The 2022 Awards of Excellence were held on Thursday, November 10th at the Pie Eyed Monk in Lindsay, Ontario. It was both humbling and inspiring to be in the presence of local businesses and service providers who have all made great strides in supporting our local economy.
At DCM Inc, we depend on our local team to run the production floor; scrub and filter data; write code; sell, market, and support our product; and own client success from software onboarding to training to retention. We have doubled in size this year after winning numerous global contracts! You can expect to see DCM Inc. grow as we settle into a bigger space in the City of Kawartha Lakes to facilitate our up-scaling and company growth.
We are the only company in the world to produce both a hands-on and SaaS strategy for drawing management that provides a multi-layer view of a facility’s floor-plan with stacked electrical, plumbing, and duct work schematics. We call these omni-disciplinary digital drawings our baselineMaster CAD Plans. This transparent view gives Facility Managers what they need to plan future renovations (by knowing what’s behind the walls!) and control disaster in emergencies (by finding shut off valves) all behind a single source of truth.
We are also the only company in the world to backup this powerful engineering drawing management technology with a full-suite of drawing management services. We turn hundreds of thousands of outdated building plans into accurate digital files that run facilities better and safer. We speed up drawing retrieval down to seconds, saving facilities thousands of hours in time and millions of dollars in preventable damage. Our team is local, and grew by 100% from 2021 to 2022. And now we’re expecting to double our team again in the next fiscal year! Thank you, LDCC, for recognizing DCM Inc. for Innovation Excellence. We look forward to showing even more innovation in the near future!
As Halloween creeps ever closer, stories about all sorts of ghosts and ghouls are on our minds. What terrors lurk in the dark recesses of old buildings? Canada is no stranger to these stories either, and is home to some pretty famous haunted Canadian facilities.
Here are three Canadian ghost stories to celebrate this spooky occasion!
1. St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia is recognised as one of Canada’s best. Students in the university’s Gilmora Hall might have a story or two to tell you about a local ghost known as the Blue Nun.
Gilmora Hall was once a ladies’ college run by nuns. Legend has it that one of the nuns once fell in love with a priest, and they began a secret love affair. Overcome by her guilt, one day the nun threw herself off of the building’s balcony.
It is said her spirit now haunts her former residence of Gilmora Hall. But do not fear! Students and staff alike have concluded that the Blue Nun is a protective spirit! However, her counterpart, the Red Priest, is known to terrify and wreak havoc on students. It is best to stay out of his way whenever possible!
2. The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta is one of Canada’s greatest places to stay. However, it is also said to be home to some pretty iconic spirits. Many have heard of their most famous, the Ghost Bride.
Legend says that on her wedding day, the Ghost Bride met her unfortunate demise. She is said to have fallen to her death down one of the hotel’s marble staircases. Since then, staff and guests have reported seeing her pacing the stairs or dancing in the ballroom, pining for that “first dance” she will never have with her husband. She is so well-known, in fact, that the Ghost Bride is even featured on her own commemorative stamp and coin!
3. The Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey is the Canadian national pastime, and what most countries around the globe know us for! So it may be surprising to learn that the Hockey Hall of Fame, a beloved museum dedicated to the sport, was also the site of a devastating tragedy.
In the early 1990s, the site was a branch of the Bank of Montreal where a young lady known as Dorothea Mae Elliott worked as a teller. Legend tells that one day Dorothea, distraught over a love affair gone wrong, took her own life inside the building. Now, people who work in the building have reported seeing her ghost near the office or vaults. She is also known to turn lights on and off, and to open, close, and even lock doors!
Don’t Let Your Facility Be Haunted by Paper Drawings
Canadian architecture is fascinating for so many reasons, stories of ghosts and hauntings being only one! If you’re feeling brave, take a trip to one of these beautiful, historical locations. Even if you don’t have any ghostly encounters, you will not regret taking in the sights and enjoying what this country has to offer!
While you’re at it, don’t let your facility be haunted by the ghosts of ancient and decrepit paper drawings! Let the Drawing Specialists be your Ghostbusters and vacuum up your dreadful drawings into echo, our Drawing Management Software. Book a discovery call today to learn more!
A beautifully designed and executed building can take your breath away. However, clumsily constructed structures can leave you scratching your head. Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa may be the most famous example of architectural error, but it’s by no means the only one. Read on as we look at four of the clumsiest building and architecture mistakes ever made.
1. Sydney Opera House
Located on the banks of Sydney Harbor in Australia, many consider the Sydney Opera House an architectural masterpiece. Others, such as the Maldives-based Times of Addu, call the performing arts center an “architectural disaster.”
Interestingly, the structure that opened in 1973 and now stands as a world-recognized architectural landmark in Australia was not designed by an Australian. In the mid-1950s, New South Wales Premier Joe Cahill proposed a global competition to find the perfect design. They considered more than 230 entries from 32 countries. In the end, Danish-born architect Jørn Utzon won and received an award of ₤5000 for his entry.
The opera house might not have suffered the indignity of becoming a hailed disaster had they constructed it following Utzon’s original 1957 drawing. The acoustics would have been superior, as well. The architect’s winning design would have created a multi-purpose structure that comprised a pair of side-by-side, full-size concert halls covered by a cantilevered, shell-shaped roof. The original expectation was that the soon-to-be Sydney Opera House would cost around AUS $7 million and take four years to complete.
What Went Wrong?
Utzon’s winning drawings did not precisely define the geometry of the shells that would make up the roof. However, he perceived them as a sequence of relatively flat parabolas that would be supported by concrete ribs. Government budget concerns forced engineers to come up with an economically acceptable solution. After six years and at least a dozen iterations, the shells were created as sections of a sphere instead of the flatter parabolas of Utzon’s design.
The government also scrapped the corridors and acoustic vision of Utzon’s drawings. Lauded by acoustic consultant Lothar Cremer as excellent, Utzon’s original concept of the two major concert halls was altered severely. Thus, resulting in poor acoustics for performing musicians.
