Boyas Drafting & Design: Building a Bright Future in the Glazing Industry
Chicago-based Boyas Drafting & Design (D&D) is a full-service drafting and design services provider to subcontractors and general contractors in the glazing (glass and framing structures) industry.
Boyas Drafting & Design (D&D) specializes in developing shop drawings and fabrication drawings for a variety of building interior and exteriors, that are found in privately-funded commercial and government-contracted structures. These drawings serve as the on-site guides that are used by construction crews to build these structures.
“Architects paint the picture. But our documents depict the actual (working) drawings without which, construction itself would never happen,” says Filomeno Boyas, the founder and President of Boyas Drafting & Design. “Just like air conditioning, plumbing, and construction of the building itself, shop drawings translate the abstract of architecture into the building itself. We’ve become a trusted creator of quality shop drawings in a few short years. By proactively assisting our clients and partners – often under the pressure of deadlines to complete drawings on time – we help assure timely delivery of accurate documents precisely at the time they are needed.”
Boyas D&D provides a full roster of drafting services which include: full shop drawing packages, design assist details; and product selection and calculations. Established in January 2011 by Filomeno Boyas, the company has since delivered finished construction site drawings to managers and builders of small and large construction projects in and around the Chicago area, throughout Illinois, and across the U.S.
Boyas D&D’s responsive boutique of construction drafting & design services consist of:
• Aluminium Shop Drawings • Interior shower enclosures
• Skylight systems
• Interior glass railings
• Custom glazing systems
• Fabrication drawings
Boyas Drafting & Design has produced thousands of finished shop drawings for glazing subcontractors and device fabricators all over the country. “Our work primarily guides construction craftsmen who build storefronts and other non-load bearing interior and exterior walls, aluminium windows and door frames; as well as custom design services for the above- type systems,” says founder/President, Boyas. His company also produces shop and fabrication drawings for sunshades, louvers, translucent panel systems, decorative grills, slab edge covers, column covers, trellis systems and other “decorative” building features.
Boyas Drafting & Design uses the latest version of AutoCAD along with earlier AutoCAD- capable versions. Though most clients prefer electronic files, Boyas D&D can deliver full size plotted documents – as many copies as needed – along with half size (11” x 17”) renderings. All work can be electronically transmitted directly to the construction site, the building management client’s offices, or their designated reproduction providers. Boyas D & D project managers have deep experience with the following software: AutoCAD,
AutoDesk Revit, Navisworks, MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Quattro Pro, Adobe, PartnerPak Studio, and GDS.
Boyas Drafting & Design professionals help solve – and in fact many times prevent – “potential detailing errors,” according to Mr. Boyas. “We have carefully crafted a reputation in our industry for impeccable shop and fabrication drawing excellence,” he adds.
“When many different people – beginning with the architect – work on a drawing, ambiguities can inadvertently creep into them. When they reach us, our job is to eliminate them. Our clients know that when our drawings reach them, they perfectly translate – visually – what the contractors are building.
“Also, we take tremendous pride in delivering to our clients precise, coordinated, effectual shop drawing and engineering packages. They reward us for making their project run smoothly with their repeat business: often many times over.”
Upgrade in Government-Based Projects for More Complete Boyas Service Offerings
Not long ago, Filomeno Boyas decided it was time to segregate his service offerings into two specific divisions: Private, and Public (or government) Sectors.
“One reason surrounds the upcoming rejuvenation of our country’s infrastructure,” says Boyas. “Both sides of the political aisle are calling for this reinvestment; it seems wise that we prepare for a noticeable uptick in this activity in the coming years.”
He also has learned that during good economic times, activity in private sector construction generates profits; while in down times, government activity keeps many construction companies afloat. “Fortifying our government division’s capabilities, is a wise hedge against those economic times,” Boyas concludes.
One element that went into this decision, was the nature of the construction contracting and subcontracting business itself.
“Many are small companies, and the processes associated with bidding for government construction contracts can be tedious,” Mr. Boyas says. This can place a great deal of emphasis on redundant documentation requirements in order for a small shop to get the contract, and then complete the work. “By their very nature,” he adds, “government contracts and the accompanying paperwork can require specific information from the architect, general contractor, and often, every subcontractor, that may not necessarily be required in private sector building projects.
“Large general contractors,” Mr. Boyas continues, “can afford multiple in-house divisions to submit complicated – paper-heavy – proposals to government RFP’s.” However, he says that smaller firms don’t have that luxury when developing their government contract bids. Hence why they need a documentation partner. “That’s where we come in. They deserve a level playing field; especially if they might not have all the in-house assets necessary to deliver construction services to state and local governments. And besides, we enjoy working with them.”
