Page 121 - Abilene Living

because you’re not trying to please a lot of people. We’re here because we like each other. We have friends here, and family. It’s the stomping grounds. It’s the place you go to unwind and relax.”

Relaxation is what inspired McCathren to go out on his own and start a business. An architect for several years, in 1994 he created McCathren Associates Inc. in order to “slow down”.

“The plan was to sleep late, go to the Y, eat lunch, go to the offce, then work on some things the rest of the afternoon. That lasted about a week. Then I started getting projects I could not refuse.” Though at one point the company grew to about eighteen employees, McCathren has shrunk it back down to now only two full-time and ten part-time employees. But no matter their size, the jobs keep rolling in.

McCathren says their international reach was more of an accident then a business plan. “We don’t advertise and we are not real good at updating the website. We’re all through word of mouth. We started with a few jobs and they told others.” Soon they’re names were being tossed around in places like Africa, where they’re currently working to build several resorts and airports after the civil war tore apart the area. “It boils down to exceeding people’s expectation,” McCathren says, “We want to do a better job than they expect, and provide more value than they expect. Then they tell their friends.”

McCathren’s company also offers something many architecture frms don’t: an unorthodox view on business. As mentioned, he doesn’t advertise and he also doesn’t require meeting in person. Often, they do meetings, designs and blue prints all through email, phone and fax. “We’ve still got some clients that like to meet face to face,” says McCathren, “But most like being part of the cyber experiment.” Then there’s the company handbook, “We only have three rules, look cool, have fun and don’t make mistakes.”

As he rattles off a long list of well-known buildings he’s had a hand in, McCathren explains the feeling he gets at every grand opening. “It will probably surprise you; it’s more relief than excitement. Since we also manage the construction of our projects, we’ve been there every day. So instead of coming in and seeing the ‘wow factor’, we get up and still see all the little things that need to be done. We need to touch up the paint down there, there’s a scratch on the wall there, and the pictures need to be hung. We’ve done that so much that it’s really a relief when it’s fnished.”

With each grand opening, the frm touches someone’s life. “What we’re really doing is making people happy, we’re improving their life in some little way. Whether it’s their classroom or vacation or whatever…we touch a lot of people.”