According to a month-long examination conducted by The Sydney Morning Herald in 2006, the opera house was on the verge of becoming dysfunctional and obsolete due to cramped quarters in the orchestra pit, wings, and backstage areas. They addressed the acoustic issues through the addition of hanging Perspex rings over the stages. They also averted obsolescence with the replacement of stage machinery.
Ultimately, they completed the structure in 1973 (which originally broke ground in 1959) at a cost of more than AUS $102 million. Time and budget were not the only things that strayed far from the original ideas. In fact, the local government enacted so many changes to Utzon’s original drawings. The architect actually fled Australia in disgust and never returned.
2. Walkie-Talkie Building in London
It may not boast the nefarious past of the Tower of London that sits a few blocks away, but the “Walkie-Talkie” building at 20 Fenchurch Street leaves one with an indelible impression nonetheless. A clumsy addition to the London skyline at best, the awkwardly shaped structure faces a perilous future. The architecture mistakes may take millions of pounds to fix.
To say that this 37-story structure has issues would be an understatement. In fact, the bulging building opened in 2014 with many problems. It topped the shortlist for the UK’s not-so-illustrious Carbuncle Cup Award for the “ugliest British building” the very next year. And it’s not just the skyscraper’s less-than-lovely looks that have the UK in an architectural uproar. Sections of the structure could be downright dangerous.
Shortly after its public unveiling, Bloomberg CityLab called the now-nicknamed Walkie-Talkie a “clunky stub of a building” that arrived on the skyline in a murky and dishonest manner. They said that it failed to live up to its promise to be an authentic public space.
And then there were the death rays.
What Went Wrong?
According to CityLab, the London tower was “melting cars” with reflective “death rays” long before construction was complete. Architectural designer Eleanor Joliffe concurred. She described the building as reminiscent of “a Bond villain tower” that could “melt your car with a solar beam from space,” reported the Evening Standard.
Whole-project construction communication expert HIVOT offered a more scientific explanation of the now-infamous architecture mistakes of the hastily-approved skyscraper. Pertinent to the solar death ray issue, HIVOT explained that the #1 flaw of the £200 million building is a concave mirror that reflects incapacitating rays of sunlight more than 90° Celsius (190° Fahrenheit) onto the street where cars park every day.
Protracted heat caused by the ill-placed mirror charred carpets, cracked tiles, and melted car components so severely, London city officials suspended a trio of parking bays near the structure and will not let them be used until a permanent solution is devised.
3. Vdara Hotel and Spa in Las Vegas
Did you think the Walkie-Talkie tower is the only building accused of delivering “death rays”? Think again! Shortly after the 57-story Vdara Hotel and Spa opened its doors for business in December 2010, guests at the Strip resort began complaining of intense heat — and even burning skin — at and around the public swimming pool.
What Went Wrong?
Gordon Absher, a spokesman for the MGM Resorts-owned property, told Reuters that the high heat guests took to calling “death rays” was actually a “solar convergence phenomenon” caused by the sun changing elevation as it passed over the pool area.
The skin-scorching heat happens when solar rays bounce off the gleaming glass facade that happens to be concave in shape. Remember the Walkie-Talkie structure in London?
MGM Resorts attempted to correct the problem. They adhered high-tech solar film to each of the 3,000 glass panels that comprise the southern facade of the Vdara. Did it work? Not exactly.
After Vdara condo owner and Chicago lawyer, William Pintas, told a local Las Vegas newspaper he could smell his hair burning at the Vdara pool, the resort manager said he would look “into further mitigation procedures” including umbrellas and foliage options.
4. Wingspread in Racine, Wisconsin
Currently home to the charitable Johnson Foundation, Wingspread nearly collapsed in the wake of a Wisconsin ice storm. The 1994 near-disaster was not the first problem experienced by the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structure, however.
What Went Wrong?
Fifty-five years prior, the plywood roof of the three-story, 14,000 square foot octagonal building was leaking badly. In fact, owner Herbert Johnson contacted Wright who blithely suggested he change the position of his furniture.
They spent decades fixing leaks in the roof which they ultimately replaced with new rafters and carbon sheathing, according to renovation expert Bob Vila.
Don’t Let It Happen to You
Up-to-date engineering drawings that are readily accessible to contractors, facilities managers, and properties managers can go a long way toward preventing such embarrassing, and potentially dangerous, building and architecture mistakes.
DCM Inc. makes it effortless to ensure that your engineering drawings are always up-to-date and easily found.
Avoid these building and architecture mistakes! For further information about echo, our Drawing Management Software, we invite you to contact us to book a discovery call today! We look forward to hearing from you!
The architectural world hit the global NFT headlines back in 2021 when a virtual real estate property sold for over half a million dollars. The insane amounts paid for an architectural rendering signalled the entry of cryptocurrencies into mainstream architecture. Previously a mainstay of digital art, here’s a look at what the arrival of NFTs means to construction design.
What is an NFT, and What’s the Deal With It?
Non-fungible tokens—or NFTs, are unique digital files that store ownership information. Non-fungible means that it’s one-of-a-kind. Users cannot change or replace them for something else. For example, a 20 dollar bill is fungible because you can exchange it with two 10 dollar bills.
Most people know of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which continue to make waves in the financial markets. However, people have little information about blockchain technology, the infrastructure behind many digital currencies. A blockchain is a distributed ledger of transactions shared across computer networks.
Blockchains record every transaction in a ledger, which no one can alter despite the maintenance from multiple participants. The distributed database guarantees information consistency and security using hash encryption for every transaction. Any tampering along the chain will be detected, as the original transaction data is still contained within the blockchain.
NFTs build on blockchain technology to store origination information. NFTs can be created from anything as long as they are in digital forms, like when Jack Dorsey sold his first tweet in 2006 for more than two million dollars. However, much of the current hype revolves around selling digital art.
Here are some speculations about how design and architecture can use NFTs.
