In March of 2020, we put our headquarters building project in McMinnville on hold due to the pandemic. We had no idea that it would be a full three years before we would be ready to begin the design/build process. We are happy to report that the building project is moving forward, with the help of our architectural firm, CIDA.

MVA went through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process last Fall to select a design/build team. After an extensive vetting process, we selected CIDA Architects & Engineers and Andrew Scott Construction to assist with our project. MVA was very impressed with all the players. The fact that CIDA’s president, Jennifer Beattie, was leading the team sent a strong message that our building project was important and that they were vested in helping us achieve our design goals, for a building that has been years in the making.

We thought our stakeholders would like to know a little more about Jennifer and her team at CIDA. Jennifer has been the company President since 2013. She is passionate about many things, including her family, her co-workers, creating a positive work environment for her staff that prioritizes family and flexibility while at the same time, creating functioning space for clients that serve them perfectly.

CIDA is a woman owned multidisciplinary architecture and engineering design firm located in Portland that was established to provide clients with a value driven alternative to the traditional architectural firm. Their philosophy is to listen, understand, and create buildings with simple, well-articulated forms that meet their client’s needs. This was exactly what our team was looking for!

When asked why CIDA was interested in our project, Jennifer said that before we asked them to propose, she didn’t know anything about our non-profit work. When she learned that we support adults with disabilities in employment, housing, and community involvement, she recognized that there is a real need for these services in our communities. She has an 8-year-old son who learns differently than many children. The pandemic closed his school while he was in kindergarten, and he lost most of his services. When we talked about the impact of the pandemic on the MVA staff and the people we support as well as how much work has changed, she really understood how important this building would be to our team and the greater community. She wanted her team to be a part of making it a successful project.

CIDA is excited to work with our contractor, Andrew Scott Construction, because they are a collaborative group. Jennifer noted that the cooperation of the owner, the designer and the builder creates a tri-pod that leads to positive solutions when faced with difficult design decisions. At MVA, we are so grateful to be working with a team of professionals committed to achieving our goals to produce an exceptional space on a tight budget, while providing flexibility in design as our services continue to evolve. And we know that work will also continue to change in the future. We’re grateful to have had the pandemic experience to provide us with this insight into the importance of staying flexible and pivoting as needed.

We will be sharing more details with our stakeholders soon. Stay tuned for an invitation to join us for a building reveal party in the near future where we will share more details of this exciting project.