BASALT, Colorado — You've seen them in their black and red racing suits sporting Graphic Encounter logos across their chests and posing in front of a red sports car at the major hospitality trade shows. The Graphic Encounter team, led by Ron Golbus, president, definitely stands out from the crowd.

So we asked Golbus, what's the story behind the get-up?

"The NASCAR Racing pit crews and their sponsors or clients are the quintessential mentors for Team Graphic Encounter. They shave mili-seconds off of a pit stop for gas and the changing of tires so that the driver and his team, on behalf of the sponsors and clients, can out perform the competition," he said.

Having spent the last thirty years supplying art, mirrors, framing and consulting to the hospitality design industry, Golbus has learned a thing or two about succeeding in the business.

And according to Golbus, the power of the team dynamic is one of his greatest assets.

The Team

"The logic of the team is founded on working together as individuals to develop momentum and shared commitment. Powerful collective performance, based on specific goals, and measured by our client's satisfaction and on-going client loyalty defines the goal of Team Graphic Encounter," said Golbus.

Golbus wants his team associated with the success of the Graphic Encounter brand. That's why he has them join him on all of the company's marketing materials, and it is the impetus behind the signature racing suits at trade shows.

"I want our clients to be up close and personal with the members of Team Graphic Encounter," he said.

Those members include Amy Butowicz and Susan Penland who head up the creative services division. Sue Bilstad heads the project management division and Bruce Odelson manages the purchasing and fabrication division.

Including his teammates on his marketing materials helps personalize the brand, according to Golbus.

"A team strives for something greater than its members could achieve individually. It means providing valuable information that makes the job of our clients easier, and their project more successful, while helping eliminate costly mistakes," he said. "Our collective goal is to make sure our client's projects look outstanding, that the products and services were priced competitively, that our products were delivered on time and that our clients have no problems."

Education

Another lesson that Golbus stresses is the necessity of education—and open lines of communication between designers and suppliers to avoid errors.

"The role of education regardless of category cannot be understated. In order for a vendor to be quantified and qualified as a valuable resource to a firm, the flow of valuable information from that resource to that firm can help avoid costly mistakes. It is incumbent upon the supplier to assist the designer in every way possible to understand what the designer does not know about that particular company's product," he said.

Knowing that art specification is a skill that interior designers learn on the job, as opposed to in a classroom, it is to be expected that some instruction on Graphic Encounter's part is required.

To that end, Graphic Encounter has created a guide to writing an art specification.

According to Golbus, success hinges on "the designer defining a scope of work of what the supplier or resource should supply to them and the supplier understanding that the designer does not know everything they need to know about the supplier's product," he said.

"It's a team play. And providing that information is the difference between a vendor and a resource. It creates loyalty. Information is critical. The more info you give the people you work with, the more loyal they are."

Golbus's proactive approach to avoiding mistakes is also supported by having his team members involved at each step of the process.

"It's imperative that the suppliers read over the specifications and read between the lines to see if the way the specification is written corresponds to the interior designers vision. No one can know what they don't know until a mistake comes up. And the way to avoid this for the supplier is to get involved."

"We've become known as a very well respected brand because of our creative talents, our high level project management skills and we fix problems unconditionally."

Graphic Encounter completed the world's most expensive hotel project, Wynn Las Vegas, last year. It was the largest art specification job on record.