Blockchain Contracts
The distributed ledger system makes it easy to track project workflows and the movement of goods and services. People can trace and eliminate changes or delays along the blockchain, reducing the time spent on oversight.
Blockchain technology lays the groundwork for smart contracts. A smart contract is a self-executing digital agreement between two parties. The contract contains predefined conditions that parties need to meet before it executes and moves to the next stage.
For example, a typical construction contract will stipulate that if supplied goods have passed inspection, the system triggers payment from a virtual wallet. Smart contracts eliminate unnecessary paperwork and streamline dispute resolution between contractors and project owners.
Events can also be triggered by signing off on completed tasks in a project, after which the relevant activities begin. Smart contracts will also cut transactional costs, for example, paying third parties to audit or verify a transaction. People can save an unchangeable digital replica of the building within the blockchain to ensure that nothing runs out of scope.
The distributed nature of the contracts holds the parties accountable, or it remains unfulfilled.
Virtual Land
The concept of paying real money for virtual land might seem a bit far-fetched. However, it is already happening, and the prices are soaring. NFT virtual land essentially means that you own a piece of real estate in the metaverse. The landowner can use their online plots for advertising and hosting online events like gaming.
The metaverse is a collective term for virtual technologies. Some of these virtual worlds consist of idealistic versions of the physical world. We’ve already seen augmented reality technologies that allow you to walk into a mall, try on some clothes, buy anything you like, and waltz into a restaurant next door to grab a drink.
Virtual worlds allow you to create digital personas using 3D avatars that you can take with you anywhere. With NFT virtual lands, developers create vast tracts of digital land and subdivide them for sale. When buying these parcels, you essentially take ownership of a non-fungible token linked to that particular plot.
Owning digital land carries aspects of the physical world, like renting out a venue for concerts and product launches. You can purchase plots directly from the project developers or through subsequent owners.
Digital Blueprints for Sale
Most people involved in building and construction already know what blueprints are. The document’s name came from the original production process, where the use of chemicals on detailed architectural drawings produces a blue sheet of paper. Modern architects do their designs on a computer and print them on white sheets.
Blueprints can be for an existing structure or a planned project. They help to keep everyone on the same page during the construction process. Because they show precisely what the finished building is supposed to look like, they can be used to prepare the bill of materials, estimate the labour costs, and prepare a construction schedule.
Blueprints can become inscribed into blockchain contracts as a way of ensuring that all parties, including the contractor, construction workers, and the building owner, meet their end of the bargain. It won’t be long before we start seeing blueprints of historic buildings on the NFT market. Architects are following these developments, and many won’t hesitate to put their unique designs on sale.
Knowing how precious these documents are, you need a drawing management system to secure them, and DCM’s drawing management system is the perfect solution.
Masterpiece 3D Renderings
The first NFT marketplace for architects and designers launched in late 2021. It undoubtedly marked the beginning of the new frontier for the industry, even though some professionals had already had phenomenal sales using the technology. Many designers and 3D artists have jumped headlong onto the augmented reality bandwagon, bringing their ideas to life using digital simulations.
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive 3D experience that produces versions of the real world using computer-generated elements. AR users can view AR environments from smartphones and computer screens, but the most immersive experience is through special AR goggles. Perhaps we need to distinguish between AR and virtual reality (VR) in that VR elements can be entirely fictitious, while AR uses components that you can find in real life.
AR gives a strong case for the growth of 3D NFTs. Architectural designs already started using them intensively. It moves the designer’s work from a mere presentation into a work of art capable of fetching dollars in the hundreds of thousands on the NFT market. Architects can move design concepts that haven’t been actualized because of impossible technologies, granting users a glimpse of what life could be like in the future.
Start Securing Your Blueprints With a Modernized Engineering Drawing Library
NFTs can be easy to crack when you already have an extensive digital library of architectural blueprints and designs. DCM’s echo | Drawing Management System 6.3 allows you to organize your drawing and collaborate with team members and contractors from anywhere.
Contact us today and discover how to build a drawing library that sets you up for success.
Museums are fascinating places. They are shrines to art, knowledge, culture and more! So, It’s only fitting that the museums themselves are some of the most breathtaking structures the world offers. At DCM, we create a simplified facility drawing management strategy for organizing your engineering drawings, but even we are sometimes astounded by the architecture we see! Here are five museums with amazing architecture! They are so unique that we can’t help but wonder what the blueprints must look like.
1. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba was established in 2008. It held its opening ceremonies on September 19th, 2014. It was designed by architect Antoine Predock of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Predock had won an architectural competition amongst entries from 63 firms in 21 countries.
The Museum for Human Rights was the first project of this scale in Canada to have all teams involved using computer-modelled design and construction. It was designed with sustainability in mind. Its creators and maintenance staff have emphasized the importance of minimizing the museum’s environmental impact. One such sustainability measure is that the museum harvests rainwater for its air-conditioning and toilet-flushing systems. The museum also boasts that more than 50% of its construction waste was recycled or salvaged.
The building symbolizes humanity’s connection to Mother Earth with four stone “roots” at its base. The limestone mountain and “icy peak” are enveloped by what looks like the wings of a dove, encasing the building in a glowing beacon of hope. This is meant to reflect the hope its creators feel for the future of human rights education. They feel that stories of human rights should be accessible to all, and that they inspire the activists and revolutionaries of tomorrow! The Museum is located in the heartland of the Metis people. It is meant to bring people of all walks of life together in the pursuit of education and unity.
2. The Miho Museum
The Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan opened in 1997. It houses Mihoko Koyama’s collection of Asian and Western antiques ranging from the 1950s to the 1990s. It is not only a museum, but the headquarters of Koyama’s newly founded religious group, Shinji Shumeikai. Their purpose is to advance heath, happiness, and harmony for all by spreading the teachings of Japanese spiritual leader Mokichi Okada.
Mihoko Koyama is described as a “Seeker of Beauty” and this is reflected in the museum’s location and architecture. It is located amid the magnificent mountain range of Shigaraki in the Shiga Prefecture and has been described as a “real world Shangri-La”. It was designed by I.M. Pei, also known for designing the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.
