(Photo above | Courtesy of Premier Builders Exchange)
Again Setting the Industry Standard
Premier Defined
Meaning first or leading and when it comes to being first, our local Builders Exchange is always one step ahead. Previously Central Oregon Builders Exchange, it was originally founded in 1979 although current President Connie Briese changed the name in 2015 to better reflect what the exchange really does. They give builders, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and even design professionals the first look at their next potential projects. From commercial, industrial and public projects to residential permit listings in Central Oregon and throughout the state, Premier has services to fit all of the building trades.
Next Step
Always in the mindset of what’s next, owner Connie Briese believes that if you are not growing, you are dying. After taking a look at the evolution from a bustling hub of builders stopping into the builders exchange location to everything they need being available to them online at their fingertips, that next step became obvious to Briese. The need for a physical location for a business that was making a natural progression to virtual was no longer there. In fact, whether (they) realized it or not the members have been using PBX’s services virtually for years.
The first step for Briese was quite literally a leap of faith into the clouds. Diving right into moving all processes and programs to cloud based operating systems as well as training and cross training Premier’s two employees Kendra Connelly and Jessica Garcia to handle any and all situations that may arise virtually. Employee mental health and communication is and will remain at the top of Connie’s concerns. The transition of coming from a work environment where you can bounce ideas and life in general off of others throughout the day to working alone could be difficult. PBX staff has proactively faced those concerns head on by setting up chat applications, planning weekly staff meetings and encouraging employees to get out and be active whether that means taking their dog for a walk or spending the day working remotely from a park or coffee shop.
Not 100% Virtual Yet…
When Connie hired staff member Jessica Garcia her resume quite literally said she loves working in an office environment, that coupled with the need to still have a physical location for members to pick up large format copies lead Briese on the hunt for a substantially smaller space for one person and a few copy machines. A friend and local industry professional approached Briese with an office share proposal that was an immediate
ideal solution.
Excited about the new changes and challenges about going virtual Connie wants to insure her members that PBX is not going away. Instead, they are simply relocating and in doing so, plans on being able to focus more on what the Builders Exchange has always done best; bring contractors and industry professionals together with great projects. Briese plans to be more available to her members by not being (physically located in )an office, instead meeting with members one on one to help them take full advantage of all PBX’s valuable services, and holding individual or company member trainings specific to each members individual needs. If you would like to know more about what Premier Builders Exchange offers, please contact them today at 541-389-0123.
