Our Culture: Diversity…JP Architects, Ltd.’s Differentiator
REALIZE the Possibilities. DESIGN Your Reality. INFLUENCE Your Life & Community.
Diversity is a major aspect of JP Architects, Ltd.'s culture. We are fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion as a firm, and here's the thing....we don't just say this. Our actions truly support our words.
This starts internally with our hiring practices and organizational involvement. Four out of seven of our employees are minority, and one is a woman. A benefit of having a diverse team is always most noticeable during collaboration for concept creation. The synergy between team members, as well as each employees' unique background, results in innovative design solutions that influence the life and community where said project is located.
Furthermore, JP Architects, Ltd. is proud to hold leadership positions within all our membership organizations. Jose R. Pareja is President of the American Institute of Architects Eastern Illinois Chapter. His major initiative is to educate membership on keeping women in architecture and also increase women participation at monthly meetings and within leadership for the Chapter. In addition to this, Jose participates as a committee member on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association's Scholarship Committee.
Diversity is also evident in our relationship-building efforts, certifications and request for qualifications submittals. We are certified as a Minority Business Enterprise by the City, County and State. We utilize Minority, Women, Veteran-Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Disadvantaged and Disabled Person certified business enterprise consultants. This is the true differentiator we bring to every institution, organization and project experience. Simply put...we provide a 100% diverse A/E team. It is our intent to meet and exceed any stated diversity goals, and as a Minority certified prime firm, we realize we have that unique opportunity, which is why we've spent years surrounding our firm with diverse (certified) consultants who are thought leaders in their respective industries. If we need to fill a gap for a certain project, we utilize our membership organizations and the State, County and City certified vendor search to find someone who fits our needs for the submission or project.
An example of this...For one on our institutional clients, it was required that we have a Women-Owned Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection Consulting Engineer on the team, as well as, our own BEP certification. We satisfied and exceeded the stated 35% diversity goal.
Beyond these, JP Architects, Ltd. has committed to Chicagoland's diverse communities. We've worked alongside non-profit organizations, developers, homeowners and business owners to embrace the authenticity of these communities and enhance the overall environment through inclusive design. JP Architects, Ltd. doesn't just perform services and run; we immerse our firm into the community.
We will continue these same actions as JP Architects, Ltd. grows and establishes our firm as one of the premier full-service architectural design firms in Chicagoland. As we stated at the beginning of this entry, diversity is a major aspect of JP Architects, Ltd.'s culture - it will always be engrained in who we are, what we do and what we believe.
Until Next Time,
Jose R. Pareja, AIA
JP Architects, Ltd. was founded in 2015 by Jose R. Pareja, AIA. We specialize in and are passionate about residential design, commercial architecture and public sector planning / capital improvement projects. Located at 7250 College Dr., Palos Heights, IL 60463, we serve North and Central Illinois. We complete hundreds of projects per year and bring sound principles of design, resourcefulness, reliability, unmatched quality and enthusiasm to each project. JP Architects, Ltd. realizes the possibilities, designs your reality and influences your life and community.