In a business context, disruption is less about introducing something entirely new and more about improving how work gets done. It’s changing the structure around a process, so it becomes more useful, more efficient, and easier for teams to act on.

Inan age where industries evolve at lightning speed, there exists a special breed of C-suite executives who are not just navigating the changes, but driving them. These are the pioneers who think outside the box, championing novel strategies that shatter the status quo and set new industry standards. Their approach fosters innovation, spurs growth, and leads to disruptive change that redefines their sectors. In this interview series, we are talking to disruptive C-suite executives to share their experiences, insights, and the secrets behind the innovative approaches they are taking to disrupt their industries.

As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Reed.

Scott Reed is Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Prologue Hospitality, a firm specializing in reality capture and building documentation for complex hospitality properties and capital projects. Since founding the company in 2014, he has focused on helping project teams start with a clear understanding of existing conditions before design and construction begin. His work is grounded in a practical approach to how hospitality projects actually operate, where teams need to move quickly while getting the groundwork right. Over time, Scott has helped shape a more structured way of thinking about building documentation in active environments, where capturing, organizing, and delivering information is just as important as the technology used to collect it. Prior to Prologue, he held roles in government and energy, including serving as Assistant Secretary of Natural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he was involved in large-scale capital projects and public infrastructure initiatives.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about disruption, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

Mybackground has been centered around capital projects in both the public and private sectors. Through that work, I saw how often projects slow down because teams don’t have a clear understanding of existing conditions early on — sometimes not realizing it until design was already well underway.

That led to starting Prologue Hospitality, with a focus on helping project teams get that information upfront before design and construction begin. Over time, especially in hospitality, that focus has evolved as projects have become more complex and timelines more compressed.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

What sets Prologue apart is how we approach the work. We don’t treat scanning and modeling as isolated tasks. Most providers focus on data capture — we focus on how the information is captured, organized, and delivered so project teams can use it to move a project forward.

In hospitality, that matters. Teams are often working in active properties with tight timelines, and they don’t have time to sort through unclear or incomplete data. Our approach is built around giving them what they need upfront so they can get started quickly and avoid rework later.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I would say consistency, practicality, and discipline.

Consistency in how we approach every project. Clients rely on us to deliver the same level of work each time.

Practicality in how we think about solutions. We focus on what is useful to the project team, not just what is technically possible. That shows up in how we approach modeling and deliverables.

Discipline in execution. These projects move quickly and there is very little room for error. Staying organized, following a structured process, and doing the work the right way each time has been critical to building trust with clients.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.

One of the more consistent decisions has been around where to focus and where not to. There are a lot of opportunities to expand services or take on different types of work, especially in this space.

We’ve made a conscious decision to stay focused on hospitality and on the part of the project where we add the most value, which is helping teams understand existing conditions before design begins.

That focus has shaped how we run the business. It keeps the team aligned, allows us to build repeatable processes, and makes it easier for clients to understand what we do and when to bring us in.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition so that all of us are on the same page. In the context of a business, what exactly is “Disruption”?

In a business context, disruption is less about introducing something entirely new and more about improving how work gets done. It’s changing the structure around a process, so it becomes more useful, more efficient, and easier for teams to act on.

In our space, that means moving beyond treating scanning and modeling as individual services and thinking more about how information is captured, organized, and delivered as a continuous workflow. When that happens, the output is no longer just data, it becomes something teams can rely on earlier in the process to make decisions and keep projects moving.

A big part of that in hospitality is understanding the environment we’re working in. Hotels don’t have the luxury of shutting down rooms for days at a time or closing off public spaces. They’re operating businesses, every hour of every day. So, disruption, in a practical sense, also means minimizing interruption. We’ve built our approach around that. Our team knows how to move through occupied spaces efficiently, capture what’s needed, and get out without impacting the guest experience or daily operations.

How do you perceive the role of ‘disruption’ within your industry, and how have you personally embraced it? Is it a necessity, a strategy, or something else entirely in your view?

In our industry, a lot of the work has traditionally been broken into separate steps, without much focus on how it all comes together for the people actually using it. We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the full workflow. How information is collected inside active properties, how quickly teams can access it, and how it’s organized so it’s immediately useful.

That includes how the work gets done on site. In hospitality, you’re walking into live environments. Guests are checking in, events are happening, restaurants are full. If your process slows that down, it doesn’t work. So, we’ve invested in the tools and the experience to move quickly, work around operations, and capture accurate data without getting in the way.

At that point, it stops being a “nice to have” and becomes a necessity. The teams we work with need reliable information, and they need it without sacrificing revenue or the guest experience to get it. That’s really where we’ve focused.

What lessons have you learned from challenging conventional wisdom, and how have those lessons shaped your leadership style?

One of the biggest lessons has been the value of being intentional. We’ve learned that focusing on the right level of detail and delivering information in a way that’s easy to use has a much bigger impact than simply producing more.

That’s shaped how I think about decisions and how we lead the team. We focus on what’s useful, what helps someone move forward, and what can be delivered in a way that’s easy to work with. It’s led to a more disciplined approach, not doing more, but doing the right things well and being clear about why they matter.

Disruptive ideas often meet resistance. Could you describe a time when you faced significant pushback for a disruptive idea? How did you navigate the opposition, and what advice would you give to others in a similar situation?

One example has been around how we define what’s important in the work. There’s a long-standing mindset that more detail and more output automatically lead to better results. We’ve taken a more measured approach, focusing on what actually helps teams understand a building and move into design without slowing things down.

We’ve navigated that by staying consistent and letting the work speak for itself. When teams can get into a model, understand what they’re looking at, and start making decisions without second guessing the information, it builds trust quickly.

My advice would be to stay close to how your work is actually used. If you can clearly see how it helps someone move forward, it becomes a lot easier to stand behind it, even if it challenges what people are used to.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Five Innovative Approaches We Are Using To Disrupt Our Industry”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.

1. Usability

focusing on how information is used, not just how it’s produced. The goal is to give teams something they can work from immediately.

2. Intentionality

prioritizing the right level of detail. We model what supports planning and design, not everything that can be captured.

3. Workflow

structuring the process end to end so how information is captured, accessed, and delivered is coordinated and easier to use.

4. Operational Awareness

working within active environments, especially in hospitality where projects need to move quickly without disrupting the property — for example, capturing lobbies and back-of-house areas overnight so impacts to guest and staff activity is minimized.

5. Trusted Partnerships

building long-term relationships in a referral-driven industry where teams rely on partners, they trust to get projects done correctly and efficiently.

Looking back at your career, in what ways has being disruptive defined or redefined your path? What surprises have you encountered along the way?

I don’t think of it as being disruptive as much as staying focused on what actually helps the work move forward. Over time, that’s shaped the direction of the business. We’ve stayed close to how projects are really run and made decisions based on what teams need.

Beyond professional accomplishments, how has embracing disruption affected you on a personal level?

It’s made me more focused on what actually matters. You get comfortable making decisions that go against the norm if they lead to better outcomes. On a personal level, it’s reinforced the value of being consistent and straightforward. If the work holds up and people can rely on it, everything else tends to follow.

In your role as a C-suite leader, driving innovation and embracing disruption, what thoughts or concerns keep you awake at night? How do these reflections guide your decisions and leadership?

What I think about most is making sure we stay focused on what actually helps our clients — and not drifting into things that add complexity without real value. It’s easy to chase things that don’t move the work forward.

That’s what guides most decisions. Keeping the approach simple, making sure the work is useful, and staying consistent in how we deliver. If we do that well, the rest tends to take care of itself.

You are a person of influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

If I could start or support a movement, it would center around more intentional and effective allocation of resources in philanthropy. I’ve been involved in a number of NGOs with meaningful missions — from environmental protection to cancer research, historic preservation, and education. Those experiences have been valuable, but they’ve also reinforced my belief that how resources are deployed matters just as much as the cause itself.

In many cases, targeted financial support can be one of the most efficient ways to create impact, especially when it enables organizations with strong leadership and clear execution strategies to scale their work. Not everyone is best positioned to operate or manage charitable initiatives directly, but many people have the ability to contribute meaningfully by supporting those who are.

That’s why I remain encouraged by the broader movement around effective altruism. While it has had some well-publicized setbacks, the underlying idea — using thoughtful analysis and discipline to do the most good with limited resources — is a powerful one. I think there’s real potential in continuing to refine that approach and apply it in a practical, grounded way.

At its core, it’s about being intentional: understanding where resources can have the greatest impact and being willing to direct them there. If more people approached giving with that mindset, the cumulative effect could be significant.