Pei was heavily inspired by the story The Peach Blossom Spring by Tao Yuanming. The Peach Blossom Spring is a fable about the discovery of an ethereal utopia where people live in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world. A trip to this museum is meant to feel like exploring the idyllic village from this story.
3. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture is located in Washington, D.C. It was established in 2003 and opened its doors officially in 2016 with a ceremony led by Barack Obama. It is home to over 40,000 objects, although only about 3,500 are displayed at a given time. The museum was designed by the Freelon Group, Adjaye Associates, and the Davis Brody Bond. They had won a design competition among hundreds of architects and firms.
The Smithsonian website describes the motivation behind the design, saying, “the outer layer of the building, the Corona, draws on imagery from both African and American History, reaching toward the sky in an expression of faith, hope and resiliency. The three-tiered shape is inspired by the Yoruban Caryatid, a traditional wooden column that features a crown or corona at its top. The pattern of the exterior panels evokes the look of ornate 19th-century ironwork created by enslaved craftsmen in New Orleans and allows daylight to enter through dappled openings.”
This museum is a place to view the American story through an African American lens and to gain a new perspective. It promotes empathy between cultures, and the importance of not just cohabitating with one another but understanding each other on a deeper level. This concept will always be of great importance in America, and also in society as a whole!
4. The Louis Vuitton Foundation
The Louis Vuitton Foundation is a French art museum and cultural center located in Paris, France. It opened in 2014. It was designed by architect Frank Gehry to serve as a hub for creativity, emotion and contemplation. Its mission is to serve the public by making arts and culture from all over the world accessible to all, and to unite contemporary and historical art for an unforgettable museum experience.
The Foundation’s collection is mainly comprised of four categories: Contemplative, Pop, Expressionist, and Music & Sound. It features the works of a variety of artists, from Andy Warhol to Damien Hirst.
The building flaunts a deconstructivist style, meaning to give the impression of fragmentation with an absence of harmony, continuity or symmetry. The Foundation’s “iceberg” blocks are meant to invoke the image of ship sails blowing in the wind. It features 11 different exhibition galleries with both permanent and temporary displays.
5. The Museum for Architectural Drawing
We at DCM firmly believe that architectural drawings are art. So, what better way to close this list than with a museum that exemplifies that? The Museum for Architectural Drawings in Berlin, Germany was founded by Sergei Tchoban in 2009. It opened for business in 2013. Its mission is to showcase the beauty of hand-drawn architectural drawings, and to foster the skills of talented young architects.
The Museum does this by displaying the countless priceless drawings collected by Tchoban and The Tchoban Foundation over the course of ten years. It also includes drawings Tchoban himself has drafted in his career of over 40 years. He considers the museum to be a project close to his heart and says it had been his dream for quite some time before its conception.
It was Tchoban’s hope that the collection could help him to reawaken an interest in hand-drawn architectural illustrations in an era more fixated on 3D, photorealistic renderings. The building was designed to look like a casually stacked pile of books. Its surface has been etched with architectural illustrations. This museum may just be the world’s best organized collection of engineering drawings!
Don’t Let Your Drawings Be Artifacts of the Past
If your engineering drawing collection is a little less than museum quality, The Drawing Specialists can help! Book a discovery call today to learn how we can help set you up with a simplified facility drawing management strategy for your facility’s unique needs, and find an accurate drawing in seconds!
The adoption of digital government in the United States of America has happened because smart technology and cloud storage is becoming easier to implement. The adoption of digital government allows governments to serve their citizens better. Previously, we discussed change drivers encouraging the Government of Canada to transition toward a more digital government. This time, we are going to focus on several states within the United States of America.
The US-based Center for Digital Government conducts a Digital States Survey every even-numbered year. This survey evaluates the digital technology practices of each state. States are awarded letter grades ranging from C to A, with A being the best possible grade. In 2020, Georgia and Utah were among the highest-graded states. These states already had a strong digital infrastructure in place when the Covid-19 pandemic began. As a result, they could smoothly adapt to the challenges the pandemic posed.
More people have Internet access today than ever before.
Clients are used to reliable and responsive digital services from the private sector, like online banking and online shopping.
Different services being able to share data with each other can create a smooth experience for clients.
Workplaces are becoming increasingly digital, improving workflow for employees.
Technology is still evolving in ways that will continue to affect the market into the future.
These change drivers aren’t unique to just Canada. Let’s look at how different states in the USA are adopting digital government in response to these change drivers:
Investment in the Cloud Allows for Utility, Versatility, and Scalability in Digital Governments
Investing in the cloud helped state governments adapt to a post-pandemic world. In Arizona, cloud investment prepared the state for its employees’ transition to remote work. Cloud-based tools allowed for remote collaboration and virtual meetings. Arizona’s Statewide Cloud First program reached $40 million in cloud spending. Arizona Chief Information Officer J. R. Sloan said, “The single largest transformational initiative for the past few years has been in relation to our cloud-first initiative and cloud migration.”
In Arizona, 75 out of 90 identified data center facilities were closed. They were consolidated in a single facility in the city of Phoenix. This allowed for any operations and workloads to be moved to the cloud. Cloud technology also allowed Arizona’s unemployment insurance to handle volumes of 2 million applicants in the wake of the pandemic, much more than the previous 15,000 applicants.
Rhode Island has also moved towards becoming a more cloud-based government. They have adopted cloud-based infrastructure for the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, unemployment systems, some health and human services, and much of the state’s data. Utah has had a cloud strategy in place since 2009 and coordinates with Amazon Web Services and Google as part of their cloud migration strategy.
Digital Government Can Provide Better Citizen-Centric Services
State governments have been leveraging the cloud to bring better citizen-centric services to their citizens. Utah streamlined nearly a thousand different apps and services into a single platform called UtahID. As a result, there was a smoother client experience for the state’s citizens. Georgia also launched digital service GovHub in 2019. This was part of an effort to streamline multiple digital services into a single service platform while improving security.
