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8 | OCTOBER 2018 Mayhew Inc. painted black, black framed glass partitions, raw wood, unique wall coverings, white brick walls and unique film applications including a pink room where cli- ents can relax when they fly in for the day, are just some of the elements that make this space unique. The other cool feature about the space is they hired a graffiti artist to showcase their team, so the personality of the client came out. There is indeed a plethora of projects to choose from when it comes to showcas- ing Mayhew's visionary abilities. The 80,000-square-foot MCAP (an independent mortgage financing company) in Waterloo saw the former Blackberry manufactur- ing space converted into a beautiful workspace that truly optimizes the real estate, promotes the desired behaviours in the space, and showcases the company's brand- ing. Then there's the many auto dealerships. In fact, Mayhew has recently been working with Kubota, Kia, and Mazda on their national brand image programs. As you would expect, the majority of Mayhew's business (90 percent) are refurbish- ments/existing buildings – it's about taking an office space right back to the studs and rebuilding it to meet today's changing workforce and showcase the company brand. In fact, branding has become such an important part of the business that Mayhew has just launched MStudio, its design studio, and is looking to recruit more staff as the business grows. And yet, while Mayhew may be forging ahead as thought leaders within its sector and expanding as demand and understanding grows of the benefits they bring to the table, Mayhew has somehow managed to hold onto its family feel. "As a family business, we understand the importance of family first. If you walk into either of our offices, you will very often see a small child or our dog Blue, who protects us all," laughs Marcia Mayhew. "It definitely sets and changes the mood of the company. We have an agile space where people can work where they want to, depending on what they are doing. This helps creativity," Marcia Mayhew adds. Indeed, the Mayhew offices exude creativity with spaces for quiet time and an employee zone where lunch and learns are conducted and people go to play pool or ping pong. "We definitely believe in investing in our team, making them part of our extended family and encourage all to express their unique personality. We maintain an open line of communication and are extremely transparent. We hold a quarterly town hall event where we are open about our financials, and we host team building events to further encourage communication and creativity. In fact our last team event was axe throwing," laughs Marcia Mayhew. "Our people make it easy for me to go out and get business. They have seen us go through a tremen- dous amount of change and having such a diverse team with a different age range means we do a lot of mentoring and reverse mentoring. Everyone gets involved." When it comes to the future of Mayhew, Marcia Mayhew is thrilled about the launch of MStudio, which will revitalize the Mayhew Inc. brand. "I am also excited because of the business that is in our pipeline. There are quite a few startups where we are having conversations very early on, and we look forward to walking them through the various stages of their lifecycle," says Marcia Mayhew. While changes within the industry, such as the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) request for self-regulation of the profession of interior design to bring interior designers under the regulation of the OAA, could undoubtedly impact the profession, Marcia Mayhew isn't worried. "We've weathered far worse storms," she says. Instead, the team at Mayhew are excited about what the future holds with regards to artificial intelligence [AI} and the possibilities that come with it. "We were at the forefront of getting VR in the industry, and we plan to do the same with AI. It presents a lot of opportunity, such as increased data to help us plan space more effectively." And with that, Mayhew continues to proudly chart the way for interior design leaders, right here in Canada. A KIA 401 Dixie, Mississauga, ON. GlaxoSmithKline, Mississauga, ON. Mitchell Plastics, Kitchener, ON. Kubota Victoriaville, Victoriaville, QC. PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEVEL STUDIO INC.; FAHRI YAVUZ; MICHAEL VAN LEUR PHOTOGRAPHY; LEVEL STUDIO INC./ALL COURTESY MAYHEW INC.

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