Wrapping up an impactful year
On September 1, 1963, BRR Architecture (formally Franklin Frieze Architects) transformed from a simple idea to an architecture firm.
To recognize our 60th year in business, our firm spent the year intentionally celebrating our relationships, serving our communities and supporting the future of architecture. We threw parties. We volunteered (a lot). We created and supported college scholarships. All done with the goal of making a tremendous impact.
In total, we:
- Donated thousands of goods and hours of service
- Established BRR’s first annual National Day of Service
- Gathered our teammates, clients and consultants for multiple celebrations
- Funded 13 collegiate scholarships and created the BRR Future Professional Scholarship
- Touched 130+ organizations nationwide
And those are just the highlights.
Back to Main Blog PageWe cultivated relationships
(and celebrated)
Cultivating meaningful business relationships is at the core of our firm’s mission. Without our clients, consultant partners and teammates, there would be no 60th anniversary to celebrate. We set out to thank everyone for their contributions to our history. So, we threw a big party. Actually, we threw nine big parties across the country.
A BBQ in Bentonville
It was a gorgeous May night in Bentonville, Arkansas as our teammates celebrated with our clients, consultants and colleagues. In keeping with a time-honored BRR tradition, the Bentonville team prepped and served phenomenal scratch-made barbecue for our regional visitors. Our colleagues and clients reminisced about past projects and celebrated the camaraderie that has been built with peers across the country.
A BBQ in Bentonville
It was a gorgeous May night in Bentonville, Arkansas as our teammates celebrated with our clients, consultants and colleagues. In keeping with a time-honored BRR tradition, the Bentonville team prepped and served phenomenal scratch-made barbecue for our regional visitors. Our colleagues and clients reminisced about past projects and celebrated the camaraderie that has been built with peers across the country.
We Served
Community service is a pillar of BRR’s culture. We recognize the work we do outside the office is just as important as the work we do for our clients; we believe in taking care of the communities where we live and work.
At the beginning of the year, we set a goal to serve or impact 60 philanthropic organizations across the country. However, by the end of June, we were on track to exceed our goal. So, in true BRR fashion, we “doubled down”.
With renewed enthusiasm, our teammates committed to positively contributing to 120 organizations before the end of the year. And that is exactly what we did. Here are the highlights:
2400+
VOLUNTEERHOURS DONATED
9000+
GOODS AND NECESSITIESDONATED
16
SCHOOL SUPPLY/STEMDRIVES HOSTED
40+
PHILANTHROPIC AND COMMUNITYGROUPS SPONSORED
1st
ANNUAL BRR NATIONALDAY OF SERVICE HELD
10
CITIES WHERE WEVOLUNTEERED
Serving North Texas One Meal at a Time
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is one of the 120+ organizations that BRR impacted this year. Our team rolled up its sleeves to spend a meaningful afternoon packing food and goods to support NTFB’s mission to close the hunger gap in North Texas. NTFB provided 144 million meals to kids, seniors and families in need in 2023; BRR was proud to help make a tangible difference locally.
Serving North Texas One Meal at a Time
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is one of the 120+ organizations that BRR impacted this year. Our team rolled up its sleeves to spend a meaningful afternoon packing food and goods to support NTFB’s mission to close the hunger gap in North Texas. NTFB provided 144 million meals to kids, seniors and families in need in 2023; BRR was proud to help make a tangible difference locally.
We supported all of these organizations (plus a few more):
BRR Completes its First National Day of Service
For the first time in our company’s history, we closed our offices for a few hours for a National Day of Service on September 13, 2023. BRR teammates volunteered at animal shelters, community food banks, city missions, schools, community centers and parks. From packing food to building furniture and gardening, our goal was to create a meaningful impact on our communities across the country.
A huge thank you for the beautiful new picnic tables. The public will make tremendous use of these not to mention the children’s education programs that we run. Thank you so very much. We are deeply grateful.”
NADIA BILLIG-DANIEL, PHILADELPHIA CORINTHIAN GARDENS
We Boosted the Pipeline of Architecture
For our business to be sustainable, we know it is vital to secure the pipeline for the architecture industry. For several years, we have given our time and talents to support hundreds of architecture students on their career paths. This year we:
- Funded 13 collegiate scholarships
- Created the first annual BRR Future Professional Scholarship
- Made significant contributions to the ACE Mentor Program, designed for students seeking careers in architecture, engineering and construction.
We supported each of these universities in a variety of ways, including scholarships:
Lizzie Daggett wins first BRR Future Professional Scholarship
This year, BRR recognized an architectural intern who goes above and beyond to support our clients and projects. In August, we announced the 2023 recipient of the Future Professional Scholarship Program is Lizzie Daggett, a senior at Drury University pursing a Master of Architecture.
“All of these experiences that I’ve had this summer between the scope visits, the site visits, just actively being able to work on all the documentation is an invaluable experience in itself,” Lizzie said. Lizzie is anticipated to graduate in May of 2024.
On to the next chapter
BRR wrapped up the year by holding multiple canned goods, toy and coat drives and ultimately exceeded our goal.
As we reflected on the results of our work, it became evident that our legacy is not only measured by the projects we complete for our clients, but by the enduring impact we have on the communities where we live and work. The next chapter of our firm’s history awaits, and we continue to press forward toward our company’s vision – to elevate the everyday experience.
A sincerest “thank you” to our teammates, clients and consultants who made all of these incredible efforts possible.
