Name: Jonathan C. Garland 

Title/Firm: President & Founder / JGE Architecture + Design | JGE Development LLC (two distinct entities) 

Education: B. Arch, Boston Architectural College 

Years in the industry: 23 

Year you founded your company: JGE Architecture + Design (2018) | JGE Development LLC (2022) 

[The following is with respect to JGE Architecture + Design] 

Dollar value or # of projects completed since inception: $10.5mm 

Tell us about you and your company. 
JGE is a Boston-based 100% minority-owned architecture and design practice of 15 staff— on a shared obligation and social responsibility to build equitably, sustainably, and contextually. Our portfolio is comprised of multi-family housing, mixed-use development, academic, life sciences, and university projects. We think of ourselves as “responsive designers” taking into consideration the particular nuances of site, client, community, and the resources required to form the primary framework of our designs. This disciplined approach allows us to custom-craft uniquely creative solutions specifically tailored to solve complex layered problems. 

Tell us about your path to where you are now and how you got into the A/E/C industry. 
Our path as a company has not been linear. From launching a practice just before the Covid-19 pandemic to surviving Covid as a brand-new startup to now becoming more resilient in the post Covid era—we see a future that is the brightest it’s ever been. Our passion for what we get to do every day and how we enjoy what we do is literally the fuel behind our fire. My journey through the AEC industry began when I was just eight years old—from picking up a hobby with Legos and building blocks to stretching my neck out the back seat of my dad’s Lincoln to see all the tall buildings with utter fascination at how cities would get built and then re-built. From that point I knew what I wanted; it was just a matter of how I would get there. 

What skills or qualities helped you overcome the hurdles that come with starting your own business?
A deep sense of self-worth, self-belief, and the ability to encourage yourself as a leader in my mind is paramount. During the course of running a business there will be times when you will feel overwhelmed by the amount of risk, uncertainty and all that could go wrong. It’s that inner core belief of who you know you are that is powerful enough to be stronger than all the negativity and doubt and can keep you poised in the face of opposition. I know this phenomenon all too well—particularly with respect to managing a minority-owned firm in one of the few US cities with the highest number of architecture firms per capita. 

What was most helpful as your company first began competing in the local market? Did anyone help you along the way? 
A primary source of support for me began back in 2017-18’ when grassroots organizations like the Minority Developers Association (MDA) existed as a group of black and brown entrepreneurs in the local development community with a shared mission for achieving equitable access to opportunity and level the playing field in Boston’s RE development and AEC marketplace. They even went the distance into the board rooms at Massport to lobby and advocate for the inclusion of DEI language in all Massport RFP for design, development, and construction projects throughout the Seaport. As a result, not only did Massport adopt this policy with wide commendation, the BPDA, and other quasi-public agencies followed suit, which has significantly opened doors for our continued success. Aside from this type of support, a business leader, a designer, a creative must be talented and able to deliver in their own right—without that entry level qualification it will be increasing difficult to remain competitive. 

Where do you wish you had more help and what else could the industry be doing to help and promote underrepresented business owners?
It would be a complete game-changer if departments at the State level like DCAMM would take a hard look at their typical approach to designer selection and come up with an alternative pathway for MBEs/WBEs and DBEs to compete in earnest for State work as a formal response to the lack of acknowledgment or invitation to access public projects of scale that such minority professionals have faced for decades. 

What would you say is your biggest success in your path to entrepreneurship? 
Similarly, what would you say was your biggest lesson learned? Seeing how our clientele has grown and evolved over time is proof of concept for me that business development begins long before you decide to go into business. Your reputation as a professional in your field begins long before you go into business for yourself. People may not remember every building you worked on or design you developed, but they will remember you the person, how you treated them, how you treated others. Business development for new work is not about what you do—it’s about who you are. 

Do you have any advice for someone starting their own business in our industry? 
Always look at the long game—try not to make decisions for short term gain. Be opportunistic, Be ready. Never prepredetermine when and how new work will come in. Opportunity can come in all shapes and sizes and from all parts of the globe. Be people oriented. 

Favorite thing about working in the A/E/C industry? 
From my perspective the work that we do primarily in the city of Boston is the ideal blend of local politics, mixed with design, mixed with urban complexity. Removing any one of these ingredients changes the flavor of the work and the process. The end result is typically rewarding, but the process is a lot of fun too! 

Recent project or accomplishment you are proud of (and why)?
I believe that ultimately our work is about people. I am both honored and humbled to be in the position to rub shoulders with so many influential, and inspiring leaders in government, public affairs and our local RE development and AEC community. Additionally, our clients, partners, colleagues, and communities who have placed their trust in us and our abilities are unquestionably vital to our success. I have seen where our business and personal relationships have the power to take us, and I am truly grateful for that. 

Favorite place you have ever been: Toledo, Spain 

What fills your cup? Waking up each morning in good health, life, and strength. 

Who or what inspires you most? My two absolutely amazing sons and my wife, who is truly always my better half.