Recognized as 2025’s Q1 Employee Ownership Champion, Justin Hunt, Senior Technical Designer, is thoughtful, well-spoken, and devotes both his time and energy to supporting the firm however he can.

Coming to Ankrom Moisan 21 years ago (give or take the four years he spent as a part-time design consultant before being brought to the firm full-time), Justin Hunt has always looked out for his teammates.

In grad school at the time, Justin was enrolled at the University of Oregon’s Portland campus. Encountering a power advertising a model-building job, Justin decided to see what it was all about. “I was in the last quarter of grade school, and I love building models, so I thought it would be a good way to get some exposure to a firm I might want to work at, as well as a way to make some extra money before leaving grad school,” he said. “I ended up being the only person that was interviewed, so I got the job.”

“Dave Heater was actually the person who interviewed me – he was a project manager back then and had just made principal,” Justing added. “That was my first time meeting Dave and my first introduction to Ankrom Moisan.”

Justin Hunt in Ankrom Moisan’s Seattle office.

Since his first introduction to the firm, Justin has seen a lot of change, both within Ankrom Moisan and in the architecture industry at large. “Industry-wise, I think the biggest change has been the movement towards digital technologies,” Justin said. “It’s really changed the way we do our work. The way we document and think about projects now has all these digital tools in place to help us visualize them. We don’t make physical models the way we used to anymore, because they’re all digital now.”

“In terms of the office, I would say the biggest thing has been the expansion to multiple states, instead of all being in one location,” he added.

Through these changes, Justin has found the opportunity to grow as well. “I came in as an intern to build models, just a quarter away from finishing graduate school,” he said. “Since then, I’ve grown in basically every way – professionally, technically, and in terms of my presence, ideas, opinions, and maturity, as well.”

Still, Justin feels that there’s so much more to learn. “That’s what. I find so attractive about architecture,” he said. “It’s constantly working on new sites, new cities, new projects, with new clients and new consultants every day.”

Justin’s Reward & Recognition Banner.

Throughout all his time and experience with Ankrom Moisan, Justin has learned a few lessons along the way that he feels are worth sharing. His advice for young professionals just getting their start in the architecture. industry is ‘listen.’ “You can learn from everyone and everything that came before you,” Justin said. “Even though we have all this technology, we’re a profession built on wisdom and knowledge that has been passed down by word of mouth. The lessons learned are documented heavily and instilled in our processes, but listening to the people who experience them is where you can really learn.”

That advice goes to the rest of the firm, too, not just young professionals. “Everyone has something to teach,” Justin continued. “I think it’s just as important for us to hear what new staff have to say, because as soon as we stop listening to what younger people think, we start becoming more isolated and disconnected from what’s really happening in the world.”

Justin also sees a lesson to be had in fostering interpersonal connections and growing those relationships. “I encourage everyone to exercise more empathy in everything you do. Understand the needs of your colleagues, clients, consultants, and contractors, and really understand the factors that are driving them and their motivations,” he said. “As soon as you can empathize with that, you’ll be more successful in incorporating and creating the best project team – and project – possible and just be more successful in general.”

This outlook and consideration for those he works with is one of the reasons that Justin was honored as the first Employee Ownership Champion of 2025.

Justin’s Nomination Video

“To me, employee ownership means representing the firm through my work and doing the best possible job that I can. That’s the way I work every day. It’s just my attitude,” Justin said.

“Someone once told me ‘Do good work.’ I think it was George Signori. I have always listened to that,” Justin continued. “I always try to do good work while being true to the firm’s goals and parameters.”

Now, moving on to the next chapter of his life and career, Justin has had some time to reflect upon his time with Ankrom Moisan. “Most of my favorite memories center around relationships with people at the firm, like holiday parties, soccer games, bike rides,  ski trips, cookie exchanges, and the Food Lifeline fundraising events,” he said.

However, the memory that’s most special to Justin comes from his early days with Ankrom Moisan, when he worked in the model shop in the lower annex of our old office. “It was a special crew down there; Jeff Hamilton’s team,” Justin said. “I sat next to Nancy Young and Tania Feliciano, looking out over Vince, Isaac Johnson, Jason Roberts, George Signori, Mike Klein, Jeff Hamilton, Michael Bonn, Dave Heater, and Marc Nordean. They were all dreaming up the future, designing what the city of Portland would look like.”

“It was a golden moment that was really, really special,” he said. “I will never forget what that was like. It inspired me to be the best I could be. I’m super nostalgic about that period of time. Everyone I’ve talked to that was part of that studio at that moment in time has the same feeling. We all knew it was really special.”