Americans want services and programs that provide the best, client-centred experience. They want responsive digital services designed to cater to users’ needs. By leveraging cloud technology and going digital, state governments can provide their citizens with services like these.
Digitally-Enabled Workplaces Elevate State Governments
States can use digital government to improve productivity and efficiency in the workplace. Arizona stopped using around thirty different email systems. Moving to G Suite provided for a common email, calendar, and collaborative digital space. This move to a single cloud-based collaboration platform saved the state about $750,000 by getting rid of duplicate collaborative tools for its employees.
In late 2018, Utah launched a telework initiative involving over 130 state employees working from home. This happened a year and a half before the pandemic began. The state saw productivity gains and other benefits. This led to investments in remote work that prepared the state workforce for its eventual 70% shift to remote work in March 2020.
Digital Governments Must Protect Data Privacy and Security
Arizona state has increased cybersecurity funding by 150%. Rhode Island invested in a cybersecurity model that prioritized multiple stakeholders, including the National Guard, FBI, and private sector companies. In May 2019, Rhode Island state launched the USA’s first ever statewide cybercrime hotline. In 2018, Georgia launched its first cybercrime unit, the Georgia Cyber Center. It was an investment of over $100 million in partnership with private sector companies.
At DCM Inc. We Understand the Value of Going Digital
State governments around America are going digital and embracing cloud technology. At DCM Inc. we are proud to provide our clients with a one-stop, all-in-one solution for facility drawing management with echo, our acclaimed engineering drawing management software. We work tirelessly to create the ideal drawing management strategy for our clients in America, Canada, and beyond. Our team would be happy to discuss how we could best serve your facility’s needs. Book a discovery call today for more information about echo from DCM Inc.
By now, we should all know that mental health is just as important as physical health. Being that today is “National Silence the Shame Day”, what better occasion to emphasize the importance of looking after your mental health in the workplace? After all, for most of us, our workplace is where we spend the majority of our time. Those struggling with mental illness know better than anyone that it cannot be “turned off” in the name of productivity. The best course of action is to adapt healthy habits and maintain a work-life balance that makes taking care of yourself a priority.
Silence the Shame Day was created in order to encourage conversations surrounding mental health, and also to aid in destigmatizing mental illness. All over the world, people suffer in silence with their mental illnesses due to harmful stigmas attached to being diagnosed. This is devastating as mental illnesses are treatable, and often recovery is possible!
At DCM, we know our success comes directly as a result of the efforts of our exemplary team members. Because of this, we have put measures in place to help maintain that crucial work-life balance. An example of this is that we have implemented a “Be Well” program with the help of Wellness Consultant, Rochelle Pickering.
Rochelle will regularly meet with our team members to discuss integrating wellness into work culture. We also receive monthly newsletters from Rochelle with tips on keeping our mental health in check that can easily be integrated into our team member’s daily schedules. Some of these tips include picking workout outfits that make you feel good as a means of motivating yourself to exercise, planning your alone time to ensure you don’t lose out on it (time alone dedicated to self-care is so vital to your mental health!), creating mantras, and setting budgets for things like gift giving to avoid the anxieties attached to spending money.
Any step that can be made towards a positive, healthy work environment is worthwhile. If we, as a society, really hope to Silence the Shame surrounding mental illnesses, we must create an accommodating environment where those within in do not feel like they need to keep their struggles to themselves. At DCM, our team is so important to us. We will remain committed to maintaining a positive work environment with the resources workers need not only to survive, but to thrive.
If you are interested in creating a wellness program for your workplace, reach out to Rochelle here!
Rapid advances in technology over the past thirty years are driving a shift towards digital government in Canada. Facility managers in the private sector don’t want to spend hours searching through messy piles of drawings. Neither do facility managers in public service.
As the drawing specialists, we at DCM Inc. have seen the positive impact embracing cloud storage has for companies. We know that cloud technology has the potential to greatly improve digital government services for Canadians as well.
The Government of Canada recognizes this, and has put a Digital Operations Strategic Plan (DOSP) in place. The plan aims to work towards creating a more effective digital government to serve Canadians. The Government of Canada’s original DOSP lays the groundwork for a planned shift towards digital government. The 2021-2024 DOSP provides an update to the original plan.
The updated plan accounts for the rapid shift towards digital services that was required in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. But while the unplanned pandemic accelerated the Government of Canada’s adoption of digital services, many change-driving factors were already pushing Canada towards digital government.
Why Is The Government of Canada Going Digital?
As the leading Drawing Management Company, we at DCM Inc. understand the benefits of going digital. We also know a thing or two about taking old and outdated facility drawing messes to convert them into an organized digital database in echo. Let’s start by taking a look at the change drivers encouraging the Government of Canada to adopt digital technologies:
The Divide Between People With Internet Access is Fading
Over the past decade, an increasing number of Canadians have made Internet usage a part of their daily lives. There used to be a large gap between Internet usage by lower income and middle-to-upper income households. Now, the rate of Internet usage is now within just a few percentage points regardless of average household income.
The fact is that Internet access has become a regular feature in the majority of Canadian households. Internet usage by Canadians of all ages has risen significantly in recent years. Today, most Canadians use the Internet either frequently or daily. Smartphones and computers have become a standard part of society, which has enabled instant connectivity between people and information.
Canadians Expect and Deserve Digital Services at Their Fingertips
The fading digital divide has enabled private sector services to be better, faster, and more responsive to clients. Canadians can use their smartphone to order a package, hail an Uber, or do online banking. As a result, they naturally expect that government services should be just as convenient to access.
Citizens typically want more digital government services, but are discouraged by difficulties in accessing services. Canadians want services and programs that provide the best, client-centered experience for them. Responsive digital services designed to cater to users’ needs are what Canadians expect and deserve.
