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    In the Spotlight

    Fully Operational – An Update on PMA’s Response to COVID-19

    Create. Problem solve. That’s what we do every day. In responding to the nation-wide reality of COVID-19, we have quickly learned new methods of doing business and interacting with our staff, clients, and project partners in ways that keep us all safe without compromising project schedules.

    As we continue in this journey, we want to provide an update on how PMA Architecture is responding. This new environment is presenting very real and pressing economic, work, and personal challenges for everyone. As a firm, we are seeking out and adopting new strategies to keep our employees and those we interact with protected while we provide the on-going work to advance projects, minimize delays, and support our larger community’s critical needs, including ongoing renovations to medical facilities.

    PMA is ramping up our response in every way possible to keep projects moving forward so that our clients can protect their valuable time and funding resources. In the words of PMA Project Manager, John “J” Scruggs, we are implementing practices that “…can put [clients’] minds at ease by managing what we have control over - and give them one less thing to worry about.”

    Our office uses a new 55” interactive whiteboard to engage with each other and with clients in real time when we are separated by physical distance. This state-of-the-art tool allows us to share ideas and mark up drawings in a dynamic, virtual environment. Our staff is also equipped with new 27” iMac computers and a VPN connection to their office computers so that they can work remotely and have access to all of their software, email, project files, electronic data, and office printers. Effectively we have a virtual office. This system has been tested and is up and running – with most of our staff resituated to work from home in recent weeks. Our physical office remains open and functioning. Under this arrangement, we communicate via WebEx video conferencing when meetings are needed. Using WebEx, we can share drawings and other information with anyone who joins these meetings via computer, iPad, or mobile device.

    We are a resilient, creative, and hard-working nation and we are encouraged by how much we are all learning as we change and adapt the ways we take care of our families, our neighbors, our communities, our businesses, and our clients.

    PMA’s response is summarized below:

    As a design firm with medical, local government, and other projects in progress, our firm provides essential services that are needed to keep many of the critical infrastructure systems in our community operating. We remain open and fully operational.

    • Our firm is fully equipped to function with most staff working remotely. Our team is utilizing new 27” iMac computers, VPN connections to our server, and WebEx conferencing with screen-sharing to remain fully connected to our office, each other, and to our clients.

    • Our team remains connected to in-office resources such as a large format printer and to the robust software we use in our everyday work including Revit Building Information Modeling software, Rhino, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Cloud, and other software.

    • The firm principals and owners, Jeff and Katie Stodghill, live within just a couple blocks of the PMA office. While the rest of the staff works remotely, Jeff and Katie are in the physical office each day and able to collect printed drawings, host virtual meetings in our conference room, collect mail and packages, and manage any technical support issues that arise with connection to office equipment/technology.

    • We are following a Virginia Building & Code Officials Association webpage that tracks how and where the building permitting process and availability of building/site inspections may be affected at the local government level in localities across Virginia.

    • Construction Administration is continuing for PMA projects (CDC recommended precautions are being taken to protect ourselves and others on the jobsite.)

    • We have limited travel and moved meetings to WebEx video conferencing.

    • We are carefully monitoring the regulations and updates being provided by the CDC, the SBA, and other sources.

    Be safe and let us know how we can help you.