It's our 15th anniversary!
Published Oct. 10, 2024
Reed Architecture & Interiors marks its 15th anniversary this month!
“There are so many people to thank for this,” said RAI Principal and Founder David Reed.
“I am so grateful for the many clients who trusted us with their cherished projects,” he said. “A great number came back again and again with their dreams and goals, which is so uplifting and humbling. I give thanks to and for our many teammates and partners who helped us accomplish this. They play a huge role in our continued success! Most of all I thank my wife and my God. Both blessed me with patience and grace through our first 15 years. We would not be celebrating this otherwise!”
Reed Architecture & Interiors will observe its anniversary with a Nov. 21 open house.
“We will gather with all our friends to give thanks for this wonderful milestone,” said Reed, “and then we will step out to enjoy the Route 66 Christmas Chute!”
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​Since its October 2009 start, our firm earned a strong reputation for delivering innovative, high-quality work that meets client goals, schedules, and resources. RAI maintained this through 100+ large and small projects by focusing on three guiding principles:
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Serve by design.
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Mind, body, and soul.
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Teamwork, trust, respect, joy, and fun.
David loves to explain these phrases.
“This is our foundation,” he said. “Serve by design: that is our mission. We’re in a service industry. My gift is not preaching or dunking a basketball. God gifted me with the ability to help people develop a vision, listen to their needs and wants, and work with their budget, and thus deliver them a building. He gifted me with abilities that help clients achieve their goals.”
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He finds this works best with projects that enhance the mind, body, and soul.
“We embrace those projects,” he said, noting RAI’s specialization in educational, athletic, recreational, and religious facilities.
“That’s why we market primarily to schools and churches,” said Reed, “although we gladly take on other clients if their needs, schedule, and budget fit our availability and goals. This is how I serve my fellow man, my community, my Lord, and my Savior.”
His catchwords “teamwork, trust, respect, joy, and fun” outline RAI’s core values. They also describe RAI’s internal and external work processes.
“We stress this not just within our team, but with our stakeholders,” said Reed. “Our core values share how we approach each project, client, consultant, stakeholder, regulator, and observer.”
How do these ideals translate into everyday business practices?
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Our history in a nutshell
Reed Architecture started in 2009 when David Reed established David Reed Architecture in Tulsa, OK. As an efficient, four-person operation, David Reed Architecture provided complete architectural, interior design, and construction administration services. In its first year, David Reed Architecture won a Tulsa Public Schools contract to design three high school arenas: Booker T. Washington, Edison Preparatory, and Memorial High School.
In 2011, David Reed Architecture entered a partnership with Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee Gary Sparks. Under its new name, Sparks Reed Architecture & Interiors, the firm completed numerous educational, athletic, religious, and commercial facilities, with no project too large to handle.
With Gary’s retirement in 2020, David renamed his firm Reed Architecture & Interiors, moving its office to Sapulpa, OK.
“It starts with teamwork,” said Reed. “With each project, we work to create collaborative partnerships with the client, consultants, the communities we serve… in other words, with everyone having a stake in that project. We bring them all together to form a team. That’s vital for success, from the very beginning. For today’s business environment requires flexibility. The architecture must accommodate evolving technologies, safety measures, and design trends. Teamwork best achieves that.”
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The Reed team then surveys each project’s stakeholders and listens to their specific ideas.
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​“This allows us to gain a firm understanding of our client’s immediate and long-term needs and goals,” he said. “We use this knowledge to explore and refine different design options, communicating each step with the project team to maintain its distinct values and goals.”
RAI uses its leadership role to coordinate each team and enhance its vision. This helps clients reach a design that meets stakeholder needs. RAI then guides the team through the construction process.
“We dedicate the time and energy necessary to ensure success,” said Reed. “Our team has more than 150 years of combined professional experience, all gained through such partnerships. We use this experience to create engaging projects, completing each one within its schedule and budget.”
This process earned Reed Architecture & Interiors numerous repeat clients.
“When your focus is serving your client’s and the community’s needs, it’s hard to go wrong,” said Reed.
Some of those efforts came in partnership with Master’s Plan Church Design and Construction. For the last five years, that Tulsa firm has used RAI to develop architectural plans for clients across the nation. This spurred Reed to obtain architectural licenses in 21 states.
“It was a natural fit,” he said of working with Master’s Plan and its founder, Rodney James. “We both believe in serving our clients, walking them through the whole design and build process to deliver buildings within budget.”
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Looking back on his career, Reed feels grateful and humbled by his firm’s success.
“I’m not sure I had many expectations when I went out on my own,” he said of that 2009 launch. “And I have no firm predictions of where we go from here. But whatever road we take, I know it will be done in faith, praising God and serving our clients and community by design. I look forward to the opportunities He brings.”
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