Honorerd as the Q3 Design Champion for Ankrom Moisan’s Reward & Recognition Program, Aaron DeHaas relies upon the support of her team to organize chaos and deliver exceptional workplace designs that speak to the goals and culture of her clients.

Aaren in Ankrom Moisan’s Seattle office

Attracted to Ankrom Moisan by the caliber and variety of project types being done here, Aaron has been a part of the workplace team for the last nine years. Finding opportunities to learn and grow is very important to her, so she naturally has flourished within her team.

“The workplace team is a really fast-paced group,” she said. “We go through a ton of projects in a year and have such a strong, supportive team. It’s interesting because we have such a great variety of projects and scale, from itty bitty projects where the client just wants to add a wall and a door, to full buildings.”

“We work on a lot of projects at once,” Aaron said. “At one point I was working on 12 projects at the same time. It’s a lot but you’re getting experience in every phase of a project at once. It almost expedites your learning in a way, since you’re going through the workflows from start to finish on a project in various scales. It’s on-the-job learning.”

While having to juggle so many projects at a time could easily become overwhelming, Aaren says that the workplace team supports each other in a way that reduces the amount of stress she feels.

“There’s a collaborative nature that’s always apparent and always somebody to turn to that’s got your back,” said Aaron. Whatever it is, we all band together to make sure anything that needs to get done is completed. Having team members you can rely on and trust has been the most supportive thing to me and my success.”

Aaren’s recognition banner

Aaren’s favorite projects are the fully designed projects where there is an opportunity for her to let loose and flex her creative design muscles. These projects are often on-of-a-kind. “Because each client’s culture is different, you can kind of tailor those project to reflect those cultures,” she said. “I get inspired by that kind of connection with clients and with using their cultures and personalities to guide me in design. It’s fun to take their brand personality – their colors and fonts and signage and that sort of thing – and transform it into a tangible space. There’s always bumps along the way, but once you get it, it feels great. Clients like it too because you understand them, and they feel heard.”

Aaren in Ankrom Moisan’s Seattle office

When she first found out about her recognition as 2024’s third Design Champion, Aaron was shocked. “I found out from the videos in Green Screen In Between. I was completely surprised,” she said. “I saw my picture and did a triple take. It took a little bit to sink in.” Now that she’s acclimated to the honor, she has high hopes for the future of the Rewards & Recognition program, although she is still humble about her selection as an honoree. “It feels really nice to be recognized. It’s a nice thing to do for people and I hope that this program encourages people to continue to grow and put out their best work,” she said. “Although I’m the one being honored, you can’t do what I do without the rest of the workplace team and the supportive structure we have,” she added. “It’s too much to do by yourself.”

Aaren’s Rewards & Recognition Nomination Video

In her nomination video, Alissa Brandt, Vice President of Interiors, praised Aaren for her ability to manage complex, high-pressure projects while delivering exceptional results, as well as your tendency to meet demanding deadlines with creative solutions while still finding the time to guide and support her teammates. Acknowledging that she can’t keep everything in her head, nor would she want to, Aaren explained how she uses notes to stay organized and on top of her work, sharing important information with her team in a timely manner.

“I’ve heard it called ‘organized chaos,” she said. “I’m organized and have a system that works for me. I have so many notepads and sticky notes everywhere; I’m not sure if it works for anyone else.”

Bethanne Mikkelsen, Senior Principle, similarly calls our Aaren in her nomination video, complimenting her ability to elevate the design process and facilitate a creative culture that thrives within the firm.

“As far as elevating design,” Aaren responds, “I think it goes back to taking risks. You can’t find the full potential of what a design could be without putting yourself out there a little bit. I try to understand who a client is and what their culture is like, and how to push it a little further; How we can take their comfort zone and push it to the next level.”

This is something that Aaren could do over and over again. “I feel that design is never done,” she confessed. “It’s almost like its own organism, always changing and adapting. I think that that kind of flexibility is really important – you can get to a point where you’re happy with where a design is, but you have to be open to the possibility of making adjustments. Inspiration can hit at any moment and your design may be better for it in the end.”

“As long as our clients are happy, that’s what our goal is – that they have a comfortable space that shows off who they are and attracts the talent they’re looking for,” she said. “it’s all about making good designs that reflect our clients and their goals.”