The mission of the AIA Small Firm Exchange (SFx) is to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing in small firms. The objectives of the AIA SFx are three-fold:
1. Advocate the value of small firms, the national SFx, and local SFx groups, both within the AIA and to 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 in which current resources/information are lacking.
Approximately 75% of all firms within the AIA are small firms (less than 10 employees), which equates to 14,459 small firms within the organization.
~26.8% = sole practitioners = 5,173
~33.5% = 1-5 employees = 6,459
~14.7% = 5-10 employees = 2,827
For context, small firms share of staff is 16.0% and share of billings is 12.0%
We need to find ways to leverage that size for collaboration and influence, just like the individual large firms do.
The AIA Small Firm Exchange 2019 Regional Representatives Annual Report includes resources for small firm prosperity and outlines the work of the national member group over the previous year.