A New Alliance
DALLAS (Oct. 7) –- Barber Business Advisors, LLC, and Context Design Group, PLLC, have agreed to a strategic partnership in which the two firms will jointly collaborate and offer corporate location analysis to companies worldwide.
BBA, which provides economic development consulting services to communities and site selection consulting services to companies, is based in Dallas. Based in Greenville, S.C., Context Design Group provides industrial planning and design services to corporate clients.
“This alliance between BBA and Context Design Group makes a lot of sense because now we are able to offer more and better services to companies that are looking to expand in new locations. We can also help economic development organizations that need a newly designed industrial park,” said Dean Barber, principal at BBA.
David Lewis, who founded Context Design Group in 2002, said the synergies created by the alliance create a greater and new dimension
“Dean and his team at BBA help communities become more competitive but they also help companies with site selection, while we at Context Design offer process-focused design. Using proven programming techniques, we help our clients visualize and understand how a future facility could look and operate on any given site.”
Lewis and Barber first met in 2001 when Barber was working at the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, and Lewis was involved in the design of the Hyundai assembly plant in Montgomery, Ala.
“It became clear to me when I first met Dave that he had a deep understanding of manufacturing processes and industrial design. His knowledge and experience in the automotive sector impressed me going back to 1992 when he was the lead architect for Simons Engineering on the BMW plant in Greer. S.C., which says a lot.” Barber said.
“In the years since, we've worked together on projects in the Southeast, Detroit and in Mexico. Dave gets the ‘big picture’ objectives of his clients. He is totally mindful of both the utilitarian and the aesthetic requirements.”
Lewis said Barber’s general knowledge of business and manufacturing impressed him.
“When I first met Dean, I soon realized that he was a different kind of economic developer. He’s a former business journalist, and he’s not afraid to ask the hard questions, which is a strength for any consultant. He's also worked in manufacturing plants,” Lewis said.
Lewis and Barber agreed that companies needing site location analysis now have access to a combined team with different abilities and strengths.
“At BBA, we’ve primarily focused our efforts in serving economic development organizations. That's going to continue,” Barber said. “But now we have this new added dimension that we can offer companies with site selection. It makes so much sense for us to partner with Context Design Group.”
“More is better,” Lewis said. “Breadth of experience matters. Our alliance will create greater value, and that's what it's all about.”