Supporting Small Firms AIA Utah hosted the second annual leadership summit in March. The brainchild of AIA Utah President Whitney Ward, these annual gatherings provide focused discussions on specific areas of practice. This year, the goal was to hear from small firm leaders and custom residential architects on how AIA Utah can better serve their needs. There was a definite celebration of the small firm experience. Small firms and solo practitioners enjoy what they are doing and do not intend to become larger firms. In fact, their specialized knowledge could be of use to larger firms entering a more niche area of practice. Small firms face many of the same issues as the larger firms, but also have unique challenges. These include: • Improving efficiencies in buying power and procuring vendor services (i.e., HR and IT). • Business practice education. • Certain markets are not available to them due to the size of the firm. • More representation and visibility. After robust and honest discussions, attendees and AIA Utah Board members came up with a list of short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals for the remainder of 2025 are: • Resource directory of vetted vendors. • Training with DFCM project managers. • Scheduled social engagements and networking events. • Increased visibility of small firm/residential projects on the AIA Utah website. Goals for the next few years include building connections between small and larger firms, improved network connections for support and idea exchanges, tours of projects, and collective group buying power for services and products. If you are interested in joining the Small Firm Exchange (SFx) please contact Dwight Yee at dwight.yee@gmail.com and if you are interested in the Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) please contact Warren Lloyd at warren@lloyd-arch.com. AIA Utah appreciates the work Dwight and Warren have done within these communities and looks forward to supporting these groups even more in the future. Reach out today and let’s talk about your next project. ALDERS.COM A Leading Distributor of Specialty Building Materials 24 REFLEXION
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