Gresham Smith employees gathered on Thursday, April 21, for the firm’s annual Celebration. All Gresham Smith staff joined together, either in-person or virtually, to watch the livestream show, which was broadcast from NuMynd Studios. Nashville employees gathered at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for the event. The firm’s executive leaders honored employee and project achievements over the past year and provided updates on key initiatives, including our strong focus on people and culture. Twelve new owners, 17 new senior associates and 34 new associates were announced during the event.
“Each year, we look forward to Celebration, and this year’s event was even more special as we gathered in-person for this event for first time since 2019,” said Gresham Smith Chief Executive Officer Rodney Chester. “Our more than 1,000 employees across 24 office locations had the opportunity to celebrate our strong company culture, along with key accomplishments, and hear about what lies ahead for the rest of 2022.”
Power of Collaboration Award
Gresham Smith’s Power of Collaboration Award recognizes individuals or teams that are living out the firm’s core value of Teamwork. This year’s award was presented to the Baptist Health Care Brent Lane Campus project team, which is comprised of nearly 200 Gresham Smith employees from every market and discipline in the firm. The team collaborated extensively—throughout the COVID-19 pandemic—to meet the aggressive 48-month schedule for programming, design, construction and occupancy, and the new full-scale health campus is on schedule to complete in the fall of 2023.
Innovation Award
Gresham Smith’s Innovation Award recognizes an individual or group who has demonstrated leadership by leveraging technical tools to advance the firm’s practice-led business model and challenge the status quo. This year’s award was presented to Paula Gurney, P.E., a Senior Engineer in the firm’s Atlanta, Georgia office. Paula developed an innovative tool that allows clients to view pump-operating conditions at water treatment plants and identify what steps are needed to reduce energy usage and associated costs.
Sustainability Leadership Award
The annual Sustainability Leadership Award honors an employee or group of employees who embody the firm’s commitment to a clean, safe and healthy environment while developing innovative and sustainable solutions for projects and clients. This year’s award was presented to Nicole Ridder, AIA, an Architect in the firm’s Nashville Corporate + Urban Design studio. Nicole took it upon herself to become an embodied carbon expert for the firm, finding ways to reduce the amount of embodied carbon in mixed-use buildings. She also helped start the Nashville chapter of the Carbon Leadership Forum, which fuels discussions on how the design and construction industries can be more sustainable.
Community Impact Award
The annual Community Impact Award recognizes an employee who has had a positive impact on the community and who possesses outstanding leadership skills, passion, self-motivation and commitment to service. This year’s award was presented to Eria Barnett, a Senior Document Control Specialist in the firm’s Suwanee, Georgia office. Known as the “Block Mom,” she opened her home and her heart to many of the neighborhood children, providing a front-porch haven where they can read or simply talk, and instilling a sense of hope for the future.
