Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Rossow.
Hi Rob, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was a pharmacist in Flint, MI for 30 years. The last 20 years I owned an independent retail pharmacy. In 2022 I sold the pharmacy and we planned a move to the Grand Rapids area because my adult children were living over here. We bought land and divided it so that we could build on a parcel and eventually our children could build there as well. In planning our home, we found Walk Your Plans in Cleveland. We were struggling visualizing the home from just a paper plan and a 3D computer walkthrough. Upon seeing our plan on the floor in Cleveland, we found several areas of the plan that needed work. Without walking our plan, we wouldn’t have found those problems until it was too late. Making changes during or after construction is done is extremely costly and can set a project back weeks.
We opened the second location of Walk Your Plans in the Grand Rapids area. There are now 25 locations across the country with plans for another 40 in the next year.
We cater to homeowners, builders, architects, interior designers and landscape designers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We had some technical issues early on, but those are resolved.
It has also been a struggle breaking through with building professionals. We are offering them a service that most of them didn’t even know existed and they didn’t think it was needed. The value we offer to clients and building professionals is off the chart and the ones that come in see that.
As you know, we’re big fans of Walk Your Plans of West Michigan. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We take floorplans and project them on our studio floor in actual size. Clients can walk through their floorplans and find areas of concern and address them before construction starts. It saves time and money in the long run.
We also have couches, chairs, dining room table, kitchen cabinets/counters, and portable walls we can move around and stage the home so they can see how the space will live and flow.
Many architects and builders offer 3d walkthroughs on a computer, but it’s not the same as physically walking and occupying the space.
One really valuable use for our space is designing ADA compliant buildings for those that are in wheelchairs or walkers. Being able to test out the space before its built is huge.
We partner with several builders that include a visit with us on every build.
We have recently expanded to commercial contractors as well. Apartments, medical/dental, restaurants, furniture stores, and office buildings. We have signed a partnership with Rockford Construction – the largest commercial construction company in West Michigan.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
As we increase awareness and gain the trust of the building community, I see a wide variety of projects coming to us for help. Getting all stakeholders in the room at once, viewing the plans at scale, and discussing the good and bad of the plans is a huge shift in how the construction process goes.
I can see a future where holograms and VR are incorporated into what we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.walkyourplanswestmich.com
- Instagram: walkyourplanswestmi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560012926003
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walk-your-plans-of-west-michigan-162a35204/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@walkyourplanswestmich
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@walkyourplanswestmich
