15 years ago I was delivering groceries in Chicago in the midst of an economic recession. There were no jobs in this industry and I was convinced that I'd missed my shot at the career that I'd wanted since the 9th grade. It took more than a year of searching (347 resumes sent) before I was lucky enough to get a meeting with my mentor-to-be, Tony Schirripa, FAIA, and he gave me a chance at an amazing firm (Mancini Duffy) in NYC.
After years of mentorship from Tony, Joseph Montalbano, AIA, Scott Harrell, & William Mandara RA, I'd worked on enough dream projects to last me 10 careers, and I'd learned how I could best fit within this industry. I'm convinced that being surrounded by these great teachers in such a demanding city helped me grow at an extremely fast pace, and it set me up for my the next chapter
Through my now 8 years at STG Design I've had the opportunity to learn from more people than I could possibly mention, but it's because of the support of people like James Hadden, Richard Grandt, Will Gresham, PollyAnna Little, Kevin Blackburn, Eileen Wright, AIA, Kelli Straub, NCIDQ, RID, Callie Freudenberg, Jeff Ervin, Alexandra Ayres, Jim Stephenson, Jim Susman & many more that I continue to grow.
While the path was not what I expected, and it was harder than I could have imagined, I couldn't have been more lucky to have grown around such great people and I could not have found better firms to invest my career in. I'm excited to take on this next phase of my career with the most talented collection of Architects, Designers, and Managers that I've had the pleasure of calling friends.
We are delighted to announce the STG Design team members promoted to Principal. Please join us in congratulating Paul LaBrant (top left) and Eric Lahm!
We wish them all the best in their new roles! 🎉