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Left to right: - Buddy Webb, Principal Architect; Lesley Guillot, Vice President; Stephen Bent, Vice President
Left to right: - Buddy Webb, Principal Architect; Lesley Guillot, Vice President; Stephen Bent, Vice President

Buddy Webb: License to Learn

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Lesley Guillot, vice president at Buddy Webb Company says there’s a current trend in architecture to hire techs while employing fewer fully licensed architects. Buddy Webb Company has made a conscious decision to go in a different direction.

“One thing that sets us apart from a lot of other firms is the emphasis we place on hiring licensed individuals or interns who are pursuing professional licensure,” says Guillot.

Buddy Webb, principal architect, says, “By having a larger pool of licensed, fully trained professionals, we have the knowledge base to be able to obtain answers to client questions much quicker.”

“Having people who are fully licensed or at least on that path gives everyone a path to taking ownership,” says Guillot. “It’s a nice motivator for all of us to know that our people will be able to carry the business forward into one day becoming a legacy company. We’d love for it to continue to pass through generations.”

Guillot also emphasizes that training doesn’t stop once the professional license has been obtained. A big part of the culture at Buddy Webb Company involves continuous learning and evolving. Continuing education is compulsory for those who wish to retain their licenses. “We all do several hours of continuing education every year,” says Guillot. “This industry is constantly changing. Technology is constantly changing. So, it’s incredibly important that we keep up to date so we can do the very best job for our clients. And it gives them peace of mind that we’re not just relying on the education we got in college.”

“Even just the technology that we use day-to-day to put together a set of plans has changed so much in the last 20 years,” says Guillot. Building technology and available products have also changed she says. “We’re committed to staying on top of all that and not just being satisfied with doing things the way we’ve always done them.”

Missouri requires architects complete 12 hours of training each year, and the American Institute of Architects, to which most of the staff belong, requires 18 hours of training per year. The partners at Buddy Webb and Company are licensed in a total of 49 states, meaning that they must meet the continuing education requirements for licensure in those states as well. The trainings vary in subject and can cover things like technology, sustainability, and accessibility.

“It’s important not only to care about the clients’ needs but also about carrying on and bettering the profession,” says Webb. “It’s a thing that we’ve committed to and we’re always going to foster that professional growth.”

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