Recovering from the storm
Published Aug. 10, 2017
Press release: Sparks Reed establishes temporary office following tornado
TULSA (Aug. 10, 2017) – Sparks Reed Architecture and Interiors of Tulsa has temporarily relocated to the offices of CJC Architects, 1401 S. Denver Ave.
“We are back up and running,” said Sparks Reed Principal and co-founder David Reed. “CJC Architects was graciously able to supply us workspace for all of our employees.”
Sparks Reed lost access to its Remington Tower home on Sunday morning after a tornado severely damaged that 5810 E. Skelly Dr. building. No employees were on site when the storm struck, and no one was injured. The 18-story tower remains closed as officials evaluate various safety issues.
“We are completely shut out of our home office and shall not have access to that office for an undetermined amount of time, according to Remington Tower officials,” said Reed.
Reed learned of the damage at 8 a.m. Sunday. By the end of that day, his 11-employee architectural and interior design firm retrieved all of its data from a remote server while CJC President Tim Boeckman arranged for Sparks Reed’s temporary quarters. Dallas contractor Brad Diggs restored Sparks Reed’s servers on Monday, allowing the architectural firm to resume operations Tuesday.
Sparks Reed's temporary new home
“We worked all through Sunday night and Monday morning, moving stuff into CJC’s office and setting up our network,” said Reed, who praised the efforts of Boeckman, CJC, Diggs, and his Sparks Reed staff. “I really want to thank (CJC) for their hospitality, letting us move into their office with them. They were super helpful in getting our network put together, providing office furniture, and a roof over our heads.”
Reed said it remains too early to consider whether Sparks Reed will be able to return to Remington Tower or must find a new home. The firm remains focused now on meeting the needs its clients.
“We have a lot of deadlines coming up here in the next four weeks,” he said. “Right now we’re just focused on meeting our commitments.
“Our thoughts and prayers are for all the tenants and the owners of Remington Tower,” said Reed. “I pray they all recover from this and our businesses get stronger moving forward. I know everybody at Remington Tower is working hard to try and help tenants get back into the building. The only thing we can’t replace is time and people. Thankfully our people are safe. Our time is compromised some, but we are working to recover that.”
Sparks Reed Architecture and Interiors was founded in 2011 by Gary Sparks, David Reed, and Jill Selman, three professionals who have worked together on private and public architectural and interior projects valued at more than $500 million. Known for finding creative solutions to difficult projects, Sparks Reed prides itself on utilizing cutting-edge technologies to preserve existing environments while building upon a client’s rich traditions.