2021 AIA Dallas President Mid-Year Update

If you had the chance to attend the Firm Leaders’ Panel in June, other things that are slowly coming to an end are the Work from Home (WFH) and the endless virtual meetings. Yes!

Here are a couple takeaways from that conversation:

• Much needed and awaited, office re-entry is happening and for some firms, this started as early as Q1 2021.
• After almost a year and a half of WFH, we have gotten used to our yoga pants and lots of “flexibility” on our work schedule. Thus, these reentry plans are phased in a manner that allows our staff to transition.
• The pipeline is healthy and the outlook for the rest of 2021 is promising
• Proof of this is that after a period of hiring freezes (and even some layoffs), several firms in our industry are back in hiring mode. Our AIA Dallas Job Board is packed with new opportunities for all levels.

We are looking with lots of optimism to the second half of 2021 and the year ahead. I know that some of you may not see it that way but, here are some good reasons to smile and be hopeful:

• Have you seen the Architecture Billing Index? May report marked the 4th month in row of increasing billing and the trend is expected to continue.
• The billing score went up from 57.9 in April, to 58.5 for the month of May (any score over 50 indicates billings growth) making it one of the highest ever reported.
• New design contract values are rising further to a new all-time high in the 11-Year history of that index.
• Although comments from survey respondents indicate some concern about the impact of inflation on building costs, those fears have not yet impacted the frenetic post-pandemic pace of work at most firms.

This year we have seen a small slowdown in membership renewals. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is for our organization. But, more importantly, how valuable it is for you. By renewing your membership, you not only receive access to continuing education, licensing programs, leadership programs, several high-quality events, and much more, but, most importantly, you are renewing membership to the association of our beloved profession, our passion, and our way of life. You are renewing membership to the American Institute of Architects!

Talking about epic events, thank you to all of you that took part on our record-breaking golf tournament and the LiA Sporting Classic. Both had historic participation. All of this indicates to us how happy we are to meet again in-person. In response, you will notice the return to select in-person events and exhibitions at the AD EX! Join us for Architecture on Tap hosted by Corradi USA at Legacy West this coming Monday, July 19th at 6 PM. I hope to see you there!

I would like to take advantage of this update to personally congratulate our newly licensed members, Fellows, and those recently elevated to Emeritus:

NEWLY LICENSED

• Austin Ash, AIA
• Ramón Balderrama, AIA
• Ashlie Bird, AIA
• Andrew Cline, AIA
• Jeffrey Conner, AIA
• Kay Curtis, AIA
• McKenzie Edwards, AIA
• Amanda Eggers, AIA
• Jessica Heggie, AIA
• Dahmahlee Lawrence, AIA
• Andrew Leffel, AIA
• Kurt Lehecka, AIA
• Rene Lesur, AIA
• Xi Ling, AIA
• Randy McFarland, AIA
• Ian Means, AIA
• Andrew Meckfessel, AIA
• Stuart Monte, AIA
• Thomas Nguyen, AIA
• Kathryn Petrauskas, AIA
• Amador Saucedo, AIA
• Preston Scott, AIA
• Harrison South, AIA
• KristinTomdale, AIA
• Joseph Tremblay, AIA
• Charlotte Vanderhoof, AIA
• Haley Walton, AIA

ELEVATED TO FELLOW

• Julie Hiromoto, FAIA
• Don Powell, FAIA

ELEVATED TO EMERITUS

• William Arnquist, AIA
• Martti Benson, AIA
• John Brown, AIA
• Rick Carrell, AIA
• Michael Fairchild, AIA
• Duncan Fulton, FAIA
• Gordon Gilmore, AIA
• Todd Gritch, FAIA
• Dan Killebrew, AIA
• Anthony Jeffry, AIA
• Thomas Lund, AIA
• Phil Morley, AIA
• Milton Powell, AIA
• Alan Roberts, AIA
• Dale Selzer, FAIA
• Gerald Worrall, AIA

In closing I would like to remind you that AIA Dallas is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, and this is the time of the year when we start collecting names for our Board Nominations. If you are interested in serving, I am sure that our President-Elect Ben Crawford would love to hear from you.

Stay safe,

Alejandro Hernández, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
2021 AIA Dallas President