(Tulsa, Okla.) ─ The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Central States Region (CSR) named The McIntosh Group an Emerging Professional Friendly Firm at their 2016 Conference in Manhattan, Kansas. The firm was also honored with this award in 2015.
“A diverse workforce – especially the Emerging Professionals demographic – is key to making teams more effective and successful,” Principal Lanny McIntosh said, “We want to create a welcoming environment for emerging professionals so that we are not only more creative and adaptable, but also so that our business will have a pipeline of leaders carrying the firm forward.”
Within the Central States Region the EP Committee annually awards ‘Emerging Professional Friendly’ status to firms who display an outstanding commitment to the development of their Emerging Professional (EP) Staff. This was the second year of the Emerging Professional (EP) Friendly Firm awards, and the application was much more robust and detailed than the 2015 version. According to the AIA CSR EP Committee, the selection process for 2016 was especially difficult. The committee hopes to use the information gathered from each applicant to help paint a clearer picture of the trends in EP hiring and employment practices in the design community across the region.

Lanny McIntosh and his wife Becki stand with EPs and marketing staff from The McIntosh Group at AIA Convention 2016
An Emerging Professional (EP) is defined by the AIA as a student, recent graduate or architect licensed within the last 10 years. The AIA Central States Region EP Committee evolved out of an interest to better engage professionals earlier in their career. The EP demographic is considered very important to the future of the profession of architecture, and this committee advocates for their interests to the leadership of the local, state and national AIA chapters.
Over the coming months, the committee will process the data received from the applications and will provide analytics on their website (aiacsrep.com) to serve as a benchmark for achieving EP Friendly Firm status.
About The McIntosh Group
The McIntosh Group is a nationwide design firm specializing in accessibility, brand management and program management solutions. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, McIntosh is licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit www.McIntoshTransforms.com.