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First popularized by pioneering architects such as Alvar Aalto in the middle of the 20th century, the suspended wood ceiling is experiencing a resurgence in contemporary design. The 21st-century reimagining of timber is evident in projects like SHoP Architects and Lever Architecture’s timber towers in NYC and Portlandas well as the 2015 A+Award-winning Harbin Opera House by MAD Architects, and suspended ceilings in particular are gaining renewed interest among firms. Whether this is due to the calming natural feeling that wood brings to a space, or its sustainability, the trend is good news for brands like 9Wood.
Alvar Aalto’s Viipuri Library, Vyborg, Russia; © Flickr user ninara
Based in Oregon since 2004, 9Wood’s entire focus is on division 9, suspended wood ceilings. As the only company in the US that exclusively manufactures wood ceilings, they are experts on the material, and much of their sales efforts revolve around sharing that expertise with architects and designers. 9Wood delivers a quality product with unique manufacturing and installation considerations to a niche market. Considering all of these factors, selling wood ceilings products throughout the US requires a great deal of education and one-on-one work with architects.
In order to achieve this depth of collaboration with the architectural community, 9Wood relies on its extensive national rep network and Architizer. I spoke with Michael Roemen, 9Wood’s Independent Sales Rep Manager on how he combines these two resources to achieve what he calls a “win-win-win.”
Erin Keane: What is your biggest challenge in selling to architects?
Michael Roemen: Succinctly explaining and covering all the nuanced details that go into specifying a wood ceiling. These include natural wood character, material limitations (sizes, lengths, etc.), attachments, functional requirements (fire rating, finishes, acoustics, LEED), lead-time and budget. Within our rep networks, a significant challenge is responsiveness to our requests for specific information such as project details and updates.
© Steve Hall
Image courtesy 9Wood
How does your brand approach educating architects around your products?
We call ourselves “your wood ceiling experts,” and we believe we carry the onus of reliably providing information through the whole project cycle, from their first contact or sample request through to the final packaging of material headed to the construction site. Our goal is to build trust so we will be their first call when they need information about a wood ceiling. We have an inside sales customer service team made up of nine people that is here to support them by providing “design solutions” and project management. Each project is assigned a group of three to assist in doing that. Also, we have an AIA CE course designed to give them an overview of wood ceilings.
Why did you join Architizer?
I think I first spoke with someone at Architizer probably six or seven years ago and saw the website, but we didn’t engage with you until we were referred by our NYC rep, Lou Guerra with Design Resources.
The main reasons we joined Architizer were for the speed, the new leads and to be ahead of the curve.
- Speed factor: We had used another “bid scan” service a few years ago that would flag any projects with a wood ceiling in a spec. We found it was so late in the cycle that trying to do substitution requests was cumbersome, and we got few responses. For the most part, the ship had left the dock. With Architizer, we could see this was “striking while the iron was hot.”
- Finding new leads: Again we saw this as a way to reach out to new firms, particularly in “spec writing–rich” New York City. We figured it was worth giving it a shot to see how much new soil we would encounter.
- Use of the technology: I spent a summer out in New York City a few years ago working with our reps to help develop business on the East Coast, and it was interesting to hear customer perceptions of West Coast companies. Many of them mentioned that they perceive West Coast companies are tech savvy and make better use of the technology. It was one of the perceptions we wanted to continue to capitalize on; we saw Architizer as innovative and we wanted to be one of the first to the party! We were excited to be invited as a beta partner.
© Ansel Olson
Image courtesy 9Wood
How do you use Architizer in the context of your independent rep network?
Part of my job is finding and telling people who don’t know about 9Wood about 9Wood! We believe Architizer will be a tool in helping achieve that alongside our main sales channel, our independent reps. We just presented Architizer to them at our annual convention rep meeting in New Orleans, but the goal is to get leads from Architizer into their hands. We think it’s a powerful one-two punch: First, respond quickly on Architizer, then follow up with a local rep who lives in their territory. It’s a win-win because we both get new leads, and the local architect has a local support/design consultant on our product as well as other products they represent.
Do you have a strategy when crafting a response?
My goal is to tailor each response so it doesn’t sound canned. After all, it’s for a person posting about their special design, and we value the opportunity to be considered. I want them to know that we can do their project and meet their design intent. To legitimize this, nothing is more powerful than photos. By linking to other projects and firms on Architizer, it is very powerful in establishing confidence.
Washington Post Headquarters, Washington, D.C.; image courtesy 9Wood
In the first couple of months on Architizer, how has your experience held up to your expectations?
I believe I’ve only responded to three postings and heard back from two of them. Both were very fast initial interactions which turned into leads, which was great. We’ve gotten in touch with Weiss Manfredi around our 2100 Panelized Linear, and A+I with our Nanoperf (microperf) product.
As for A+I, our reps had been in there before, but it was a new relationship/exposure for 9Wood. If we are included in the spec on this one project, it could become a significant opportunity for us, depending on the project size.
For Weiss Manfredi, we didn’t have a prior relationship, so it’s a great thing to have a firm hear about you and add you to their materials library. It could open us up to several additional projects. For them, knowing that our local rep is right in the city is a great resource. They can call them and get a sample quickly. Also, our local reps know the lay of the land with the local contractors, so they can give them recommended installers, estimated installed budgets, etc. It’s really a win-win-win (architect-9Wood-rep).
© Dror Baldinger, FAIA | Architectural Photography
UT Rio Grande Valley Performing Arts Center, Texas; image courtesy 9Wood
Anything else you would like to add?
It’s still the early goings, but we are excited to be a part of Architizer. It helps us generate new leads, deepen relationships with firms we have already worked with, show our work through more photos and reinforce our commitment to innovative and cutting-edge technologies. We think it could be [a] game changer, and we’re excited to see it roll out.
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