Jeffrey McGrew's Bio
Summary:
I have spent over ten years in professional design, Architecture, and construction industry, working for various Architecture firms and CAD/BIM software companies. As an owner of a small business, I am involved in every aspect of design, execution and quality control, from the largest client issues to the smallest internal ones.
Designer / Owner:
For the last two years I have been immersed in product and furniture design from small decorative pieces to complete interior spaces with a heavy focus on leveraging CNC-driven tools and Building Information Modeling. Running these large scale production jobs involves building out interior spaces and pieces, managing the creation of conceptual designs for the client, complex fabrication computer modeling, CNC production, and hiring and managing outside contractors.
My business partner and I work hand-in-hand with the client, devising designs that fit the budget and scope. We turn those designs into high quality products for our clients. We also spend much of our time creating new products and designs for our webstore. Working together, from initial concept designs to final product, packaging and marketing material, we have developed an incredible creative process that is both rewarding and engaging, yet agile enough to accommodate massive and constant changes, both from the market and from our clients whim's.
Before working full time for Because We Can, LLC I was employed as the Firmwide Revit Specialist at Gensler, working with teams on various commercial, interior, and retail projects throughout that firm to fully leverage BIM via Autodesk Revit. Prior to that, I have worked as a designer, job captain, and project manager within several well-known bay area Architecture firms such as Huntsman Architectural Group, David Baker + Partners, and Mark Cavagnero Associates. I've also worked as a designer/fabricator at the small furniture design firm OHIO, and at software companies as their in-house Revit and design expert. Currently I'm two tests away from obtaining my Architect's License, which I hope to finish up this year. Much of my work at Because We Can, LLC involves designing, detailing those designs and turning them into fabrication models, then in turn directly producing those elements with the CNC routing table. My partner and I also work closely to create all the company collateral, our website, and marketing materials as well.
Software and Process:
When designing, I do a lot of drawing by hand, flipping through reference books and searching Google images for inspiration. After a basic concept, theme and desired look is established, I move to the computer, working in Illustrator, Photoshop, Blender, and Revit; and then finally, ArtCam. Having an in-house CNC table to experiment with, we've been able to develop a very quick workflow from concept to Revit model to CNC driven real-world production. This paired with our leveraging of project-management concepts borrowed from the software development world allows us to practice something we like to call 'Agile Building', where change is welcomed instead of feared, and where we can do totally custom work for the same price as normal, boring stuff.
When designing, I do a lot of drawing by hand, flipping through reference books and searching Google images for inspiration. After a basic concept, theme and desired look is established, I move to the computer, working in Illustrator, Photoshop, Blender, and Revit; and then finally, ArtCam. Having an in-house CNC table to experiment with, we've been able to develop a very quick workflow from concept to Revit model to CNC driven real-world production. This paired with our leveraging of project-management concepts borrowed from the software development world allows us to practice something we like to call 'Agile Building', where change is welcomed instead of feared, and where we can do totally custom work for the same price as normal, boring stuff.
Other Stuff:
In my few moments of spare time I spend a lot of time drawing, reading, learning more about tools and programming. From time to time I give presentations on BIM at local and national conferences, and I wish I spent more time making bad rock songs in Garageband, going to my favorite Tiki Bar, and keeping our '67 Dodge van running.
In my few moments of spare time I spend a lot of time drawing, reading, learning more about tools and programming. From time to time I give presentations on BIM at local and national conferences, and I wish I spent more time making bad rock songs in Garageband, going to my favorite Tiki Bar, and keeping our '67 Dodge van running.
*Detailed resume and References available upon request*
