice) in the office to coordinate projects. The other two are work from home. We ask that people try to spend Mondays in the office and focus our Monday mornings on a variety of meetings coordinating everything from overall client management and sales and marketing to individual project oversight. Telecommuting has created some interesting situations. We have several staff members who, due to family situations, or other opportunities have moved to remote locations –
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECE
Made with FlippingBook Annual report