A Way to Thrive and Endure
Our firm’s culture is a reflection of our rich history and our commitment to designing a better future. Sustaining a firm for more than a century entails a philosophy of “paying it forward.” It requires that we continue to teach the next generation and support the professional development of our future leaders. It necessitates that we push the limits of technology and design while creating an environment where people can connect and engage. We do this by focusing on the following areas:
How We Practice – We strive to provide big firm capabilities with a small firm feel. The Lionakis family is committed to creating a better place for society through the built environment. Our market and service based teams allow us to emphasize our specific industry expertise within the firm and breaks the scale into focused sectors, services, and regions that draw on the resources of our larger organization. Our goal is to raise the design bar by setting higher precedents for ourselves and encouraging others to do the same.
Giving Back to Our Profession -To us, our difference is our people and the creativity and knowledge they bring to the table. We endeavor to put people in positions to succeed, promote their aspirations, and to have an impact on the community around them. Connecting our staff to the local and larger architecture and engineering communities has always been a goal of our firm. We strive to share knowledge and elevate our respective professions as a whole. Our staff regularly participate in various councils, such as the AIA, SEAOC, IIDA, and USGBC and organize conferences, discussions and events within our industries.
Creating a Culture of Collaboration -From flag football to food trucks, design competitions to volunteer days and Oktoberfests to carnivals, we continually host firm-wide activities as a way to connect people beyond their studio borders. By emphasizing a culture of collaboration and unity, Lionakis strives to facilitate the exchange of resources and expertise while allowing our staff to connect on a more personal level as well.
Developing Future Leaders -An integral part of our core values is also the development of the next generation of architects, engineers, interior designers and leaders. Our Emerging Professionals program seeks to cultivate architects that are stronger than the ones before, while our Athens Program tries to encourage leadership in these individuals. Our Lionakis University provides ongoing training on a variety of topics both digitally and through in-house live training sessions and our liaison groups educate ambassadors in practice areas such as sustainability, design, design technology, and project management, allowing them to return to their work groups and spread their knowledge. Mike Novak, an Associate at Lionakis, describes the importance of our Emerging Professional (EP) program at Lionakis. “Our EP program is the best in the region and represents a significant investment in providing real support to emerging professionals. When I was EP Director at the AIACV, I witnessed firsthand the limited resources available to EPs in most firms and even at the AIA. Our program strives for and achieves a high level of support that is both organized and accessible.” At Lionakis we continue to work together to “Design a Better Future” by creating opportunities for our people to thrive.
*This post is part 3 of a 12 part series highlighting the different ways in which Lionakis is living out our mission “Designing a Better Future”.
