A singularly antagonistic contractor prompted the principals of Kobel + Co to hire a dedicated project manager and shore up their GC vetting process.

Mallory Robins and Elizabeth Bennett have a friendly ritual to kick off their relationship with a contractor on a new project. The designers behind Kansas City, Missouri–based firm Kobel + Co ask a simple question: How do you like to communicate? “Is it text, is it email, is it on site? Whatever it is, we like to establish the channel,” says Robins. “Every contractor’s style is different and we’re adept at flexing to that.”

Elizabeth Bennett and Mallory RobinsCourtesy of Kobel + Co