Q&A: SHYFT Collective's Brandon Foldes

Brandon Foldes, Founding Partner and CEO, SHYFT Collective

Why did you start SHYFT Collective?

We started SHYFT with the idea of creating a better way to a better space for our clients. We built a cross disciplinary team of construction, architectural design, and real estate professionals with a common goal: how can we always search for value and work to deliver projects on budget and on schedule. 

What do owners (and communities) gain from preserving and reusing historic structures?

Historic structures are the fabric of many communities. Restoring these assets has benefits for the property owner and the community. Typical benefits include environmental sustainability, community identity, and economic revitalization. The simple fact is, it’s very hard to build the way we did in the past, primarily due to cost of materials used at the time, and to restore and preserve these buildings provides a sense of pride and commitment to our communities.

What are the most challenging aspects of historic preservation and/or adaptive reuse?

Meeting historical requirements for incentives can be challenging. The documentation and application process for historical grants is a very unique process and has many steps. Additionally, the buildings themselves can be in rough shape, so you need to plan the project financials with a significant contingency. We enjoy partnering with White Oak Realty and other like minded property owners to preserve and restore quality assets.

Visit https://www.shyftcollective.com/ for more on Brandon and his team.