Meet Luke Fry of Sun Collective Design Group in North Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Fry.

Luke, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My father was a carpenter and a home builder. We would draw plans in the evenings and build the homes during the daytimes and I used to love coming with him or watching him design the homes.

He always told me that I needed to exceed what he had been able to accomplish in his lifetime. So I went to architectural school. I also learned to build, hunt and purchase properties and how to work with and manage people but the design has always been a passion of mine.

I bounced around a couple of architectural firms after college till I realized that I could do what they were doing but better. I started Sun Collective Design Group in the Spring of 08′. We are 5 people now with a growing company reputation as a design firm that specializes in custom residential projects and high-end restaurants and bars.

My dad likes to come and hang out at the office sometimes just to see if he can help.

Has it been a smooth road?
One of the most difficult things about starting a business is the uncertainty that comes from not knowing where your cash flow will come from. That was the case for me early on – no clients. Luckily I was pretty imaginative in how I connected with potentials – from blind phone calls to development companies to leaflets, to bothering people until they finally said ‘fine, I’ll give you some work’… eventually I was able to focus my efforts on the work itself and managing the business instead of chasing.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Sun Collective Design Group is a Building Design company. We have done work with many different building types – retail buildings, office buildings, nightclubs, warehouses, housing developments, apartment buildings…. but we specialize in custom residential projects and restaurants/bars..

What I am most proud of about my company is that we’ve been able to work with many up and coming developers and entrepreneurs and business owners to create fantastic designs that have enabled their businesses and lifestyle to exceed expectations.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
We are a very diverse city – not just with the kinds of people who live here but also with the different parts of our local economy and our culture.

Our local economy has traditionally been based on the price of oil. That is no longer the case. Our medical, our construction and retail base (etc.) is now strong enough that a drop in the price of oil (as what happened 2 years ago) doesn’t make everyone as nervous as it once did.

I wouldn’t choose any other city to work and live in. To someone starting a business here, I would remind them to keep overhead costs down and to take advantage of the what Houston has to offer – opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1113 Vine Street, #230 Houston, TX 77002
• Website: www.suncollective.net
• Phone: 281.661.8050
• Email: info@suncollective.net
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunCollectiveDesignGroup

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