In today’s complex world, educators face an environment full of rapid changes and obstacles. These challenges do not exist in isolation with a one-size fits all solution. Still, traditional approaches to professional services within education are often segmented and fall short. Enlisting multiple consultants to address individual problems often leads to miscommunications and a lack of cohesion, failing to make meaningful progress towards your goals. At GMB, we are thinking about these challenges differently.
What do we mean by our “ecosystem of teams?”
We recognize that to truly support educational institutions, we must offer holistic solutions that address all aspects of their growth and success. Our ecosystem approach does just that by placing our clients and their students at the center of everything we do. This means that rather than offering a disjointed array of services, we provide integrated solutions that address the many needs of our clients. Other professional services firms will typically structure themselves in one of two ways:
- They accumulate “add-on” services that can be tacked on to a primary offering for a cost, but the business functions mainly to support the main service; or
- They run distinct business units which provide robust offerings but generally operate independently from one another.
The shortcoming of both these approaches is that the client receives only one type of service at a time. But we understand how your unique challenges intersect and overlap. That’s why we see issues like enrollment, budgets, building function, planning, training, and maintenance as opportunities that can be addressed in a more holistic way.
How the GMB ecosystem works
Instead of offering a menu of services to choose from, we provide a full-service team with interconnected resources which saves schools and universities both time and money. Here’s how our approach stands out:
- Seamless Integration: All aspects of our work are interconnected from the very beginning. This eliminates the silos and miscommunication that often plagues traditional service models.
- Unified Team: Our projects are managed by a cohesive team that works together across disciplines, reducing the number of contact points and ensuring a unified vision.
- Client-Centric Focus: By putting the client at the center of everything we do, we ensure that every aspect of our work is aligned with their overarching goals.
This approach is designed to streamline communication, foster collaboration, and provide innovative solutions tailored to your institution’s specific needs.
The GMB ecosystem in action
Example One: Redefining the Educational Experience for Local Elementary Students
Imagine a K-12 school district that is planning for major renovations and expansion across multiple elementary schools. The district needs bond planning services to secure funding, innovative furniture design to support modern learning environments, and commissioning services to ensure that the new systems and structures operate efficiently. In a traditional model, the school district might work with a consulting firm for bond planning, a furniture vendor for the design and procurement of furnishings, and a separate firm for commissioning services. Some firms might even have these services all under one roof, but at GMB we don’t see these as separate issues to solve—they are all part of a single, complex solution.
We have a different approach. Instead of addressing individual challenges, our teams consider the entire experience your district offers and uncover how to make it a reality. By partnering with us, the district doesn’t just get these services delivered under one roof—they gain a holistic approach where everything is interconnected. Beyond the initial services, they also receive attention in critical areas like security consulting, energy management, and district branding. Our security consultants collaborate with the district from the beginning to design safe and secure learning environments that protect students and staff, and the planning team communicates these needs with the community. Simultaneously, our marketing team and educational planners work to create a cohesive district identity that resonates with both the community and prospective students, while our interior designers collaborate with the district’s educators to design a furniture plan that supports student-centered learning environments. Beyond simply ensuring that systems—HVAC, lighting, and more—function as intended, our energy management teams align these efforts with the district’s broader goals.
Our ecosystem of teams ensures that every aspect of the project, from securing initial funding to the final commissioning, is aligned with the district’s unique educational vision and operational needs. By partnering with us, the district benefits from a truly integrated approach, where all elements are connected and work together to create a more cohesive and effective learning environment—far beyond what could be achieved by hiring individual consultants for each service.
Example Two: Attracting and Retaining Students Through Enhanced Facilities
A university is planning to build a new student center, a central hub designed to enhance campus life and serve as a key attraction for prospective students. This project requires not only architectural design and engineering, but also effective branding to ensure that the new center resonates with the university’s identity and draws in future students. In a traditional model, the university might engage an architecture firm for the design, an engineering firm for the structural work, and a marketing agency for the branding. Each firm works independently, leading to longer timelines and potential misalignments.
We step outside the traditional realm of problem-solving. We view the entire project through a holistic lens, considering how every element—from safety and energy management to sustainability and enrollment—works together to create a cohesive experience that reflects the university’s values and vision. By partnering with us, the university doesn’t just get architectural design, engineering, and branding services under one roof; they gain a deeply integrated approach where everything is interconnected. Our teams begin by collaborating closely with university stakeholders to understand their architectural vision for the student center. Our engineering team works in tandem with the architects to ensure the facility is safe, efficient, and functional. Meanwhile, we engage with the university’s Marketing Office to develop a branding strategy that incorporates the university’s identity into every aspect of the student center, from signage and wayfinding to updated print materials and messaging. Additionally, we integrate carbon neutrality goals and campus planning into the project, helping the university meet sustainability targets campus-wide, an increasingly important element to both current and prospective students.
But a new building doesn’t just bring in new students—we help connect the dots between the built environment, the university’s brand, and the right-fit students the institution wants to attract. The final product is a student center that embodies the university’s values, meets the needs of students, and serves as a compelling attraction for future generations of students.
A better future for education
The world is always changing, and new challenges will continue to evolve and shift. And that’s why we have set up our organization in this way—so that we are adaptable and responsive to the ever-changing needs of our educational clients.
Our ecosystem approach is about more than just providing services—it’s about creating a cohesive, integrated solution that addresses the unique challenges of educational institutions. Unlike traditional models where the burden of coordination falls on the client, we take on that responsibility, ensuring that every aspect of a project is seamlessly integrated. This not only saves time and reduces stress but also allows our clients to focus on what truly matters—the students and communities they serve.
By engaging with our ecosystem of teams, we can reduce complexity and make it easier for our clients to achieve their goals. We believe that by integrating our services and focusing on the interconnected nature of problems, we can help our clients create environments for learners to thrive. By placing our clients at the center and leveraging our expertise in education, we ensure that every project we undertake contributes to a sustainable, equitable, and abundant future.
