As first birthday nears, BuiltWorlds to grow

As first birthday nears, BuiltWorlds to grow

by ROB McMANAMY | July 2, 2015

This month, BuiltWorlds will celebrate its first anniversary as a company. And trust me, we do plan to celebrate. After all, not every startup makes it this far. In fact, most don't.

So we are truly grateful to all of you who have supported us so far, especially to those blindly faithful friends who backed us in the "early days", when we were still doing business as Burnham Works. Though our commitment to the collaborative spirit and inspiring vision of Daniel Burnham remains, we did change our name last fall to reflect the broader depth and breadth of what we realized was becoming a global mission for us. Thus, BuiltWorlds was born. So we thank all of you who knew us then, and the many more of you who have joined us since.

From small seeds

"This really began out of my belief that the industry is on the verge of significant disruption, and out of my own, personal quest to understand that coming change," recalls Matt Gray, BuiltWorlds founder, and still co-chairman of 90-year-old general contractor Graycor. "To my continuing amazement, since we started this, I have been contacted over and over again by like-minded people -- from across the country and even overseas -- who have seen enormous potential for progress in the face of huge problems that need solving. So, in just under a year, BuiltWorlds has already become a movement of thousands."

Seeking a better way: In May, Gray spoke in Chicago to visiting Brits, who encouraged BW to come to London.

Exciting times: Abeles last month speaking at the Mechanical Contractors Association of America's annual technology conference.

Co-founder Matt Abeles is equally amazed. As BW's managing director, he is continually encouraged by the response he receives from people hearing about us for the first time. "We really started as a research company, trying to help construction businesses become more efficient and to find answers to nagging problems," recalls Abeles. "But what we found was a frustration all across the built environment of individuals, groups and companies who actually want to work together, to solve problems, to share ideas and best practices, and to push the ball forward together."

Naturally, much of that collaboration has come via technology. "We certainly feel that we have to keep our community abreast of all the latest tech that can help them work safer and smarter and to serve their customers better," adds Abeles. "But we also provide thought leadership on best practices to handle challenges both large and small. Mixed together, it is that level of detail on the one hand, and our longer-range, big-picture view on the other, that have created a community here like no other." 

poised for growth

Today, BuiltWorlds is a team of 12 talented and passionate people, engaged with tens of thousands of people across the globe in an ongoing, multi-channel discussion and exploration of better ways to plan, design, build, and maintain a smarter built environment. (You like 'smart'? Learn more about our important new SmartWorlds initiative.)

With all of this in mind, and in order to serve our growing audience, BuiltWorlds now is ready to grow into an even more robust, go-to network for innovation and collaboration. As we expand our news coverage, research and analysis capabilities, events, workshops, video content, and other activities, we now are looking for web developers, researchers, writers, editors, business managers, and marketing and development associates to join our team. 

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BW is now hiring. We are looking for web developers, researchers, writers, editors, business managers, and marketing and development associates. 

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So today, BuiltWorlds is seeking more great people to help us take this compelling conversation to more of you, in more places, serving more markets. With your help, we know we can go broader, deeper, and even farther in exploring how our industry will create a brighter, more sustainable future for our cities, our homes, and the infrastructure that connects and powers them all.

Collectively, we have the awesome responsibility of planning, designing, building, and caring for all of those systems. And technology already is the indispensable tool that enables and enhances our ability to perform such tasks. But information and ideas --many based on Big Data-- will still be the currency of this new tomorrow, and BuiltWorlds aims to be its essential exchange. Join us!

Specifically, these are the first three positions BuiltWorlds is looking to fill:

• Director of Operations;
• Marketing Coordinator;
• Research Manager.

Job descriptions will be posted soon, but if you already think you may be interested -- or know someone who may be -- please feel free to contact us at  info@builtworlds.com.