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Michele Robbins, Principal and OwnerHow does centralized accountability influence complex project delivery?
For owners, developers, and public-sector stakeholders accountable for project outcomes, responsibility in architecture and engineering determines where risk ultimately sits. When projects become complex, that responsibility shows up in how teams communicate, follow through, and advocate on the client’s behalf. When ownership is clear, accountability stays concentrated, and decisions move faster. When it isn’t, coordination fragments, intent gets repeated across specialists, and approvals stall between building departments and partners.
RPM Team operates on the principle that ownership of intent, coordination, and momentum must rest with a single accountable party. As a project-manager-led architecture and engineering program management company, it centralizes communication so client intent is captured clearly and translated consistently across architecture, structural, electrical, mechanical, life safety, and other project requirements. With responsibility held in one place, projects move forward without requiring clients to manage coordination, repeat intent, or chase updates.
“Collaboration is a baseline in this industry. What matters is how clients experience those interactions—whether conversations feel frustrating or genuinely productive and enjoyable. That experience has a direct impact on how a project unfolds,” says David Renard, president.
How does RPM Team manage design changes without losing momentum?
That structure also shapes how RPM Team handles change. Since coordination and communication are centralized, design intent can evolve without creating friction or defensiveness. The team approaches midstream changes with patience and calm, treating them as part of the work rather than disruptions, and recognizing that projects rarely move in a straight line.
This reflects an operating belief that evolving client intent is part of responsible delivery and must be protected rather than managed away. It also places equal importance on how clients experience the process, aiming for conversations that feel clear, constructive, and genuinely collaborative rather than tense or repetitive. That operating mindset becomes most valuable once the project moves into external review.
We use technology behind the scenes, but taking care of clients still has to be personal. When insurance decisions are tested, people want guidance from a person, because people still buy from people.
RPM Team routinely works across planning & building departments, fire departments, public works agencies, and contractor teams, where requirements can pressure designs toward compromise. During code scrutiny, rather than treating regulatory feedback as a hard stop, the team explores alternatives that preserve intent while remaining compliant.
“Instead of immediately telling a client no, we look for ways to make it work within code,” says Ben Bronow, VP.
The principle is visible in a mezzanine project for the Blue Man Group. RPM Team identified a code-compliant path that preserved the space's ability to function as a technical production area supporting lighting and show systems. Reviewers initially required the mezzanine to be fully enclosed in fire-rated walls and ceilings. By applying an alternate code section more aligned with technical production use, the team allowed the mezzanine to remain open and functional while still meeting code requirements. The outcome reflected RPM Team’s role as an advocate during review, not merely a coordinator reacting to feedback.
How does internal culture support consistent project execution?
Internally, RPM Team credits its execution to a culture built on long-standing relationships and a low-politics environment. That stability allows teams to step in seamlessly, maintain continuity, and respond consistently when projects face pressure. Internal meetings reinforce this discipline by keeping teams aligned and ensuring challenges are absorbed internally rather than carried into client-facing work.
Looking ahead, RPM Team is focused on adopting new construction technology, particularly prefab, panelized, modular, and pre-engineered building systems. In applicable project types, it evaluates modular and pre-engineered approaches to improve cost efficiency and schedule performance compared to traditional delivery methods. The long-term vision is to operate as a design studio supporting manufacturers developing these systems while helping owners achieve more with the same budget.
RPM Team centers its work on responsibility, maintaining ownership of intent and coordination from design through review. This approach provides clients with continuity and a consistent path to project completion.
The Gold Standard in Top Insurance Broker Solutions
Insurance has moved from a routine expense to one of the most scrutinized line items on both household and commercial balance sheets. Premium volatility, reconstruction cost inflation and stricter underwriting standards have forced executives to reassess how insurance is procured and managed. In this environment, the distinction between a transactional broker and a strategic advisor has become pronounced. Top insurance broker solutions are no longer defined by market access alone but by the discipline and clarity they bring to risk evaluation, coverage design and client stewardship.
Many policies begin with prefilled data drawn from public records and automated feeds. That approach favors speed yet often embeds inaccuracies that distort reconstruction values, property characteristics and vehicle information. Even small discrepancies in square footage, build date or equipment specifications can compound into significant coverage gaps or inflated premiums. Executives responsible for protecting assets across residential portfolios, community associations or operating businesses cannot afford decisions based on unchecked assumptions. A superior broker solution begins with primary data collection, direct verification and a willingness to invest time upfront to prevent disputes at the point of loss.
Accuracy must extend beyond basic policy inputs to the calculation of replacement cost. Reconstruction cost estimators are widely available, but their output is only as reliable as the data entered. A broker that conducts a detailed intake, validates structural updates and reconciles inconsistencies between public records and on-site realities is positioned to produce limits that reflect actual exposure. This rigor protects against underinsurance while avoiding unnecessary premium spend. For boards of condominium associations, property managers and business owners, this diligence provides confidence that assessments and reserves align with insurable values rather than rough estimates.
Education is another differentiator. Insurance remains complex even for seasoned executives. Policy language, sublimits, deductibles and endorsements require interpretation. Many brokers present a premium comparison and leave the client to infer the implications. A more effective approach walks decision-makers through each material line item, clarifies how dwelling limits are derived, explains how personal property or contents coverage functions and outlines the claims process before a loss occurs. When clients understand their own policies, they are better equipped to weigh tradeoffs and less likely to encounter unpleasant surprises.
Asset documentation has become equally critical. Heightened fraud controls mean carriers increasingly require proof of ownership and value at the time of claim. Organizations that lack contemporaneous records often face delays or reduced settlements. Leading broker solutions recognize this exposure and help clients establish defensible inventories, whether for households, commercial facilities or common areas within associations. Independent validation and systematic recording of assets can materially accelerate recovery after a fire, wildfire or other catastrophe.
Service continuity also shapes long-term value. Community associations and nonprofit boards experience turnover, which can erode institutional knowledge about coverage decisions made in prior years. Brokers who regularly engage with boards and management teams help preserve an understanding of the policy structure and risk assumptions. That engagement builds accountability and reduces the likelihood that coverage erodes quietly over time.
Against this backdrop, RPM Agency represents a compelling benchmark. It structures engagements around extended discovery conversations and detailed intake documentation rather than automated data pulls. It cross-verifies build information, applies reconstruction cost estimation based on verified inputs and presents line-by-line coverage comparisons before discussing price. It supplements policy placement with on-site asset video documentation for residential and commercial clients and maintains ongoing board-level education for condominium and HOA accounts. For executives who view insurance as a governance responsibility rather than a commodity purchase, RPM Agency offers a disciplined, education-driven model that aligns coverage precision with sustained client engagement.
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