Company Overview
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Columbus, OH serves local residents as well as students attending The Ohio State University. The church is situated on the university’s campus, at the corner of Woodruff and High Streets, and has been in existence since 1950. Originally built at this location to create a partnership between the church and the campus community, St. Stephen’s lives out its legacy today under the direction of the Reverend Karl Stevens.
To learn more about St. Stephen’s Church, please visit their website at: https://ststephens-columbus.org/.
The Challenge
“The service I receive from Smart Digital has been great. I always get a call back when I need help or a repair needs to be done.”
– Reverend Karl Stevens
St. Steven’s Episcopal Church
While the location of St. Stephen’s allows the staff to carry out the church’s mission and create strong bonds between Columbus residents and OSU students, it also creates challenges for parishioners. The prime location of the church parking lot meant that students in nearby dorms often tried to use the lot to park their cars and that door dash drivers chose to patronize the lot during delivery hours. This meant that the parking lot, which is small, was not available to staff members or parishioners when it was needed most. In order to ensure that the lot was able to be used as intended, Reverend Karl Stevens contacted Brent Canfield and his team at Smart Digital to discuss security options.
The Solution
After assessing the problem, Canfield and his team recommended a simple access gate for the church’s lot. Canfield explained that access gates are a good way to provide protection and a physical deterrent to unauthorized and unwanted users, while simultaneously creating a more secure environment for the employees and parishioners who use the lot on a regular basis. The Smart Digital team installed three access gates at the St. Stephen’s lot, tying into existing fencing. The high-quality security option now allows churchgoers to use the lot while keeping others from taking up parking spaces.
The Result
Reverent Stevens contacted two other companies before speaking with Canfield. He chose Smart Digital because he realized the company offered him the best products for the best price. He was very pleased with the responsiveness of the Smart Digital team, and was happy that the project was completed so quickly with minimal disruption to the church’s daily activities. Now, the lot can only be accessed by the church’s staff and its parishioners and parking is available for those who want to attend weekly services.
