2022 was an extremely successful year for the employee-owners of DLR Group. Financially, we established new records for gross revenue, net revenue, new fees, and EBITDA. Our financial performance is a testament to the passion of every employee-owner, and proof that we are well positioned to meet or even exceed our financial goals to grow their investment.

This success was fueled by award-winning design for our clients. This year alone DLR Group was recognized with nine AIA awards, five IIDA awards, and two ENR awards. And we were recognized by Fast Company for innovation three times, including for our continuing efforts toward verified materials transparency.

See the recognitions the Verified Materials Transparency tool earned from the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards. 

As part of our five-year strategic plan, VISION 2025, we committed as a firm to Invest in Our People. In 2022 we hit two major milestones toward this goal. In December we launched Campus as the firm’s dedicated learning platform. The tool is our first step toward instilling a learning mindset within our design culture by investing in the professional and personal growth of all employees. We also renewed our focus on career management, ensuring every design professional has the resources and tools to grow their career at DLR Group.

In December, the 1,400-plus employees of DLR Group reaffirmed their belief in our core value of ownership, purchasing nearly $10 million in DLR Holding Company Stock. A quarter of shares purchased were by employees making their initial investment in DLR Group, growing the number of employee-owners to 894.

To further align ourselves to those individuals, organizations, and communities who share our commitment to elevate the human experience through design, in January we activated the DLR Group Foundation. Through our foundation, we hope to drive additional transparency around giving efforts and better manage how we show up in the industry, our communities, and the world.

Because leadership transition is a constant for a global design firm like ours, this fall we welcomed Principal Erica Loynd, FAIA, WELL AP, as the new Northwest Region Leader, overseeing our growing Seattle and Portland offices in the Pacific Northwest. Erica is eminently qualified for this next step in her career. She is a graduate of DLR Group’s Leadership Development Program and is active in local and regional AIA chapters, and at the national AIA leadership level with the Academy of Architecture for Justice Knowledge Community.

This fall, California Region Leader Pam Touschner, FAIA, was elected by employee-owners to DLR Group’s Board of Directors. The board helps support the mission and vision of the firm by engaging with and mentoring firm leaders, ensuring our annual business plan aligns with the goals of the firm, and overseeing future growth opportunities.

To further diversify leadership voices Senior Engineering Leader Jason Majerus, PE, CEM; Architect Ronok Nichols, AIA, LEED AP, and Global Workplace Leader Jeremy Reding, AIA, WELL AP stepped into new roles as members of the DLR Group Advisory Board to the Board of Directors. Made up of seven leaders from across the firm, the advisory board offers varying experiences and insights to the board of directors as we look to the future, guide innovation and evolution, and strategically address firm initiatives.

Finally, the most significant leadership transition was in the chief executive role. On October 1, Steven McKay, AIA, RIBA, assumed the role of CEO and I transitioned to Board Chair. Steven is the right person at the right time to lead DLR Group to new heights as a global integrated design firm.

This transition is the culmination of a strategic plan the board of directors initiated in 2018, mapping the course for executive leadership and board of director transition. Our employee-owned firm is unique in that it can identify and then nurture future leaders. DLR Group is in good hands, and I am extremely bullish on the future of our firm. Steven has a deep bench of leaders at all levels of the organization prepared to support him and his vision for DLR Group.

With a passion to do more, be more, and forge ahead into the future, we have taken huge strides this year. This employee-owned firm is in capable hands and I am excited about the positive impact we will continue to make as an integrated design firm in the years to come.

Hear more about the growth of DLR Group on the Business of Architecture podcast.

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