The Growth of Data Enables Powerful Services for Canadians
With increased computing power and decreased costs of data storage, there is more data than ever before. Service providers can use this data to bring higher quality services to their users. For example, the United Kingdom uses data from employment records to remove the need for most income tax submissions. There is potential to leverage data in similar ways to provide services that make Canadians’ lives easier and more convenient.
However, data management can be a big hurdle to overcome: 59% of public service leaders and 56% of private sector leaders say that managing data is a major challenge. By forming a business relationship with DCM Inc., data management is taken off the shoulders of facility staff and taken care of by our team of software experts and advanced data management algorithms.
Workplaces are Evolving to be Digitally Enabled
Workers who have access to convenient digital services in their personal lives naturally expect their workplaces to be digitally enabled as well. It is jarring for Canadians to have their digital family photos automatically organized by facial recognition by Google, while using a 60-year-old filing cabinet to manage physical drawings and documents at work.
This creates a frustrating juxtaposition for employees. They can see the missed potential for technology to improve their workflow and help them excel at their careers.
The Government of Canada is beginning to build a workplace where many employees can step away from their desk. Digital collaboration spaces allow them to work with colleagues from other departments or even other regions.
Working together with DCM Inc. will even further facilitate interdepartmental mobility, by giving government-employed facility managers and their teams access to drawings from anywhere in or out of the field or office.
The Rapid Evolution of Technology
Technology is still rapidly changing in ways that will continue to affect the market well into the future. New technologies and business models are changing the ways private and public sectors operate. Advanced technologies are also becoming more cost-effective to adopt. This means more people will be able to take advantage of the benefits they offer.
By transitioning into a digital government, the Government of Canada is ensuring it will be able to continue to provide excellent services and programs to Canadians as technology continues to evolve into the future.
A Vision for a Digital Government in Canada
The Government of Canada describes a vision for digital government that aligns with values we share at DCM Inc. The Government of Canada envisions a service-oriented government with a user-centred approach that ensures the needs of the people they are serving are the primary focus.
Likewise, DCM Inc. understands that each of our clients have their own specific needs. We take a user-centred approach in ensuring our services meet and exceed the expectations of each of our clients.
The Government of Canada envisions providing digital services that are available anytime and anywhere, and on any device. At DCM Inc., we are committed to make echo, our leading engineering drawing management software, accessible and hassle-free for all our clients’ users.
A digital government will be efficient, cost-effective, and convenient for Canadians using government services. DCM Inc. can help make the transition from traditional hard copy documentation to digital information structures smooth and painless.
How DCM Inc. Can Support a Transition to a Digital Government in Canada
Blueprint Architect Career Structure Construction Concept
The Government of Canada has a strategy for transitioning to a more digital government. Two main aspects stand out for where DCM Inc. would be ideal for helping to enable this strategy: modernizing legacy IT systems and implementing enterprise.
Modernizing Legacy IT Systems
In order to deliver better digital services, the Government of Canada is modernizing its outdated IT infrastructure systems. Shared Services Canada is closing legacy data centres and switching to a Cloud Adoption Strategy. The strategy will require government departments to partner with external cloud storage service providers to store, manage, and process data whenever possible.
At DCM Inc., we’re no strangers to the benefits of cloud-based storage. As the leading drawing management company, we aim to provide facility managers with a complete suite of features that will take their existing paper and digital drawings, and seamlessly integrate them into echo,our cutting-edge drawing management software. DCM Inc. meets and exceeds the criteria the Government of Canada is looking for in Software as a Service provider
Implementing Enterprise
The Government of Canada is looking to make its operations more effective and efficient, to lower costs, and to reduce the duplication of effort. With DCM Inc. and echo, the path to the most efficient drawing management strategy is easy to achieve!
With echo, public servants will have access to an accessible, modern, and secure suite of tools that enables productivity and collaboration. Our specialized software is ideal for the Government of Canada’s facility drawing management needs.
Facility management data will be easily shareable between relevant individuals and departments across government. And, this is all at a vastly cheaper cost than drawing management being done in-house.
A Rich History Working With Canadian Health Care Facilities and a Bright Future Working with Canadian Government Services
We are the Drawing Specialists. Since our inception in 2004, we have worked closely with Canadian health care facilities and hospitals to create drawing management strategies that improve the services they provide.
We look forward to future opportunities to build on this rich history towards a bright future for Canadians across the nation, expanding our relationship with Canadian public services. Our team would be happy to discuss how we could best serve the Government of Canada’s needs.
What keeps a customer loyal to a business? What has them coming back for repeat purchases? But most importantly, what turns a customer into your biggest brand ambassador, where they tell everyone about how amazing your company is? Marketers and businesses all around, have been trying to unlock the secret to that formula for years. So how does one maintain strong client relationships and build brand loyalty?
At DCM Inc. we truly value our customers. In fact, we have customers that have been with us for over 17 years – the first year our founder created the company. At our core, we truly believe that investing in personal relationships over time, has been a part of the reasons why our clients stay loyal.
How we maintain our strong customer relationships and build brand loyalty
We listen to our customers
When Darrell Sr. our founder, retired from his Executive Management Career, a huge percentage of his staff at his previous job wanted to come with him. Why? Because Darrell’s leadership and management strengths came from a deep desire to serve and truly listen and support his staff.
They in turn gave him the encouragement and support to follow his love of engineering. He acquired a paper to CAD conversion service business and started Drawing Conversion Management, DCM Inc.
Those listening skills translated to the client-side and have been an integral part of the company since day 1. Our Drawing Specialists always listen to our customers and potential clients. We ask questions about their concerns, their worries, their biggest struggles.
Pay attention to the customers needs
Every customer has different needs and there is no one size fits approach to what they need help with. We customize programs and solutions tailor-made to their drawing issues. Whether a customer has 10 engineering drawings they need help with or one hundred thousand drawings, every customer gets the hands-on treatment.
In fact, the paper to CAD to conversion service that we later named redraw, stemmed from Darrell Sr’s listening to his initial clients’ frustrations where they could not find the correct drawing. This frustration came up repeatedly in conversations, and he sought out a way to build a hands-on solution to solve this problem for them.
