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AIA Large Firm Roundtable Chance to Share Business Intelligence

Jul 15, 2019
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Competitors usually are reluctant to discuss their successes and challenges with each other. That’s what makes participation in the American Institute of Architects’ Large Firm Roundtable so inspiring, says Curt Moody.

“The Roundtable is the first time we as a firm have had peers we can use as a sounding board for discussions concerning business issues,” he said. “We can hear how others got through a rough period, or how they are planning around economic conditions, or the ability to compete during challenging times.”

Moody Nolan was first invited to the Roundtable in 2017 and began participating last year. The group consists of firms with at least 150 employees and 50 registered architects. A majority are national and international firms, Moody says.

While CEO Curt Moody and President Jonathan Moody alternate attendance at the twice-yearly roundtable for CEOs, large firm roundtables also exist for other positions such as HR, IT, marketing and legal.

Moody says it’s helpful to hear where other firms see potential for growth abroad, since Moody Nolan is looking for ways to extend its reach nationally and internationally. Additionally, group discussions can validate what Moody Nolan is doing right, he says.

While Moody Nolan benefits from others’ experiences, those firms benefit from Moody Nolan’s.

“Once we were invited, we had an opportunity to provide our views and experience with inclusivity and diversity,” Curt Moody says. “Lots of them are wrestling with those issues, and as the first African American-owned firm to be invited, we’re a new entity. So we’re able to tell them our story and what we’re doing to ensure diversity at Moody Nolan, such as visiting historically black universities, and talking to schools of architecture to encourage minority students.”

In the long run, Moody says, participation in the Roundtable is “going to help us with the efficiencies of the company, and it will increase our ability to deliver the quality of work our clients expect.”