Small Firm Exchange (SFx) Introduction

The Small Firm Exchange (SFx) is a Member Group of the American Institute of Architects. The mission of the SFx is to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing in small firms (defined as having 10 employees or less). The objectives of the AIA SFx are threefold:

1. Advocate the value of small firms, the national SFx, and local SFx groups, both within the AIA and the public.
2. Curate and disseminate the most pertinent resources and information from the AIA & elsewhere that benefit small firms.
3. Inform the AIA of current issues facing small firms and areas lacking current resources and/or information.

Approximately 75% of all firms within the AIA are small firms, which equates to 14,288 small firms within the organization (~25% sole practitioners = 4,750, ~35% firms with one to five employees = 6,650, ~15% firms with five-10 employees = 2,850). The SFx advocates for small firms within the AIA and outside organizations, promotes leadership development, and supports chapter roundtables and other small firm networks.

AIA Small Firm Exchange Organization

For many years, the organization of the SFx was tied to the regional structure of the AIA, with representatives from each of the regions. Since the beginning of 2020, I have been given the opportunity to represent the Western Mountain Region (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah & Wyoming), and prior to my service, Mike Potter from AIA Wyoming successfully represented the WMR.

As the change to eliminate the regional structure moved forward, the SFx made an effort to reconsider its organization. Beginning January, 2022, we will be organized as follows:

An Executive Committee consists of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Past-Chair, and the Conference and Outreach Committee Chairs (more about that below).

The SFx Board consists of 30 individuals from various parts of the country. SFx board members will participate in all SFx activities, an annual meeting, other AIA meetings (KLA, etc.), oversee the state reps and handle any unrepresented states. The eight states with the highest number of resident architects — California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington State — will have a permanent seat on the board, with the remaining members rotating from the other states.

To serve on the board, a minimum of one year is required to serve as a state representative. The initial composition of the board will be from the current regional representatives. To focus on the objective of curating content pertinent to small firms, each board member has an assignment to connect as a liaison to the AIA Knowledge Communities and Member Groups. If you are interested in serving on the Board, please go to aia.org.

A maximum of 55 State Representatives (50 states, plus the Virgin Islands, Guam, DC, Puerto Rico and an International Representative) will serve as the link between the SFx Board and the State Components. Ideally, for those states with a permanent board seat, state representatives will be from a different part of the state (i.e., one from San Diego and another from Sacramento). State Representatives will have the following responsibilities: Participate in a monthly conference call where we connect with the AIA KCs / MGs; contribute to outreach activities on Flipboard and Instagram; distribute information to state SFx groups; and, present information to chapters in their state about the SFx and their activities. A state rep serves for a minimum of one year and as many as five years. After this year, a state rep must serve for a year before applying to serve on the Board. If you are interested, please go to aia.org.

Small Firm Board Members and State Representatives need to be a licensed architect, a member of the AIA, a small firm owner/leader and may be self-recommended or recommended by the state chapter leadership. Final selection for the board member or state representatives will be made by the SFx Executive Committee. The deadline for submitting for the SFx Board Member and State Representatives is October 31, with notifications sent to selected SFx members in November/December and positions beginning in January each year.

SFx Sub-Committees

The Small Firm Exchange has two sub-committees — Outreach and Conference. The Outreach Committee focuses on communicating curated content to small firm members. This effort includes sharing content on the following social media channels: