187: Building to Inspire and Nurture

Dolores Davis, President & General Manager, CG&S Design-Build
Dolores Davis, President & General Manager, CG&S Design-Build

Dolores Davis is part of a building legacy. It began in 1957 with Clarence and Stella Guerrero when Clarence started fixing up homes in Austin Texas. 60 years on, Dolores now leads a design-build company with thirty team members and a strong desire to inspire and nurture.

Note: In the podcast episode, I mistakenly introduce Dolores as third generation. There are in fact three generations of the Guerrero family now working at CG&S Design-Build. Dolores Davis (nee Guerrero) is however second generation.

Inspire and Nurture

The concept of inspiring and nurturing applies to the homes that CG&S Design-Build create and also how they treat their clients. Dolores believes that homes are ‘sacred’. They’re more than just buildings of ‘sticks and bricks’.

Photo by CG&S Design-BuildBrowse bathroom ideas

Dolores explained that she feels lucky every day. Building isn’t something they have to do, it’s something her and her team get to do.

The Challenge and Opportunity of Remodelling

Renovating or remodelling existing homes can be much more challenging and risky than building from scratch. You’re never quite sure what you’re going to find when you start taking out walls and removing pieces of an existing building. You have to expect the unexpected.

Dolores’ grandfather started remodelling peoples’ homes as a freelancer during the Depression because no one was building new buildings at that time. If you wanted to improve your situation, the only way to do it was to work with what you had to start with. Inspired by his father, Clarence Guerrero founded his own building company, CG&S which later become CG&S Design-Build.

Building a Building Business

This legacy of a ‘can do’ attitude along with careful business management has now been passed down through three generations of the family. Over this time, CG&S has weathered the ups and downs of the construction market. The company has grown steadily, adding design-build services and embracing modern marketing platforms such as Houzz.

Dolores explained that running the company always within it’s financial means has been key to their stability. They have not over-extended, even when faced with pressure to grow rapidly.

Dolores also places a high value on listening. She explained that listening to clients is so important to explore exactly what they’re looking for. Of course it’s also imperative to be able to follow through, which is where systems and processes come in to play.

Lake Austin Overlook, CG&S Design-Build

Scrums for Construction

Many companies are experimenting with different versions of an Agile work flow. The Agile work environment is well suited to startups, particularly in the tech sector, but can it also work for a design-build company? Dolores is keen to try. It sounds like initial testing with ‘scrums’ has already removed some silos in her team and has improved communication.

Learning from Legacy

I wanted to have Dolores on the show because she’s running a company that values the art, the privilege and the responsibility of building. Here in New Zealand, the evidence that a building boom doesn’t guarantee success in the industry, is all too common.

Just as we can learn building methodologies from around the world, we can also learn successful business practices so we can continue to enjoy not what we have to do, but what we get to do.

Fun with Photos

Just finally, I mentioned a spiral staircase that I spotted in one of CG&S Instagram photos. It reminds me of the fun and creativity that Marnie Ourlser brings to her work.

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Y’all: Another year, another home tour. The Austin NARI Tour of Remodeled Homes is coming up April 7-8th. Get your tickets now (link in bio)! Here’s a sneak peak of our home in North University. . . . . . . #hometour #austinnaritorh #remodelaustin #cgsdb #designbuildaustin #austin #austintx #atx #brainhands

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