AIA & AIA Trust Collaboration: Starting & Operating Your Own Firm

This session offers valuable insights for architects looking to start and run a successful design firm. A diverse panel of experienced firm founders—including Kurt Neiswender, AIA; Katherine Serrano Sosa, AIA, NCARB; and Leah Alissa Bayer, AIA—will share real-world strategies and lessons learned from launching and growing their practices. Through personal stories and professional guidance, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the business, legal, and cultural foundations that support resilient and purpose-driven firms.

Neiswender, a citizen architect and Principal at Urban Colab Architecture, brings a lens of community engagement, service, and teaching. Serrano Sosa, Founder of Rooted Architecture Studio, shares her experience building a mission-driven practice with a focus on equity and sustainability. Bayer, President of Architects FORA, offers insight into values-based leadership and growing a collaborative, future-forward firm. Together, they’ll offer perspectives on navigating risk, cultivating culture, and leading with purpose.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how to make important business decisions while identifying, preventing, and mitigating your risks.
2. Assess how to build your reputation and survive downturns, and consider which project types may best endure financial storms.
3. Learn how to navigate regulations and safety concerns effectively; maintain a workspace grounded in diversity, equity, and inclusion; and integrate new employees into your organization so they can make successful contributions to its mission and goals.
4. Explore the importance of having a strategic plan with goals, objectives, and targets that should be communicated to employees.