DMRstaff

Amid a challenging hiring landscape for architecture and engineering firms, DMR has welcomed nine new team members over the past year, reflecting our long-term commitment to mentorship, career development and cultivating talent from within.

The new hires span departments including architecture, interiors, construction administration, marketing and operations – showcasing a mix of seasoned professionals and early-career talent.

“We believe great design starts with great teams,” Pradeep Kapoor, AIA said.  “We’re proud to be growing – not just in size, but in the quality and character of the people joining our firm. Providing mentorship and opportunity has always been central to our culture, and it continues to bring fresh energy and ideas into our work.”

Congratulations to the following team members on their hiring at DMR:

• Rey Aponte, Construction Manager
• Robert Federico, Senior Interior Designer
• Salome Idrovo, Designer
• Zara Khan, Designer
• Scott Layton, Designer
• Sarah Nassery, Administrative Assistant
• Emily Nix, Marketing Coordinator
• Changbum Park, Designer
• Elizabeth Rochette, Accounting Manager

In honor of Architecture Week, we asked the creative minds at DMR to share more on their experiences as architects and designers. Here is what they said.

Thanks to AIA NJ for honoring two of our women leaders and AIA members this month as part of their Women in Architecture Month highlight. These posts originally appeared on the AIA NJ blog.

Donna Coen O’Gorman, AIA, Delivers Educational Design Excellence With Experience As A Client And An Architect

Donna Coen O’Gorman graduated from NJIT with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1981, when less than 8% of the School of Architecture’s graduating class were women.

Her career trajectory soon led her to educational work, a sector she has dedicated her professional life to for more than 25 years. She has been employed by the Newark Public Schools, Rutgers University, Kean University and the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.

In 2015, she retired from public service and joined DMR Architects. As a senior project manager, she brings the unique perspective of the client, as she spent the previous 25 years of her career working for the clients the DMR team services. Today her vision is mostly focused on educating her clients on how to support today’s learners in advanced, sophisticated and effective learning environments, while also helping to implement these projects in a cost-effective way.

During her six years at DMR, in addition to managing hundreds of projects, she organically expanded her role to client advocacy, business development and understanding evolving educational programming needs. Through a commitment to continuing education, conference involvement and thought leadership, she is a published author and a frequent lecturer on topics such as school security, new project delivery methods, and design trends. Her enthusiasm and skill earned her the position of DMR’s educational sector’s first Director of Business Development in 2021.

A licensed architect, Donna is also an empowering advocate for professional licensure, having achieved her professional registration when the percentage of women starting the licensure process hovered around 10% of all applicants, with even less completing the process, as reported by The National Council of Architectural Registration Board.

Consistency and Strong Relationships Push Janet Pini, AIA, To The Top

In 2002, shortly after graduating from NJIT with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, Janet Pini joined the production department at DMR Architects. Now a senior project manager and associate of the firm, she rose through the ranks of DMR, advancing from a graduate architect to her current role as one of DMR’s most senior project managers and the first woman member of DMR’s management team.

Having spent her entire career at DMR, Janet distinguished herself at every level of the firm, consistently taking on new responsibilities, mastering her understanding and ability to communicate complex codes and procedures, and forming meaningful and lasting relationships with clients, some of which have worked with her consistently for more than 10 years.

In every role, Janet has been assigned to some of DMR’s most complex projects, helping to bring to life projects such as a new 350,000 SF educational campus, four new college academic buildings, a specialty emergency operations center, sophisticated healthcare environments and more than 300 architect of record projects for DMR’s preK-12 clients.

Now a licensed architect, today Janet leads entire project teams, in addition to management responsibilities as an associate of the firm. Drawing on her own path of growth at DMR, Janet has committed herself to staff development and mentorship, leading efforts at DMR to engage DMR’s multi-generational workforce, counsel early-career architects, communicate and emulate DMR’s values to new staff, and provide professional guidance and learning opportunities.

DMR has promoted long-term team members Janet Pini, AIA and Fernando Robledo, AIA to Associates. They have been with the firm for 19 and 14 years respectively, working on some of the firm’s most significant projects, including the Frank J. Gargiulo Campus and Middlesex College’s West Hall.

Janet began her architectural career at DMR, consistently taking on greater responsibilities as she mastered her understanding of and ability to communicate with clients about New Jersey’s complicated codes and procedures. Her work on education and municipal projects also includes the Blanquita B. Valenti Community School and the Ridgefield Municipal Complex. She has a Bachelor of Architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Fernando has applied his design experience to projects including the Joseph A. Taub School in Paterson, a design-build contract with the New Jersey Schools Development Authority that serves 1,000 junior high school students. He also designed Joseph M. Sanzari’s headquarters in Hackensack. He has a Bachelor of Arts, Urban Design and Architecture, from the University of Puebla in Mexico.

“Janet and Fernando have been invaluable members to their practice areas, loaning their expertise to manifest feasible plans that incorporate our clients’ needs and ideas,” said Lloyd A. Rosenberg, AIA. “They have also played crucial roles in growing DMR into the multifaceted architectural firm that it is today, and we are honored that they have both made their professional homes here for well over a decade.”

We are proud to congratulate our Director of Construction Administration and firm Associate Henry Ossi, CPE, ICS, LEED AP on recently becoming a Certified Professional Estimator (CPE) from the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE).

The CPE certification process measures proficiency in general construction estimating and ethical awareness through a detailed process that included workshop attendance, a technical paper and a written examination.

Henry’s certification will greatly expand DMR’s services and credentials and strengthens our in-house services, while also improving estimating accuracy and helping to greater protect our client’s project budgets.

DMR is proud to announce that Charles H. Sarlo, Esq. is set to join a panel at this week’s ExploreNJ, a special event designed to attract foreign investors to the state. More than 30 foreign entities looking to expand operations in the United States are expected to attend.

Co-sponsored by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey and Choose New Jersey, the two-day event will take place on Thursday, June 13 and Friday, June 14. Events on Thursday will be focused on finance and commerce and will take place at New Jersey City University’s School of Business in Jersey City. Friday’s events, which will focus on innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship, will be hosted at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.

Charles is set to join the “Real Estate: Finding the Right Location” panel during Thursday’s finance and commerce portion. A 30-year veteran in New Jersey’s corporate and real estate landscape, he brings a unique perspective and professional background to the panel.

ExploreNJ is a spin-off event of the annual SelectUSA Investment Summit, an event hosted by the United States Department of Commerce that is already underway this week in Washington D.C. Other spinoff events are being hosted in dozens of locations across the country by local economic development organizations.