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Founded in 1987, Gardner/Fox Associates is a full-service design/build construction firm based in suburban Philadelphia. This business, like many small businesses, evolved from a friendship between two ambitious young professionals. Brook Gardner, an engineer from Virginia, and Mark Fox, an architect from Kentucky, coincidentally wound up buying decrepit townhouse shells on the same block in Center City Philadelphia. The two future partners became close friends while they “lived” in and gut renovated their homes. They also discovered their common interest in designing and renovating homes and buildings, and after a brief career stop with Historic Landmarks for Living, the largest historic building renovation company in the country; they started their own design and consulting firm.
It became immediately apparent to Gardner and Fox that the success of a project and completely meeting the client’s needs can only be measured at the conclusion of the construction phase, not the design phase. The client was far better served by a firm that could provide “one stop shopping;” a firm that could effectively manage both the design and construction processes. Consequently, the focus of the firm changed and expanded to include not only the professional design effort, but also construction execution. To meet the needs of both residential and commercial clients, the firm evolved into two parallel, but distinct divisions with the same operating philosophy: to exceed the client’s expectation for the design and construction of their project through the highest level of professionalism, teamwork and craftsmanship.
The Residential Division, true to the “one stop shopping” philosophy, provides exceptional homeowner-focused architectural, interior and landscape design, which is executed by professional construction project managers and multi-trade craftsmen. Projects can be as small as a back yard patio or as large as a 30-room single family home.
The Commercial Division also has a design and construction management staff that is focused on the commercial client. The commercial group includes engineers, architects, construction project managers, estimators and superintendents who execute a diverse portfolio of projects including multi-family residential, hotels, restaurants, retail, office, historic and healthcare. Given the broad variety of projects, the commercial division often collaborates with independent architectural firms during the design phase. The operating focus, however, remains . . . . to operate in the best interest of the client to seamlessly execute the project from design through the completion of the construction.
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