AIA Small Firm Exchange | Goals for 2023 and Beyond

Scott Busby here.  I currently serve AIA SFx (Small Firm Exchange) State Representative for Tennessee, and also serve on the National SFx Board.   The national AIA has restructured most group organizations to be state based, instead of the previous region-based system.  Doing so will allow these groups to be far more inclusive, include more diverse voices, and allow far more participation. 

As the State Rep, I am tasked with reaching out to our state and local chapters to assess if there are any existing SFx groups that exist, and to help establish state and local chapters if not.  I will also help be the conduit for bringing small firm concerns and challenges (and of course excellent solutions) to the national level.

I worked with AIA Tennessee to identify a contact person in each local chapter to create a statewide network of small firm connections.  These contact persons are:

We are also looking for help in identifying the small firms in your chapter.  (Identified as ten persons or less.)

2023 SFx Goals for Tennessee

• Establish local contacts and Sfx Groups in each of the TN State local Chapters. 
• Organize meeting at State Conference of Sfx reps from across the state.
• Nominate a new State Representative (Since I am now on the SFx Board)

We look forward to helping you connect with your chapter liaisons getting groups organized.  If you have any questions feel free to send me an email anytime or contact Ashley Cates at 615-255-3860.

Sincerely, Scott

J. Scott Busby, AIA, 2022 Tennessee Small Firm Exchange (SFx) Rep

AIA SMALL FIRM EXCHANGE (SFx)

To learn more visit, the SFx homepage at https://aia.org/sfx  

The mission of the AIA Small Firm Exchange (SFx) is to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing in small firms.

The objectives of the AIA SFx are three-fold:

• Advocate the value of small firms, the national SFx, and local SFx groups, both within the AIA and to the public.
• Curate and disseminate the most pertinent resources and information, from the AIA & elsewhere, that benefit small firms.
• Inform the AIA of current issues facing small firms and areas in which current resources/information are lacking.

Approximately 75% of all firms within the AIA are small firms (defined as 10 full time employees or less), which equates to 14,288 small firms within the organization. 

~25% = sole practitioners = 4,750

~35% = 1-5 employees = 6,650

~15% = 5-10 employees = 2,850

We need to find ways to leverage that size for collaboration and influence, just like the individual large firms do.

Distribution of where licensed architects live across the country.  The highlighted states account for over 50% of all architects.

State Reps = Max 55 (One for every “state” + international)

A23 Conference | Small Firm Exchange Activities

• Held two meet and greet events on convention product show floor
• Met with attendees to answer questions about the Sfx
• Collected notes on What Keeps Small Firm Owners Up at Night
• Highlighted numerous programs of interest to Small Firms prior to A23 on social media