Case Study: How Cuningham's Admin Team Adapts to Meet the Moment

This case study is about how one firm successfully adapted its operations and administration during the pandemic. First published on the Cuningham Group Architecture blog, it appears here courtesy of author Danika Larson, CDFA.

A year ago, we were just one month into working from home and Cuningham’s administrative team was constantly wondering when we were going to return to “normal.” While we initially focused on learning as much as we could as fast as we could, our admin team couldn’t have predicted that we would need to change our approach and practices in order to continue providing excellent service and thought leadership. As our firm continued to adjust to meet the ever-changing challenges of the pandemic, so too did our administrative team grow to meet our firm’s needs.  

At that time, I wrote about how our administrative team was using our “superpowers” to help Cuningham through the uncertainty, bringing some order out of chaos by utilizing our internal network of resources. However, we couldn’t rest on those two superpowers alone. As the pandemic and work from home rolled on, we knew we had to improve our practices and look beyond our standard-operating mode to truly support our teams, offices and firm.  

Growth through education 
One of the first things we changed as a team was to move from meeting monthly to meeting weekly. Communication was, and continues to be, crucial to our success. We broadened our focus from reviewing what everyone was working on to reviewing what was happening firm-wide. We also began devoting half of our meeting time to education. Education topics have included deep dives into the construction administration process, software skills (including learning new software/programs), and best practices. We also invited several internal guest speakers to share and educate us on their roles, project or practice areas, and expertise. As a result, our administrative team has been able to better support and champion a multitude of efforts across the firm.  

Increasing our reach 
In the past year, we’ve also moved from the mindset that our administrative team members are only assigned to support specific teams and specific offices to the mindset that we are a shared resource for the entire firm. By making this shift, we are now better prepared to support each other and share workloads as needed, while also having the ability to assign special projects/tasks to the team member(s) that have the best knowledge, skills, and availability to complete them. Not only does this allow us to address firm-wide needs more quickly, it also means we can better utilize our administrative team’s various expertise. These opportunities have then allowed our team members to learn and grow by doing something new.  

Moving forward 
With the new information and insights gathered during our team meetings — and experience gained working from home during COVID — our administrative team is now playing a central role in the planning of operations for our office reopening. Things we are considering include how we manage reception, mailing/shipping, facilities/maintenance services in a world that is still facing COVID, and how to allow all staff (no matter their role/position) the opportunity to continue to work-from-home as long as they want. We recently had a brainstorming session using the same online collaboration program our designers use with their teams, and will continue to use this program as we develop our ideas into reality. 

At Cuningham, our administrative team is changing our role from one that waits for others to tell us what to do and how to do it, to one that actively leads, strategizes, and seeks out the best solutions to serve our firm and clients. We know that, just like this past year, what we are doing today will have to change again at some point to meet future needs. And when that time comes, we will once again be up to the challenge, ready to support Cuningham’s success in every way possible. 

Danika Larson, CDFA is the Director of Administration for Cunningham Group Architects in Minneapolis, MN. She has worked in the A/E/C industry for over 20 years. She served SDA Minneapolis/St. Paul's President. She is currently the chapter's Membership Chair. For the past two years, Danika has chaired SDA Nationals Education Services Committee. 

Fridays After 5 Featuring Robin Rayburn

SDA’s member spotlight Fridays After 5 showcases the varied creative, fun, adventurous, or exciting achievements our members accomplish after business hours.

Today’s Fridays After 5 spotlight is udderly perfect! We herd that Robin Rayburn added baby goats to her life during the pandemic.  So we hoofed it over to get the scoop. If you’ve never met herbivore, this Q&A will introduce you! 

Tell us about your career. I have been an Administrator at Cockfield Jackson Architects for 14 years in April.  When I began working there, I had never been in the design field.  I have an Accounting degree and have worked in many fields (industrial supplies, manufacturing, insurance, and HVAC) before landing at CJA.  Working at an architecture firm has assisted me in envisioning areas/spaces in a different light. It also helps me support Curtis with our “flipping houses” and remodeling companies.

Where is your home? Hubby Curtis and I purchased our current home in Slaughter, Louisiana (north of Baton Rouge).  We have 10 acres of land with a ½ acre stocked pond.  Our town is zoned rural, so we are allowed farm animals. We love it out there.  Our closest neighbors are in hollering distance (not too close). We have lots of room to spread our wings and not disturb anyone.

What delights you about the outdoors and animals? I feel I am the closest to God when I am out in nature and enjoying the silence away from the world.  I am at peace or can find peace when I am tending to all the animals or even just cutting grass (to cut all 10 acres, it takes Curtis and me together 4 -5 hours). 

How did you decide to get goats? I have always wanted goats since we move to the 10 acres.  Presley (oldest grandson) started showing chickens for 4H and had, for the most part, convinced us to let him show goats too in the summer of 2016.  We were about to buy the goats when the Flood of 2016 happened.  We had to postpone it because no one had the time to deal with it since we dealt with the aftermath of the flood.  Since then, every year, he has asked, and we have kept saying no until now.  

Do you consider these livestock or family pets? These are considered meat goats.  Eobard and Lucky are pets because Presley will be showing Eobard next year.  In the future, we are considering breeding and selling goats.  Those will be livestock.

What kind are they?  We have 2 Nigerian Dwarfs.  Both are male.  They are both bottle babies still for a few more weeks and stay inside.

When you show goats, it is recommended to have either females or males, not one of them.  Eobard (tan color) will be the show goat next year, and Lucky (black color) is the companion goat.  To show them, you have to dub (remove) their horns.  Eobard was dubbed before we got him, and we are waiting until after show season to bring Lucky to the vet to have his dubbed.  Both need to be dubbed; otherwise, you run the risk of the one with horns hurting the show goat.

