ESa recognized as a 2024 Emerging Professionals Friendly Firm by AIA Tennessee

ESa is honored to be recognized as one of the 2024 Emerging Professionals Friendly Firms recipients.

The goal of the EP Friendly Firm awards program is to foster dialogue within firms across the state to create new and innovative policies and opportunities that support and develop future members of the design profession.

Emerging Professionals are critical components to the vitality and growth of AIA and the profession. As such, recruitment and retention of these valued members is critical to our success. AIA Tennessee recognizes firms who offer superior support and opportunities to Emerging Professionals.

This year’s Oregon based jury was chaired by Nicole Becker, AIA, an Associate and Project Architect at ZFG Architects in Portland, Oregon. Nicole had served in numerous capacities for both the AIA and NAAB, including currently serving as AIA Oregon’s Young Architect Representative.

The jury also included:

  • Stephanie Morales, Associate AIA and NOMA, past member of the AIA Oregon Board of Directors and an architectural designer at Mahlum Architects, Inc.
  • Robert Hoffman, AIA, managing Principal at Oculus, Inc. and former CEO of AIA Portland.
  • Kaley Fought, AIA, NCIDQ, Principal at Frame Studio Architecture and Past-President of AIA Oregon
  • Ryan Al-Schamma, Associate AIA, a designer at GBD Architects
  • John Flynn, AIA, LEED AP, Founding Principal at RESOLVE Architecture + Planning and President of AIA Oregon

Jury Comments about ESa
The jury believed that their strong culture of open idea-sharing and empowerment of early career professionals throughout the design process paired with a team-oriented mentorship program create a perfect balance of structured and experiential learning opportunities in their practice.

To learn more about the Emerging Professionals Friendly Firms program visit aiatn.org