froM BriCk and Mortar to virtual: the PBX journey Continues

“If you are not growing, you are dying,” words spoken by many smart, savvy business professionals, coaches and advisors. Since its inception in 1979, we have strived for excellence at the Premier Builders Exchange (PBX) to better serve our members and look for opportunities for growth along the way. With the constant release of new gadgets, devices and technological advances, it only made sense to make the decision to launch our plan room online. We went live with our virtual plan room in 2000, and with our state-of-the-art website and userfriendly take-off software, we have been setting the industry standards for online services ever since. Our plan room is even compatible with mobile devices, making it more convenient to access information on the go.

so what’s next?

Before COVID-19 was an issue, PBX was well along in its journey to becoming a 100 percent virtual company, a move that made perfect sense in the ever-changing technical side of the industry. The next step on this path is to close the doors to our physical location completely. As the need for physical copies of project plans diminishes, so does our need for a brick and mortar office, a move that will allow us to focus more on what our customers are looking for – more projects and better exposure. The plan pickup location of PBX will close in March 2021 and we have

CommerCial residential

• Maintenence and Repair • Heating and Cooling Systems • Fireplaces and Stoves • Ductless Systems • Air Quality Systems • Geothermal Systems

Since 1982, Quality Heating has earned a reputation as Central Oregon’s preferred contractor for service and maintenance, expert system designs and quality HVAC installations. We specialize in retrofit, new custom home construction, and light commercial heating and cooling systems. 1130 SE Lake Road • Redmond • 541-923-4752 or 1-800-300-4752

www.QualityHeat.com

SUITE 300, 6 ROSLYN ROAD, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA www.delcommunications.com

DEL Communications & You, the key to publishing success.

We offer outstanding personal service and quality in the areas of...

• Creative Design • Advertising Sales • Trade Publications • Video Production & Editing • Qualified Sales & Editorial Team

Energy Conservation Insulation with the very best, eco-friendly products that building your story has over 40 years of combined insulation experience, as well as extensive knowledge of energy are available today as well as providing years of experience to be able to provide a solution to fit any project no matter how big or small. We currently are the provider of insulation conservation techniques. services to many respected names in No matter what the project is, from a remodel residential and commercial construction. These to building a custom eco-friendly home, we include Builders, General Contractors, HVAC have the products and the knowledge to companies, Architects and Engineering firms answer all of your insulation needs. who have hired us and stay loyal because we ECI prides itself in being a leader in insulation have earned their trust and confidence in our techniques and applications, as well as our level of service. We are more than happy to World Class Service we provide to our clients. provide a list of references at any time upon We are passionate about providing our clients request.

decided to leave the printing portion of our business to the printing companies. We take our mission of existing to promote and unify our community of construction professionals and to provide our members with the most accurate and comprehensive information about construction opportunities from design to award very seriously.

A part of being virtual means being able to look through and download plans and specifications from the comfort of your own home or office for advanced members, or our newly introduced renaming service. But, that’s not all we do anymore. We’re always trying new ways to give our members more exposure to others. In the fall of 2020 we added a team of marketing and social media professionals to help meet our vision of empowering the construction community for success. This includes advertising space in our weekly e-newsletter, new and featured member highlights, and our online construction directory. Anyone visiting our website will see our complete list of members in the directory, making it easier for potential clients to contact them. Social media has likewise been a great way to show our appreciation and we welcome jobsite photos or finished product photos to advertise what amazing work our members have been doing.

Expanding our list of services to fit the needs of our general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and others is still a top priority for all of us. When we see that something extra is needed, we try our best to make that happen.

We understand that change can be difficult sometimes, and this is why we offer training sessions on how to navigate our website so that everyone can be as successful as possible with our services. Training comes at no cost and is available to all members, whether they’ve been with us for one month or 10 years. The PBX staff is always willing to meet with members either through one-on-one, virtual training sessions, or group sessions with member companies. Training is always adjusted to fit the specific needs of each individual as we recognize that not everyone is the same and not everyone’s needs will be the same either. We don’t want anyone to feel lost or like they’re wasting time and we’re happy to help, even if you just need a refresher course. After all, we see our success as being tied to our members; if one person falls behind, we all fall behind.

Overall, as things have continued to change, our mission statement remains the same: to offer a full-service plan room while meeting the progressing technology needs of our members. Thank you for sticking with us and here’s to another 40 years! l