Mr. Boyas doesn’t go out of his way to focus on these smaller contractors at the expense of the larger ones though. “We embrace the smaller companies because we’re a small company ourselves; and believe small and medium sized businesses (SMB’s) deserve the same opportunities of larger companies.”
The Opportunity of a Down Economy Created Boyas Drafting & Design
Mr. Boyas finds humour in the fact that even though the business term “outsourcing” didn’t exist a generation ago, the construction industry has always relied on the practice. “In a world of increasing specialization, outsourcing is a blessing to many businesses. Those who build must have different specialists at given times during the life of a construction project. The constant is having reliable design and shop drawings that on-site building professionals can rely on to do the job right.”
He points to his specific ‘link in the construction chain’ to underscore his point.
“When we finish creating these working documents, an engineer has to approve them before he can put his seal on them. They can’t go out to the jobsite until that happens. Every document revision must have engineering approval. Not long ago, we found it more cost efficient to outsource to an engineering firm we knew and trusted; rather than assume the cost of having someone on-staff that was only needed at a few specific points of our service chain.”
It was this same dynamic that inspired Mr. Boyas to found his company. Prior to establishing Boyas Drafting & Design, Mr. Boyas worked for several firms, most notably Trainor Glass Company and Harmon Inc., both companies being key players in the glass and aluminium design industry.
In late 2010, as a department head with a large drafting and design corporation with offices in 20 cities across the U.S., the company was going through the dramatic downturn of the construction industry from the 2009 Recession. His employer had laid-off most of the employees. Boyas and his few remaining associates lived in daily fear that the axe could fall on them any day.
Then his turn came. During the days leading up, Boyas was seriously entertaining the idea it was time to establish his own company. As he was hearing the “bad news,” from his employer, he knew it was time for a bold move. Boyas offered to perform the same drafting and design work as an outsourcing provider. Almost immediately, his boss said “yes – perfect. I think this will work out fine.” Thus, began Boyas Drafting & Design. “This happened on a Friday afternoon. The following Monday, my company (of one – but not for long) was doing the very same work.”
Today, Boyas’ instructions and drawings are meticulously created before the approving engineer ever sees them. “Our construction documents don’t get sent back with any problems that we must correct. This means we end up saving the engineer time, and our construction blueprints or electronic renderings are in building contractor’s – and their subcontractors – on-time, as-specified, and fullyapproved; because of the meticulous quality that goes into our drafting and design services.”
Design technology has grown in latitude and scope over the past few years. Ten years ago, we were relegated to creating paper shop drawings that could not be modified in the field, Boyas notes. “Today though, with the advent of mobile workstations and software that utilizes laptops tablets and even iPads, renderings of shop drawings can be viewed multidimensionally. This plays to our reputation of being detail oriented. Our drawings have the polish displayed by larger firms because we ignore no minute detail when creating these specialized documents.”
Delivering Reliable Drafting & Design Services
Since 2011, Boyas Drafting & Design is honoured to work with a variety of partners in the building industry; delivering to them best-in-class drawing services which are used for glazing construction of building interiors and exteriors. These partners erect privately funded office, retail and other commercial structures; as well as government buildings. Several representatives of these clients share their thoughts of what it’s like to partner with Boyas Drafting & Design.
Douglas Pyka, a Project Manager with Ventana Design-Build Systems comments of Boyas D&D’s services. “I give them a five-star rating. Filomeno and his team provide phenomenal service for custom design work. They also take the time to understand exactly how an idea needs to be portrayed via drawings. Boyas remains a part of our project team and we will continue to work with Filomeno every time the situation presents itself.”
Michael Kelly, Tom Rink, and Gary Stachula with C.A.D. Contract Glazing note that their company has worked with Boyas D&D on projects ranging from five figures to millions of dollars, and note their pleasure at “interacting with engineering people like Filo. He and his associates understand the glazing industry and always draw what we ask for.”
And Edward Rowan, another Project Executive with Ventana has worked with Boyas D&D on, “more than 30 projects over the past eight years. The true value Boyas D&D brings. Is the experience to come up with new solutions to the, at times, vague architectural instructions we might get.”
As the Construction Industry moves further into the new millennium, Boyas Drafting & Design continues to create and leverage its valued partnerships with construction development firms. These dynamic affiliations produce attractive, well-designed and profitable real estate developments that stand the test of time.
Company: Boyas Drafting & Design
Email: fboyas@ boyasdraftingdesign.com
Website: boyasdraftingdesign.com
Address: 1016 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607
