5.26.15 | Princeton, NJ | Capitalizing on its continued growth and recent "Architectural Firm of the Year" honors from the New Jersey Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, integrated design firm Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design (JZA+D) recently announced a slate of four new hires. The move is intended to sustain development efforts while providing higher levels of service and design excellence to the firm’s growing national client base.

Founding principal and architect Joshua Zinder, AIA, and partner and director of Interior Design, Marlyn Zucosky, sought out this group of talented professionals in order to support the firm's broad portfolio of corporate, hospitality, cultural, commercial and residential building projects.

The new hires are:
-Benjamin Grace, as architectural designer
-Ashley Servis, as interior designer 
-Callie Hancock, as marketing manager 
-Adel Strauss, as office manager. 

"We're proud of our continued growth in dynamic, competitive markets that we have managed to sustain through challenging times," says Zinder. "Taking on new designers and support staff will help us maintain the level of excellence that our clients have come to expect, while giving us the flexibility to take on bigger challenges." 

Integrating new designers 

Capitalizing on their partnership that began in early 2013, Zinder and Zucosky emphasize the firm's operation as a multidisciplinary, integrated design studio that packages architecture, interior design and other services into potent solutions for their clients. The partners are managing the growth of their successful approach by adding an experienced designer for its two primary disciplines. "Clients depend on us to provide them with building and design solutions that are innovative, cost-effective, sustainable, healthy and attractive" says Zucosky. "These new hires have the experience and skills necessary to support and augment our work and deliver on the client promise." 

Ben Grace joins the firm as an architectural designer, bringing with him six years of work in all phases of the design process. Prior to signing on with JZA+D, Ben worked as a junior designer for William Stack Architects in Massachusetts, where he collaborated on higher education, retail, commercial and urban park projects. Wielding a skill set that reflects his parallel interests in design and technical problem-solving, Ben's experience studying abroad in England, Scotland, and Italy have helped him develop a keen understanding of regional and cultural aspects of the built environment and urban space. He holds a Masters of Architecture from Syracuse University, where he distinguished himself as a recipient of the AIA Henry Adams Medal for academic achievement and with an assistant fellowship teaching in the design studio. Ben currently serves JZA+D as a project manager for several retail and corporate office projects. 

Ashley Servis is a graduate of the New York School of Interior Design who, for her thesis project, transformed the inside of the 5Pointz NYC Building in Long Island City, Queens, into a street art museum. Ashley has been working at interior design businesses since high school and throughout college, learning how to connect with clients to help them define their personal design goals. She now boasts over a decade of practical experience in the design field and brings a passion for design to every aspect of her work. A firm believer in utilizing the power of design to enrich people’s lives, Ashley now pursues this ideal every day on behalf of JZA+D as an interior designer for residential, institutional and commercial projects. 

Crucial support 

JZA+D's lengthy roster of clients, goals for expansion and commitment to collaboration create numerous challenges for the partners and designers. The firm's other two recent hires capably handle the tasks of administration, communications and business development. 

Callie Hancock brings significant experience in the fields of architecture and design to her role as JZA+D's new Director of Communications. With a Master of Architecture degree from Princeton University, Callie began her career as a project coordinator with Robert A.M. Stern Architects, later transitioning to a marketing and communications role for architecture-and-design firms while with CUH2A. She was director of marketing and communications for Michael Graves & Associates for almost a decade. At JZA+D, Callie works on business development proposal preparation and promotional marketing projects including photography and publications. Callie earned LEED accreditation in 2006, and volunteers as a climate advocate in her spare time. 

Adel Strauss joins JZA+D as office manager, applying her significant graphic design and creativity wherever needed. With a BA in Graphic Design and Fine Art from Concordia University in Chicago, Adel supervises the varied challenges of a busy design office. Formerly a program coordinator for an art gallery, a retreat center and summer camp, and a college prep program, she also managed the office and bookstore for a Campus Ministry in Princeton. Adel acquired entrepreneurial experience and deepened her administrative skill set by helping launch and then manage a local coffee bar that features an art gallery and events program. She is eagerly tackling the many professional opportunities JZA+D presents for applying both her office experience and graphic design talents. 

JZA+D's partners will be keeping their new hires busy. "Our portfolio includes plenty of local projects, as well as regional and even global work," says Zinder. "We're currently serving clients in hospitality, office, residential, educational and research science sectors, among others." Zinder as also formed a design partnership with architect Michael Landau, focused on worship and study spaces for Jewish congregations and with multiple projects on the boards. 

"We're not interested in resting on our laurels," adds Zucosky. "Like our growth, the honors we received from AIA New Jersey are a reflection of our ongoing commitments to client satisfaction and design excellence. The skills, passion and new points-of-view that Ashley, Ben, Callie and Adel bring to the table will be critical to JZA+D maintaining it current trajectory. We're very excited about that, and more than pleased with their contributions thus far."