Watch for #FieldDayFriday's on Vancouver Is Awesome, where I (@marketing_girl), explore someone else's workplace pad.
The view from mezzanine #2 at Industrial Brand's Artech Loft at 336 East 1st Ave, is on the brink of a change as crews begin the first phase of construction at Emily Carr's new Great Northern Way campus. Invited to spend the day with Mark Busse and Ben Garfinkel's creative team, it quickly became apparent that these two aren't just business partners with a passion for design and operational strategy at their core: they're food obsessed (co-creating Foodists.ca, Ben has a certification in BBQ judging), deeply committed to civic activities (Mark is a member of the Engaged City Task Force and the force behind Creative Mornings), and oh, lifelong friends (they met the first day of Grade 2 in South East Richmond). That, and they have an uncanny ability to expertly brew Elysian's artisanal roasts.
Mark Busse explains the importance of using filtered water, 1 of 15 or so steps, to brew delicious coffee.
True to their own identity, Industrial Brand's aesthetic includes industrial pieces like this lamp (purchased from this year's IDSWest Show), mechanical fans and a stainless steel staircase. As a 15 year old business, Industrial Brand's breadth of experience in both creative strategy (yes, they do design work) and execution (they have built a suite of tools that give their clients a longterm, evolution baked into their plans), enriches the AEC industry, which they specialize in.
The two levels of well-appointed space allows for conversations to ignite horizontally and vertically across the mezzanines and down to the main floor. The ricochets of dialogue ranged from the day-to-day of operations, brown bagged lunch ogling to mind mapping ideation sessions that they host with their clients.
Ben Garfinkel mind maps with Ron(nie) Shewchuk (Accredited Business Communicator and International Barbecue Champion), blending their creative work with their lifelong passions, and the connections they make along the way.
Meet Pepper, Mark's dog, who has his own Twitter handle, @Wee_Man_Pepper.
And of course, at the end of the day, there was beer, wine and barbecue sauce!
