Green Built Co. Taps New Resource

Chris Nall, owner of start-up company Green Built Construction & Management Inc., turned to an unlikely source for some business synergy: his branding firm.

“The old saying is ‘you’ve got to spend money to make money’ but we found a way to combine and save money,” Nall said.

Green Built and Resource Design, a unique branding-advertising-architecture-product design firm, have entered into a joint marketing effort. In addition to sharing offices, the two Rogers companies will share business leads and integrate sales efforts in order to increase both companies’ business.

“Right now it’s about doing everything you can to keep your business growing,” said Ron Hudnall, CEO of Resource Design, which is also know by the moniker of ReDe Inc.

“When things change, it forces you to be innovative,” Nall said.

The duo said there’s symmetry between their two companies in that most of Nall’s work and contacts are in Northwest Arkansas; Hudnall’s business is mostly national and regional. They hope their ability to collaborate on projects and introduce each other to the other’s clients will lead to more business for both.

Hudnall said the most logical next step for his business was to add construction capabilities. The non-binding partnership between ReDe and Green Built falls short of that ability in that there’s no legal tie between the two companies, but the ability to share business contacts and the braintrusts that exist across both firms has already paid off, he said.

Green Built was founded by Nall late last year, but he has several years of experience in the construction industry and has worked with Hudnall on various projects over the last six years. The company is a commercial and residential general contractor with just a handful of projects to its name, but one is a recent build-out of Brieshi Salon & Spa located at the Pinnacle Promenade in Rogers.

Nall is the contractor of choice for 44 vacant lots in Bentonville’s Rolling Acres subdivision. Those homes are expected to list between $200,000 and $300,000, said Nicky Dou, a Century 21 Realtor and the exclusive listing agent.

Nall said he would like to concentrate on investor-backed properties, like those in Rolling Hills, which is owned by a group out of Little Rock.

One of Resource Design’s primary revenue streams has been designing mall-sized retail stores for national clients. The company not only designs the space, but also the fixtures, lighting, display and storage, and all associated branding. Clients include Eddie Haskell’s Patio & Grill of Rogers, Johnston & Murphy clothing stores and Journey’s, a chain of 850-plus ultra-hip teen shoe and clothing stores based in Nashville.

Both said their existing clients won’t be pressured or required to use the other firm’s services. They both realize the likelihood they will miss working on some projects together because they didn’t match well on pricing.

“At the end of the day, it’s about the bid,” Nall said.

ReDe might bid on 25 to 30 projects before landing one, Hudnall said, so skins are thick.

Small footprint retail chain stores kept Resource Design busy for a long time, mostly out-of-market, Hudnall said. But remodels and new-store business has slacked off quite a bit in the last couple of years as retailers have slashed expenditures.

Nationally, landlords and property managers have allowed tenants to skip contractually obligated store upgrades, just to keep the tenant, Hudnall said.

But when the economy bounces back some, mall owners and landlords will start requiring retailers to upgrade their spaces again, and he thinks there will be a bottleneck effect.

“At some point, retail is going to go nuts,” Hudnall said. “When that happens, we’ve got to be prepared.”

The two said that what matters the most for both of them is offering their existing clients quality and service.

“Clients are going to remember how we acted when this is over,” Hudnall said.