To this day, that thought process continues as DCM Inc. grew bigger. Our client care team regularly checks in with our customers across the country, to make sure everything is going well. We want to know what’s going well, if something is wrong, or if there are any changes we can help with.
Earning Trust
Most people don’t give engineering drawings a second thought until they need them. Then when they can’t find the right one, it’s usually a mad panic, especially if there is an emergency. This is where DCM comes in.
When we do a hands-on audit, we really get into all of the drawings at a facility. Then we carefully extract those drawings, and we take them to our facility to get them pared down and digitized. Some are over 100 years old and in extremely delicate condition. Oftentimes they are that facilities only copy.
Imagine handing over your building history. That takes a lot of trust in the company that cares for them. We make it a point to ensure the well-being of those drawings and care for them as if they were our own. Even our Co-CEO Darryl Jr. goes to many of these production audits to help retrieve the drawings. It’s all hands on deck to ensure they are cared for.
“We have to continually earn the right to lead our business.”
– Darryl Mitchell Jr.
Exceed Expectations
Many would say it’s the small-town roots. The ones where you know your neighbour and support your local business. We took that same feeling and ensured all our customers feel like they are our neighbours right next door.
For example, after we either pick up or receive a shipment of drawings to digitize, it’s not unusual that mid-way through the digitizing process, our production team would get an emergency request for a drawing needed by a facility manager.
Our team is well known to be able to not only continue the job of digitizing but will stay the extra time to help find the correct paper drawing for our customers. No easy feat when you’re looking at crates with up to 25,000 drawings per shipment.
There’s a reason we’re called the Drawing Specialists. The way we audit, organize and maintain drawings, follows through from the time we get the drawings, the way we process the drawings, and all the way until the drawing gets into our engineering drawing management software, echo.
Looking ahead
DCM Inc. has grown substantially in the last couple of years, and we have no plans to stop. If anything, our desire to build strong relationships with our clients has increased. We have invested in new technology, enhanced our software program echo, and have branched out our communications online. Come say hello to us anytime across social media, whether it’s LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, we are there to connect with you.
Our staff is growing every month and counting because the demand to go digital has never been higher. We cannot wait to help you with your paper or digital chaos.
Never has a topic been brought up as much as it has in the last year. The one where we talk about how to create a work culture that your team will love and thrive in. The pandemic shifted how people see their careers, and how their work impacts their lives. Countless articles about the great resignation, also dubbed the great re-evaluation has been written. People who were stuck in jobs that felt like groundhog day, began to question if this was how they wanted to spend the rest of their life.
How to create a work culture that your team will love
While we will make suggestions on how you can create a work culture that your team will love, we especially want to share what we do at DCM Inc., and how our work culture has evolved.
Being a new, yet a touch older startup, our team has seen unprecedented growth in the last year. Creating a work environment, where not only employees enjoyed their work, but also thrived, was no small feat.
Many meetings and discussions were had about how everyone could benefit from this – from our CEO, right down to our production staff. How do we balance work and family, remote staff, and on-site teams? How do we train staff to become drawing specialists and ensure we have given them the tools and skills to do their jobs successfully? What are the goals the company has, and how can encourage employees to want to be a part of them?
Work cultures have evolved over the years, and no longer are free lunches and ping pong tables going to cut it. Culture is no longer about material items. It has changed into employees wanting meaningful work, supportive bosses, and a collaborative environment where their voices and time matter.
After many inspiring conversations, we took these ideas and put them into action at our company. The ongoing feedback we get from everyone, speaks volumes about how important it is to create a work culture that your team will love. And as you’ll read, our team really loves their jobs.
Here are some of the most important ways we did it.
Hire the right people
It seems simple enough, but it’s amazing how this part is often overlooked when you’re growing and need staff asap. We take great care in our interview process to make sure that we find people who are a good fit for our team. It’s not just about qualifications and crossing a checklist of educational requirements. Making sure that they’re a good person comes first. Are they eager to learn? Supportive of their colleagues? Are they comfortable getting their hands dirty – because we work with a lot of old papers and dark basements.
We are a team through and through. We grow as a team, work as a team, and also support each other as a team. There is no room for egos here. That’s not for everyone, and that’s ok. But we want to make sure that when a new member joins us, they’ll be just as happy for their colleagues’ success as their own. We support each other through good times and learn from our mistakes. We are accountable for our actions and how they impact everyone. And it reflects in how much staff care about their peers.
I love my career for many reasons but if I was to pick one it would be my teammates!
The team – the people I work with. I don’t know the actual hours we spend with our colleagues but it’s A LOT!! In a successful work environment we need to be able to do what we love and feel empowered by our contribution to the company and truly enjoy our teammates! I am surrounded by people who I truly enjoy working with!
I see a lot of resumes – team players are always mentioned. It is recognized that is what is needed on a resume but many do not truly understand what that means. We do a lot of interviews and search for the diamonds that truly understand what a team player is. It means being humble and the attitude of knowing my contribution is no more important than my colleague, and the success of our company and our team is due to our team effort. We have a company filled with people that truly understand this and excel in working as a team!
We have built an environment where no one works in fear. Make a mistake! Announce it! Own it! Grow from it! We grow together as a team!
Being surrounded by these diamonds allows me not to wish my days away for the weekend – but enjoy my journey and the path I have chosen in my business life. I appreciate each and everyone of these diamonds that surround me daily!
Julie – Business Development
Encourage Training and Education
DCM Inc. greatly encourages staff to keep learning. In fact, we almost insist on it. We believe that staff should grow in their roles and their career paths. We start off with everyone in production, so they can understand the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the core of what we do, which is we are the leading drawing management company in the world.
Then we encourage them to see what inspires them the most. We’ve had staff switch roles down the line because they gravitated naturally to one role over another. It’s something that we really support because we want our team to be happy with what they’re doing.
We have a multitude of software programs that we use on a daily basis, especially for our Client Success and Marketing teams. Some of them, such as HubSpot for example, offer countless certification programs, and we always encourage staff to upgrade their skills. The more training and education they get, the better we all will be as the company grows.
It’s not a secret that I LOVE my job, but it may not be known why. There are so many why’s.
Passionate and supportive co-workers. Every single person is ready to help whenever needed. Their strengths become my strengths and vice-versa.
A management team that I respect, that I can learn something new from daily, and who are more concerned with the success of the team than for themselves. I love being able to tell people my ‘bosses’ are there in the trenches, supporting and serving every member of our team and are passionate about our services and our clients.
I love our clients. I love helping them solve problems, and hearing about their new nieces/nephews, the trip they are going on, etc., I get the best of all worlds, great people that I can build real connections with while providing a world-class product and experience.
Work/Life balance. No need to sacrifice my family to get ahead with my work, flexibility and understanding are just part of our DCM world.
Long weekends. This sounds trivial but 4-day long weekends are a game changer in preventing burn-out. We all need a break and DCM gives it to us on a regular basis. The same can be said about the week-long shutdown at Christmas that makes time for family.
Team connection – weekly check-ins, common goals, team events/socials (paintball, meals, the dinner theatre, campfires, skating, hikes, ice-cream runs….it’s a long list).
In a nutshell, I would have to work at NOT loving my job. There are so many great things that happen in this group!
Diane – Client Success
Trust and Work Life Balance
Perhaps one of the biggest requests from any employee anywhere is to not be micromanaged. Followed up with the expectation that work is their entire life. Is there truly anything else worse than a boss breathing over your shoulder to make sure you’re doing your job, and nit-picking every little thing you do? Not a chance. This is a sure-fire way to create a toxic work culture with high turnover.
A fair work-life balance is something we really stand by and is a key part of what we expect of our staff. Whether it’s a daycare pick-up time, a sick pet, or just needing a mental health day off, balance is everything.
As for trusting your team? This goes back to hiring and training. When you hire the right people and offer good training, you feel secure in your team member’s ability to do their job. Trusting your staff to do their job is probably one of the biggest culture and work environment must-do’s. Steve Jobs’ famous quote about hiring smart people rings true.
Stay out of your team’s way and let them excel at what they do best.
Having a work life balance is one of the most important things to keeping Moms in the workforce. I love that our company encourages and supports staff in working around a schedule that is best for their family life. Lots of companies say they offer flex work, but they don’t truly understand what that means. DCM does. To know that your employer trusts you to do your job in a way that you do it best, is invaluable. It makes you want to strive to do better all the time.
Alex – Marketing
Recognize Efforts
Maybe it’s our Canadian sides shining but we’re constantly thanking each other. That is when we’re not busy celebrating each other’s wins. We have a group chat on our work app Cliq, and we’re always sharing updates there about small successes and big successes. At our weekly staff meetings, we dive right into our weekly goals and we all truly offer our support to whoever needs it.
But it’s not just non-stop positivity. We know there are tough days and tough jobs. That support is there too. Sometimes you don’t get a win, but we all know how hard the effort was. Supporting those efforts is just as big of a deal as the wins. We ask for help, advice, and we’re comfortable saying when things are a struggle. Everyone is always happy to offer whenever they can.
I love that with DCM I am working a job that I’m passionate about, and I could not ask for a more supportive team! Whether it is viewing a draft of a video for feedback, or even just needing a quick double-check on phrasing. My Team is always there for me and I always feel like a valued member!
Sydney – Marketing
I love the team I get to work alongside; everyone puts energy, drive, and passion into the critical actions they execute daily. We’ve built a team that relies on culture and willingness to jump in and assist wherever energy needs to be at that moment. We believe in the mission to guide Facilities leaders globally that struggle to keep their engineering drawings organized, up-to-date and accessible for their teams. We meet this mission with grace and a bond I have never experienced before in the workplace.
Beyond the team, knowing that our company offers the best Drawing Management Strategy globally that ultimately boosts the overall facility’s health and safety while going paperless. Our mission feeds my soul and passion for a better world for our children. And no matter where on earth our strategy ends, it’s supporting a cause that truly is one big step in the right direction towards a positive environmental impact.
Bringing me to our recent addition to our business model, we will plant a tree for every new echo Software user, adding to the overall reforestation growth where the earth needs it the most. Another reason I love what I do daily.
Tammy – Marketing
I love knowing that the projects and people we work with contribute to the health and safety and well-being of users of all kinds of facility spaces!
Jessica – Client Success
Goals and Collaboration
At DCM, we are always trying to better our company for our staff and the future. We believe in creating a collaborative work culture where all ideas are welcome. From projects to charities, to staff events, if someone has something they think we should try, we’re all ears.
We set goals as well. Weekly ones for our departments and the company as a whole. We recently launched a partnership with One Tree Planted, and we are always brainstorming ideas on everything from creative projects, to new office space – that’s coming!
Fostering an environment where our staff feels excited and motivated to reach their own personal goals is also crucial. We celebrate promotions, first sales calls, successful marketing campaigns, and scanning 50,000 documents in a record time (true story). We also celebrate non-work life successes, such as new family additions, graduations, and anything that a team member is excited about.
I love that once I walk into the office, everything from the outside completely washes away and I am encompassed by the most beautiful souls. It makes for such a pleasant time working with the individuals I do on a daily basis, whether that be co-workers to clients, to potential clients. DCM as a whole is its own amazing world.
Hilary – Sales
I love our Team and the passion and energy everyone brings each day. We really take pride in understanding each of our client’s needs and I love that we are constantly adapting and improving in order to solve each of their unique problems. I love that we are able to make people’s lives easier and are able to give back to the community.
Tyler – Production
So how do you create a work culture your team will love? In the end, be the type of company that you would like to work at. The rest falls into place.
PS – We’re hiring! If you think you’d like to join our team, we have monthly job fairs, both in-person and virtual, that we share across our social media. Or just drop us a note and your resume at: careers@drawingspecialists.com. We can’t wait to meet you!
