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Entasis finds new projects to rebuild after
downturn Charlotte Business Journal - by Ken Elkins Senior staff writer June 12, 2009 Eric Coulson can now see what he thinks is the end to this recession. After a down period for his architectural firm, Entasis Design of Kannapolis, the jobs are starting to come again. Coulson, who is chief executive of Entasis, and Todd Meckley, president, have completed the design for a medical office building in Blacksburg, Va., and have a contract to design a headquarters facility in Kannapolis. There’s also a plan for a fitness-themed day school in Kannapolis, which Entasis will design. Times have been both challenging and rewarding since Coulson and Meckley started their storefront operation on West A Street. In August 2004, the business began with the two principals. By June 2008, Entasis had grown to eight employees. Then bank lending seized up and the recession hit. “The economy ground to a halt last September,” Coulson says. With home building and commercial development at a standstill, the firm scaled back to four full-time employees and a part-timer. Coulson believes many area architectural firms won’t make it through the recession. Within the last few months, though, interest in the Kannapolis firm has returned. Developers at the Village at Kellswater Bridge in Cabarrus County have hired Entasis to design more than 300 apartments at the mixed-use project. The initial phase of construction should begin this summer. Entasis may design a second structure for the day school, this time in Huntersville. Coulson and Meckley have agreed not to identify owners of the day school or to disclose who will occupy the headquarters facility in Kannapolis. The key to the Entasis revival? “We’re pretty active in helping clients with more than just architecture,” Coulson says. That includes assistance in finding sites for clients’ projects and even a little coaching on the financial aspects of their plans. “We don’t just consider ourselves as just architects,” Coulson says. “We consider ourselves as development partners.”
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Entasis Design Architects. Your Architect. Your Partner. |
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©2004
Entasis Design PLLC | 5380 Village Drive, Suite 203 |
Concord, NC 28027 | 704.786.2328 |
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