A Far Superior Process: Innovation in 3D Renderings with Eric Payne | Friends of Build Magazine #79

Today Ted speaks with Eric Payne, founder of NuWest Builders and Co-Founder of Paynecole, an architecture firm specializing in 3D-rendered designs in Whitefish, MT. Growing up on a farm and surviving having a dot com business during the bubble taught Eric work ethic, follow through, and an unmatched drive to succeed. 

After transitioning to building, and scaling a successful luxury custom home business, Eric realized the greatest frustration he and his team had was solvable. Traditional building plans left so many unanswered questions, but after meeting Nic Cole, Eric learned that 3D renderings that stayed ahead of builders and were designed by professional animators could wildly improve the customer experience and building process for his team. 

Today, Ted digs into how Payncole came to be, how technology is changing the building industry, and the mindset that Eric operates from to build successful businesses. 

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• [1:50] Growing up surrounded by technology
• [6:05] Early adoption of technology changes how you think
• [9:20] How do you decide which technologies are useful?
• [12:50] Unique renderings of building projects and the process
• [15:10] Building plans are the number one source of frustration 
• [19:50] Scaling 3D rendered plans
• [21:30] Mentors throughout life
• [28:20] What you accomplish with what you’re given
• [30:50] How Zoom shifted scaling a business
• [32:00] Working on iconic structures in Whitefish
• [35:55] The start of Payncole
• [41:45] Adoption and education in this new technology
• [46:20] What do people not know about you?
• [50:35] What’s a failure you learned from?
• [54:00] Where do you see yourself and the building industry in 10 years?

CONNECT WITH GUEST

Paul Shepherd

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

KEY QUOTES FROM EPISODE

• I think our industry is dominated by limited goals. Most of the, from a builder standpoint, a builder will find this is the max capacity that we have. It's six homes at any one time, or it's two homes a year, whatever that is. And that's the max, because they're used to doing things same way they've always done them, and they wanna do them right. And that is a great, great goal to have, and it's a great limited goal. But if, again, if we can prove to these people like some of the great innovators that have come before, is we can change your whole way of thinking. That, I believe, is where the ultimate success comes from. 
• So we started focusing on the renderings, bringing in art, the guys that were better, they're not architects that are doing these renders, they're animators and they're graphic artists.
• I'm about to see the West, specifically Montana, I see exploding far more than what we already have. I think we've just seen the tip of the iceberg.