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TZL: Howmuch time do you spend working “in the business” rather than “on the business?” EA: Typically, advancement in a career means more time spent in the business rather than on the business. Our firm encourages a focus on the business and we recognize the experience and talents of seasoned professionals is one of our most valuable offerings to our clients. We mentor our less experienced colleagues and strive to lead by example. Personally, I’m always focused on the business of solving our client’s challenges and delivering successful designs to inspire and exceed expectations. “Our design culture of inclusiveness, collaboration, and entrepreneurial opportunity motivates our staff and creates professional and personal bonds that go well beyond work.” TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? EA: As architects, we need to think of our clients as partners and build relationships that go beyond singular projects. Trust is earned when a relationship is built on sharing knowledge, experience, and design thinking that allows a client to succeed. Help clients think strategically about what they are trying to accomplish and then deliver effective solutions flawlessly. TZL: What role does your family play in your career? Are work and family separate, or is there overlap? EA: Being an architect is a commitment that requires passion and diligence. For me, there’s always overlap and I am grateful that my family is very supportive of me and my work. TZL: Diversity and inclusion are lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue? EA: As a core LJC philosophy, we actively engage in ongoing inclusion and diversity initiatives creating mentorship structures to advance opportunities for minority individuals, firms, and the communities we work in. A recent example of our commitment to address diversity and inclusion is an Advanced Outpatient Care Center project we are designing for a large health system here in Chicago. Located in a diverse neighborhood for a community that has historically been challenged with healthcare access, the
project is a collaboration with our client and the community. Our design team for the project includes genuine partnerships with a number of minority partners, firms that we have collaborated with on multiple projects. For this unique project, we aspire to create a new paradigm for care and community collaboration. TZL: What benefits does your firm offer that your people get most excited about? EA: Our LJC team is energized by the integration of our people across the development, design, and construction industry. Additionally, our people are aligned and committed to our LJC vision of inclusivity, diversity, and giving back to our communities. We recently completed a project called PopCourts! which transformed an empty lot into a bright and welcoming public open space in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. The project, which opened this year, was developed in concert with Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative. The goal in Austin was to create a sense of place and identity for a community that has limited access to public open space. I believe LJC’s commitment to our community and design excellence is what excites our people the most. For more information on PopCourts!, click here. “We solve our client’s most complex challenges by leveraging the collective expertise and ingenuity of the best and brightest minds across the development, design, and construction industry.” TZL: Overall, what do you think will be the greatest challenge to the architectural industry as a whole, in say, the next five years? How is your firm stepping up to meet the challenge? EA: I believe clients’ growing expectations for innovation, quality, cost, and schedule will require greater and greater integration across the design and construction industry. Those architectural firms that seek to integrate and provide cross industry-informed and data driven “smart” solutions will succeed. LJC is part of Clayco, one of the country’s largest and most successful full-service, turnkey See OPPORTUNITY BUILDER , page 8
HEADQUARTERS: Chicago, IL
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 250+
YEAR FOUNDED: 1999
OFFICE LOCATIONS:
■ ■ Chicago, IL
■ ■ Kansas City, MO
■ ■ St. Louis, MO
■ ■ Los Angeles, CA
PROJECTS:
■ ■ Education and science
■ ■ Public and open space
■ ■ Healthcare
■ ■ Industrial
■ ■ Corporate and commercial ■ ■ Residential and hospitality
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE US TO KNOW: We are ‘Integrated by Design’
© Copyright 2022. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
RUARY 14, 2022, ISSUE 1428
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