I really don’t know.” Next time I saw him, he had developed a succession plan. During the recession around 2010, I met a colleague at the conference, and we were chatting about that: Me: “I’m a little worried.” Him: “How many people do you have?” Me: “We have like 80 or 85 people.” Him: “And do you have enough work?” Me: “I don’t know; we maybe don’t.” Him: “You don’t have to do what I suggest. But if I were you, I would go home, and I would say, ‘We probably need to do a layoff now before we get underwater.’” That’s kind of a weirdly negative example, but it saved our company. We had to lay off 16 people, but everybody else still had a job. You learn all kinds of things from people through involvement in professional organizations. And the other thing you really learn is you don’t have to hate your competitors. People in Utah tend to have an attitude of, “I don’t like that firm.” Why? I’m likely to say, “Hey, how’s it going? I’m really glad you got that job if I couldn’t get it.” Talk about the AIA. The AIA has always been really important to me. I never doubted that I would become a member as soon as I was eligible. I don’t think we had a student chapter, and I didn’t know about the associate members, so I joined in 1993 after getting my license. I became treasurer. Then later in 2015, I became the Utah president. That was a big honor. But one of the top 10 days of my life was the day I was advanced to fellowship. What’s so meaningful is that it gives you opportunities. We’re all doing all the good we can in our communities, in our world. But fellowship gives us added credibility. People will say, “She’s a fellow in the AIA, so clearly, she’s done something to advance our profession.” Davis School District Catalyst Center Davis School District Horizon Jr. High School Davis School District Shoreline Jr. High School 16 REFLEXION
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