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If you can’t find what you are looking for in the Frequently Asked Questions, please feel free to contact us by filling out the inqury below:

    DEI opened for business in 1985.

    We are headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with satellite offices in Florida, Indiana, New York, and Texas.

    Yes, DEI specializes in designing and building financial facilities. In fact, financial institutions represent 100% of our business.

    Over our 30+ years in business, DEI has completed in-store branches, renovations, multiple branch renovations, large ground-ups, main offices, and operation centers in various sizes ranging from 200 square feet to 60,000 square feet.

    Our strengths are based on Dedication to our clients and the financial services industry; a high standard of Ethics within our company and in our relationships with our clients; and a spirit of Innovation so that we exceed our clients’ expectations and help them become increasingly successful in their business and community. We feel our consistent repeat business is a testament to DEI’s quality of work, timeliness, diligence, and ability to meet a budget.

    DEI specializes in all aspects of design, construction, and retail merchandising for financial institutions. We offer the following services:

    • Strategic Facility Planning
    • 5-10-year growth projections
    • Real Estate Qualification and Procurement
    • Land Search
    • Site Identification Services
    • Site Acquisition Services
    • Real Estate Negotiation Services
    • Preliminary Design and Budget Pricing
    • Architectural Services
    • Interior Design
    • General Construction
    • Retail Concept Design
    • Graphic Design
    • Video Merchandising
    • Bank Equipment Analysis
    • Materials Recommendation
    • Detail Drawings for Interior Design and Retail Merchandising

    Providing all these disciplines in-house enables us to maintain the greatest control of the entire process, provide the highest quality and most innovative designs, manage the project budget, and reduce overhead costs.

    DEI has worked with hundreds of credit unions and banks on Strategic Facility Planning Studies. DEI’s Strategic Planning Department provides flexible solutions to manage various strategic facilities programs—enabling fixed cost reductions and converting them to a variable expense.

    It is essential to your short- and long-term success to have a qualified and experienced team. DEI’s Vice President of Strategic Planning, Mike King, has 30+ years of experience developing and implementing studies, specifically for financial facilities. He has completed over 1,700 studies for financial institutions across the United States, with asset sizes ranging from $35 million to $3 billion.

    DEI offers five services tailored to your needs:

    • Strategic Facilities Delivery System Planning Study
    • Main Office Planning Study
    • Retail Network Optimization Study
    • Retail Network Optimization Study
    • Retail Outlet Feasibility Study
    • Real Estate Search and Acquisition Services

    Yes, DEI provides a complete turnkey solution.

    DEI’s Permitting and Due Diligence Coordinator is responsible for the research of all permit, planning and zoning processes and timeframes for each project. The Coordinator manages and expedites the permit and planning process once Construction Documents are completed. The Coordinator then works with local geotechnical, geoenvironmental, and survey companies to obtain quotes and coordinate the completion of this work for the client.

    For a GMP contract a guaranteed cost estimate is presented at the end of the preliminary design phase, when the formal DEI proposal is presented.

    However, many of our clients prefer a cost-plus contract.

    DEI is an industry leader in design and brand implementation for financial facilities.  Our designers are experts at implementing our clients’ brand across their branch network. The DEI design team approaches the process by studying your brand guidelines and then developing a related design concept. Elements include brand core values and personality, graphic language, logo and tagline guidelines, and brand colors. The design team translates the brand traits through architectural design, overall color palette, logo/tagline placement, graphics, use of textiles, floorings, ceiling details, and specialty lighting. The resulting branch is strategically designed to enhance the customer experience, providing employees a comfortable environment to create trusting, long-lasting financial partnerships with their clientele.

    DEI also works with clients that do not have an established brand. With these clients, the design team establishes a branch prototype that can act as a “springboard” for the future growth of their brand and advise on rollout strategy.

    DEI employs a simple two-part design process. The Part 1 process entails a discovery phase referred to as programming where design takes shape. Research is employed to narrow down a client’s community, target demographic, and the surrounding area’s architectural style to inform current and future goals, with next steps focusing on design requirements. A series of meetings is employed to facilitate discussion of project direction through the interior and exterior design direction. These meetings can happen at the client’s office or at DEI headquarters.

    Upon preliminary approval on the floor plan from the client’s team, a Part 1 design rendering gets underway.  For the Part 1 agreement deliverables, the client will receive a schematic site plan, floor plan, elevations, and written scope of work with preliminary pricing. DEI presents an estimate for general construction and site work.

    The next phase would be our Part 2, which is an AIA Agreement, for the design/build phase of the project.

    Our typical client is involved from the onset of the project. It starts with extensive program gathering, involving our design team and your appointed team, to understand your objectives and desires. After gathering a consensus of the client’s goals and directives, usually one person from your facility is the main contact to ensure good communication. The client has the option to be involved in every aspect ranging from retail, architecture, interiors, equipment, and construction.

    DEI provides a full-time, on-site Site Manager assigned specifically to your project. The Site Manager is a direct employee of DEI and will live a short distance from your project.

    Your Site Manager will report to a DEI Project Manager. The Assistant Project Manager, Interior Designer, Graphics Designer, and Regional Vice President, located at the corporate office, provide additional support.

    Yes, DEI uses local subcontractors to complete as much of the general construction work as possible. DEI’s choice of contractors and subcontractors is critical to achieving your objectives. We begin our process by consulting with our client to see if there are any preferred and qualified subcontractors that you’d like us to consider.

    Once Construction Documents are complete, the appropriate information and a bid due date are sent to qualified subcontractors.  Along with the bid package, we require all candidates to supply answers to our qualification questionnaire.

    We select subcontractors based on various factors including price, manpower, local availability, experience, references, qualifications, and commitment to the Contract Documents and projected schedules. DEI takes great pains to find the best quality-minded trades people available.

    DEI’s process provides you with a single point of contact for answers to your questions. You don’t waste time calling multiple specialists. One project leader will guide every aspect of the project, and we will ensure you will receive an “As-Built” set of plans that are complete and free from errors at the end of your project.

    DEI stands behind everything we do and offers a full one-year warranty on labor and material, in addition to certain subcontractor, manufacturer, and supplier warranties.

    You will receive a comprehensive Warranty Manual upon completion of the project. This book contains manuals, warranty books and instructions on how to care for and maintain your building and equipment.

    Various equipment and building components have extended warranties as provided from the manufacturer, and these are passed on to you. Examples of such extended warranties would be your carpet, mechanical components, hardware, roofing material, and heating and cooling units, etc.