ISG Recognized as a 2025–26 Emerging Professional Friendly Firm for the Fourth Consecutive Cycle

We are excited to share that ISG has been recognized as a 2025–26 Emerging Professional Friendly Firm for the fourth cycle in a row, named by the Emerging Professionals Committees of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chapters of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota!

This recognition celebrates firms that actively support the next generation of architects and designers, and we are proud to be one of them. I feel that ISG has always been intentional about creating an environment where emerging professionals feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow.

Fair Compensation + Benefits

One aspect I particularly appreciate is the firm’s commitment to offering competitive salary benchmarks and comprehensive benefits packages designed to support early-career professionals. This means our employees have access to free employee-only healthcare coverage, giving them access to crucial care without added cost. As a 100% employee-owned firm, we have the benefit of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), which allows each team member to start building long-term wealth without payroll deductions traditional to a 401(k).

“ISG helps recent graduates who may be focused on student loans or early career expenses build equity and ownership in ISG simply by showing up, contributing, and doing their best work every day,” said Architecture Practice Group Leader Jeremy Wiesen, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP.

Support for Licensure + Professional Development

To make the professional licensure journey attainable, ISG provides:

• Reimbursement for exam costs and study materials
• One day of paid time off to take an exam, without using personal paid time off

As we evolve and expand our commitment to empowering young professionals, we are excited to launch the following starting in 2026:

• Up to one hour of paid study time per workday
• Up to 16 hours of paid study time per exam

This investment reflects ISG’s belief that when our people grow, our firm grows with them. We want our emerging professionals to see licensure as an achievable and celebrated part of their career journey.

Opportunities for Growth + Mentorship

Growth is part of who we are at ISG. We offer a variety of projects that let employees try out new areas and gain fresh perspectives. We also have various in-house programs to support professional development, such as New Employee Owner Workshop (NEOW), Coaching for Performance (C4P), Leadership Acceleration Program (LeAP), and more, to help new employee owners shape a successful career path and set meaningful individual goals.

Starting a new role can feel exciting and overwhelming, but I have never felt alone at ISG. The structured onboarding, buddy system, and support from team leads offer a built-in network to rely on. Through C4P and our leadership programs, I have also seen how our team leads are prepared to coach, mentor, and guide emerging professionals as they navigate their first years in the industry, which is something I have greatly benefited from myself as I worked to gain my licensure.

Empowering the Future of Design

Being named an AIA Emerging Professional Friendly Firm reminds us of what we have always believed: our people make us who we are. I am proud to help create a culture that supports growth, celebrates success, and helps every professional shape the future of design.

Interested in joining our team?

Visit ISG’s Careers Page to take on a new challenge with people who have your back.

About the Author

Liz Brown, AIA, NCARB, has been with ISG for nearly three years and holds two years of experience as a licensed architect. A thoughtful and empathetic professional, she excels at collaborative design and community engagement to ensure that user needs guide every project. Her user-focused mindset and dedication to teamwork make her a trusted leader and a collaborative team member in bringing projects to life, from city, county, and state government buildings to community centers and K-12 schools.

Liz acts as a mentor to students in her community and at local universities, and she advocates for early career professionals on her team, regionally, and nationally. She also volunteers as a statewide licensing advisor for NCARB and serves as South Dakota’s representative for the AIA’s Young Architects Forum.