Are these the “fainting goats”? No, these are not the fainting goats but (hubby) Curtis wants to get a couple of them in the future.

Do they have quirks?  They do not like to be wet. The goats will need an off-the-ground, covered area to bed on and get in out of the weather.

The craziest thing about them is their neediness.  The goats will start whining when they do not see you or lose you.  But I get over that when they snuggle up with me to take a nap.

What about those cute sweaters? We bought them.  Tractor Supply sells them, and you can probably buy them on Amazon.

I see you also have chickens, and your grandson is an award winner!  2021 is Presley’s 5th year to show chickens. Some have stayed or are staying at my house, and others are at Presley’s.  After this year’s State competition, we plan to have all the chickens at my home, and the goats will stay at his.  

There’s a lot of personal handling and bonding that goes with showing goats.  The chickens also have to be handled a lot, but the bonding to the person is not as much.  It’s a family affair to take care of all the chickens and goats.  I am very proud of Presley and his success he has had to show the chickens.  It takes dedication to learn how to take care of them and all the different breeds’ ins-and-outs.

Granddaughter Victoria, Presley’s younger sister, does not like the chickens, but she loves the goats.

Your video of hummingbird is out of this world! How in the world did you attract so many? The hummingbirds are a great fascination of mine.  In the beginning, I would only put out a couple of feeders, and we would get a few birds to visit.  Now I have about 20 feeders around the house and hundreds of birds.  I make my own nectar.  It’s 1-part sugar to 4-parts water.  During the summer months, I buy 20-pound sacks of sugar.

The key to having hummingbirds is to change/clean the feeders daily, especially in the summer months when it is hot.  The food can sour, and your birds can get sick.  After our freeze, I have put out a couple of feeders for the scouts to find. 

Hummingbirds have a great memory and return year after year. 

You also love to fish. Fishing is an obsession that I will never give up.  It’s my solitude.  When all is going wrong, just give me a fishing pole and let me go fishing.  I grew up fishing with my Daddy.  The memories I have in a boat with my Daddy are some of the most precious ones.  Then I met Curtis, who also loved fishing.  In the early years, we freshwater fished, and only saltwater fished maybe once or twice a year. Now we only saltwater fish except when we fish our pond.  Saltwater fishing is addictive.  We go as often as we can when the weather and our workloads allow.  When we officially retire, there is a good chance we will buy us a place in Cocodrie, Louisiana, and you will not see a lot of us unless you are coming down to fish.

If your life has a soundtrack, who’s the singer? My favorite singer and secret boyfriend are Tracy Lawrence.  He has been part of my life since Curtis & I have been married.  Tracy released his first single in 1991.  This year, he’s been in the business 30 years, and Curtis and I will be married 30 years this year.  In the early years, I did not see Tracy in concert but maybe a couple of times a year because I was busy raising kids, but in the last 15 years (before Covid), I was averaging about 12-15 shows a year.  If he’s playing in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Vegas, I’m there.  I’ve also had the privilege of going on two cruises with Tracy. We have become friends with his band through the years.  I cannot wait until there are live concerts again!

No butts about it. We’re delighted we’ve goat Robin as a member!

Fridays After 5 Featuring Kim Celenza

(With Recipes!)

SDA’s member spotlight Fridays After 5 showcases the varied creative, fun, adventurous, or interesting achievements our members accomplish after business hours.

For this installment, we peek into the kitchen of our foodie and SDA National Vice President Kim Celenza. Kim is an Associate and Marketing Manager at Perkins Eastman in New York, New York. She also chairs the SDA National Membership Committee and is an active member of the SDA Marketing and Communications committee. 

Today is the feast of St. Joseph which is widely commemorated all over Italy to honor the relief St. Joseph provided during a famine in Sicily. The tradition includes parades, special recipes, and often the construction of what is known as a St. Joseph’s Altar. The tradition traveled to the US with the Italian immigrants and continues to this day from New York and New Orleans. 

As a child, Kim remembers her grandmother celebrated the day by making the traditional Zeppole di San Giuseppe. Zeppola is a fried pastry, with a center filled with flavored creams or sweetened ricotta. Kim also credits her “Grammy” for igniting her passion for food.

What do you love about cooking?

So many things. I honestly find it extremely therapeutic. I suffer from anxiety and I can say with 100% certainty it has helped tremendously, it's the process, the focus, the love- it comforts me.

I also love cooking for people and sharing something that I love so much with them.  

It feels like I am giving a part of myself when I do.  Also, I LOVE FOOD!

Who do you love to cook for?

My family, my friends.  I also love sharing recipes with my Mom, Dad, my sister Jackie, and friends near and far.

Would you be willing to share a recipe?

Sure! Here’s a favorite I’d love to share: chicken soup with pastina.  Simple, and oh so comforting.  In my family, it is called "Italian Penicillin".

When did the passion start?

Definitely started with my grandmother when I was a child.  Sunday dinners were her "thing". She would get up at 5 am and start making the "gravy" and meatballs.  

That would be followed by roast beef and potatoes and salad.

Making her "gravy" and meatballs will never fail to make me feel close to her again.  

Buon appetito e buona giornata!

The recipe for Kim’s Italian Penicillin is below. If you have trouble locating pastina or bucatini pasta, it is available through Amazon at http://bit.ly/SDAPastinaLink. This is an affiliate link and SDA National could receive a portion of your purchase price.

Bonus Recipe: