Working 1,200 miles from the office
Published Feb. 13, 2024
Jordan Taylor Travis​
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Reed Architecture and Interiors has successfully established its second remote worker.
In 2022, the downtown Sapulpa firm helped team member Jun Robinson meet her daily work demands after her family moved 500+ miles to San Antonio. Now Reed Architecture boasts the same success with Associate Architect Jordan Taylor Travis, whose family journeyed more than 1,200 miles to Utah.
“Our state-of-the-art technologies allow us to stay in touch with each team member and do all of our work remotely from anywhere in the nation,” said RAI founder and principal David Reed. “This is critical, for retaining talent is key in our industry.
“When you have good people, you want to do everything you can to continue that working relationship,” said Reed, whose firm celebrates its 14th anniversary this year. “Jun and Jordan have proven that great people do great work wherever they are.”
The Travis family moved to Utah to help launch a non-denominational evangelical church in the Salt Lake City suburb West Valley City. Since it lies between the Wasatch front of the Rocky Mountains and the Oquirrh Mountains, their congregation took the name ValleyLight Church (valleylightchurch.com).
“Our goal is to be a light in that valley and to make Jesus unignorable,” said Travis, whose husband – also named Jordan – is one of two ValleyLight pastors.
Their church has averaged 80 people each Sunday since opening Sept. 10 at Ascent Academy. Jordan Taylor Travis expects Easter attendance of 100+, which would rival ValleyLight’s debut and Christmas services.
“An attendance of 100+ people is a lot for how young our church plant is, but the reality is that 100 people isn’t even 1 percent of the population of our zip code,” she said. “There is a desperate need for spiritual community and hope in West Valley City, and ValleyLight Church is striving to meet that need.”
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With their family move, Reed Architecture provided Travis a computer and screen equal to her old office workstation. Her only hurdle was obtaining a solid internet connection. Once that was established, Travis said she had no problems meeting her work and startup church needs.
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“When I brought this to David and Jason (Haslam, who oversees Jordan’s work), they were both overwhelmingly supportive,” said Travis. “Knowing that I could stay on as an employee and I wouldn’t have to be out looking for a job really set us up in a financially stable place as we were moving into the future.”
As a side benefit, having employees in Texas and Utah gives Reed Architecture first-hand experience with developing architecture trends outside Oklahoma. Travis has taken up her AIA activities with the Utah chapter.
“Jordan is a valued member of our team,” said Reed, “and we are grateful to have her continue to serve our clients, our team, and her community in Utah.”
Jordan Taylor Travis works the audiovisual system while her husband talks to their church audience
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