After more than 10 years working with each other in the construction industry, Dylan Jensen, Joe O’Jibway, and Heather Merz all came to the same conclusion: it was time to write their own story and define their version of success. They longed for a company culture that would enable them to spend time fostering relationships with their clients and the contractors they work with every day. In 2021, they took a deep breath and, together, founded Paradigm Commercial.
Brainstorming for the right company name, their goal was to exemplify thinking outside of the box. Promoting creativity wasn’t enough; they wanted clients to know their focus would be to work hard to find creative alternatives rather than just standard solutions. In the same way that paradigms shift with new ways of thinking, their company, appropriately named Paradigm Commercial, represented a shift toward mirroring their professional lives with their personal lives—by maintaining a focus on people.
THE TEAM
Each of Paradigm’s team members plays a key role in its success. Having grown up in Georgetown, Dylan is delighted to now play a key role in its growth. He manages client relations and preconstruction, overseeing efforts to determine costs and requirements associated with new projects by collaborating with clients, architects, and engineers. Joe is involved with production and operations, managing the projects from start to finish. He oversees quality control, safety initiatives, and scheduling. Heather handles the company’s financial affairs and internal operations, building on her 16+ years in the construction industry. By establishing both policies and relationships that are essential to their growth and success, Heather prepares and analyzes all financial information.
Together, they have hand-picked a team consisting of people who emulate the company’s core values. Heather says, “Our team’s success is based on our ability to leverage our diverse building experience. Every team member brings their own skill set, experience, and local market knowledge that has been a value-add to our clients. We are committed to improving upon what has been done in the past, and are always looking for ways to grow as a company.”
While Paradigm specializes in commercial construction throughout Central Texas, they decided to build their corporate headquarters in Georgetown. Dylan says, “We want to let the community know we have planted our roots in Georgetown intentionally. Our goal is to be the contractor of choice for companies in the area. We are looking forward to growing with Georgetown!”
SERVICES
Paradigm offers a variety of services for commercial construction, from interior renovations to ground-up buildings, and product types such as office, retail, medical, hospitality, and industrial. Joe says, “We are a turnkey partner who reduces schedules, manages costs, and helps with the permitting and design processes, eliminating the need for the client to be fully involved, allowing them to prioritize their time back to their own company’s operations.”
- Paradigm recently completed a 60,000sf interior office and lab project for Oculus VR, Inc., a subsidiary of Meta (Facebook), while working alongside their client based out of the Philippines, Newcore Industries. Paradigm was tasked with finding creative value engineering solutions to reduce the overall budget by over 30 percent.
- ICON, a leader in advanced construction and 3D printing, worked with Paradigm to build their corporate headquarters in Austin. Wolf Ranch will be the site of ICON’s first-of-its-kind 3D home community.
- Remodeling their Austin office while still occupied, global real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle partnered with Paradigm to coordinate the construction efforts and expansion of their office in phases to allow for operations to continue unaffected.
- Chubbies, Inc. chose Paradigm to build their headquarters in Austin. Along with the standard office, conference, and collaboration areas, the space incorporates a photo studio, and custom-branded wallpaper and carpet.
- Redbird Flight Simulations, a leader in flight training devices and software, chose Paradigm to finish out their new office and warehouse space in Kyle, Texas. The project boasts 50,000+sf of industrial and production space.
- Developers Scott Stribling and Troy Hellmann selected Paradigm to be the general contractors for one of Georgetown’s newest projects, Block 37. This 85,000+sf building will feature a mixed-use space of office, retail and restaurants located just off the Square. Phase 1 will break ground in summer 2023.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Dylan, Joe, and Heather have been on the same page from the beginning when it comes to defining their company’s core values: family, accountability, trust, communication, creativity, and fun. These values shape the ways they produce their work, conduct their business, and live their lives. It’s safe to say that by making the fundamental changes in their approach to both construction management services and their organization as a whole, the Paradigm team is achieving the version of success they had envisioned!