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HD Expo 2025 - Designing for the Experiential Guest By Jared Powell, Interior Designer This year’s HD Expo (2025) in Las Vegas made it clear: hospitality is entering a new era, one where experience trumps excess. A central theme dominating this year’s event was the growing trend of experiential guest design—a shift driven largely by younger generations who are redefining what it means to travel, stay, and engage. Traditionally, Las Vegas has thrived on gambling and drinking. But as Millennials and Gen Z become the dominant consumer groups, their priorities are changing. These guests are far less interested in [...]

Why I am Co-Op'ing as an Environmental Graphic Designer this Summer By Kat Pence, Environmental Graphic Design Co-Op As a student studying interior design at the University of Kentucky, why did I choose to co-op this summer as an environmental graphic designer? Interiors and graphics have a lot of overlaps. Both use similar software like the Adobe Suite and SketchUp, they both can be used to represent a company’s brand within their environment, and both require iterating and creativity to meet a client’s needs.  From my perspective, the main difference between the two is that interiors focuses on 3D [...]

Old branches? New markets? It’s time to align. By Kim Rittmeier, Marketing, DEI Incorporated Site and facility management can be accomplished in two ways: from a distance or up close and personal. A personal walk-through, coupled with data assessments, overlaying competitive dynamics, and market demographics and shifts paints a complete, dynamic picture. One would imagine, as you walk around and look at your organization and closely review your branches and markets, you probably see three very evident trends. Some branches are worn. Some branches are vibrant. Some branches are misplaced. When we conduct a market assessment and analysis at the [...]

Artificial Intelligence in the Financial Industry By Kim Rittmeier, Marketing, DEI Incorporated “The financial industry is undergoing a tectonic shift from the traditional bank to innovative fintech. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing a huge role in accelerating that transformation,” according to an article in Forbes. So, where is AI’s place in the financial industry? According to the US Department of the Treasury’s “Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services” report (December 2024), the use of traditional machine learning can be traced back to the 1940s. But its uses have expanded, especially in recent years due to massive leaps in technology. Now AI [...]

A Day in the Life of a Construction Project Manager: Why You Need One By Mark Worley, Project Manager, DEI Incorporated A construction project manager (PM) is the driving force behind every successful build. Around the clock, they ensure that every detail is executed smoothly, keeping projects on time, within budget, and up to quality standards. Whether you're a client wondering why you need a PM or someone considering this career path, here’s a glimpse into a typical day in the life of a construction project manager. Morning: Kicking Off the Day The day often starts early, typically before sunrise. [...]

What is a Construction Manager By Mark Whipple, Project Manager, DEI Incorporated What does a construction manager do? As a Construction Manager at DEI, I must have a deep understanding of all the parts of the building process, from the initial planning and foundational work to project completion. It is my responsibility for overseeing and coordinating all aspects of a construction project, from its inception to its completion. My job is to oversee a lot of moving pieces at once, and keep the project on track, on time, and on budget. Given that I act as the intermediary between clients, [...]

The Benefits of Value Engineering By Jacob Birch, Assistant Project Manager, DEI Incorporated Value engineering (VE) is a crucial process in construction that aims to improve project value while cutting costs without losing quality. This approach is essential for ensuring that projects meet both functional needs and aesthetic expectations within budget. At DEI, the VE process starts early in planning and is continuously revisited among the duration of each project. The four main benefits of value engineering are explored upon below: Cost Savings: Many projects have limited budgets. By using value engineering, DEI can find ways to cut costs without [...]

The Future of Concrete By Korey Pangburn, Assistant Project Manager, DEI Incorporated Concrete is one of the most common building materials around. Whether it’s in the foundations of a pole-barn or the columns and decks of a 100,000 person capacity stadium, if a structure is being built, they will be using concrete in one form or another. This fundamental material has been used in various forms for centuries, and most people would think not much has changed since. Let’s take a look at some of the latest advances in the concrete industry. “Green” Concrete Portland cement is one of the [...]

Tips for Construction Permitting and Planning By Jenny King, Director of Construction Services, DEI Incorporated Gone are the days of submitting stacks of drawings and paperwork to local municipalities. Many building departments throughout the United States upgraded their systems to online portals during the Covid-19 Epidemic. Initially these systems allowed their employees a safe working environment from home instead of completely closing their offices while also speeding up the review process. However, online portals have not changed the need or ability to establish new relationships within the reviewing jurisdictions and business communities. These relationships are developed based on mutual respect, [...]

Designing an Environment for Employee Health and Well-Being By Shawn Pence, Design Director, DEI Incorporated Great design is more than aesthetics, form, and function. In post-pandemic commercial interiors, it now includes a focus on how the lighting, colors, sounds, and textures that surround us as we work influence our mental and physical health. Employers are prioritizing creating a workplace for their employees that not only promotes work efficiency but improves their health. This wellness focus pushes designers past the typical space planning, branding, and interior design typical of their role. Below are some of the steps the DEI design [...]