Doug Farr accepts AIA/Chicago's Firm of the Year Award

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Last night at the Revolution Brewery on North Kedzie, AIA/Chicago gave out its recognition awards, and I'd to again express my thanks for receiving a 2012 Distinguished Service award, as it was the first - and probably last - time the words "Distinguished" and "Lynn Becker" will ever appear contiguously.

Matt Dumich of Valerio Dewalt Train received the Dubin Family Young Architect Award, Paul Knight of Domus PLUS and Vincent Paglione of UIC received Distinguished Service Awards, and Farr Associates was named Firm of the Year.

You see watch below, in my patented jittery, out-of-focus video style, Doug Farr's exuberant acceptance speech . . .

Mr. Becker Inquires . . .

Last Wednesday, I concluded a 20-year engagement with one of Chicago's leading advertising/marketing firms.  I am looking for, as they say, new opportunities and challenges, including at least some, to risk indelicacy, that involve money changing hands.

I hope you'll indulge me if I use this blog today for a bit of shameless self-promotion.  Back to normal (?) tomorrow.

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Lynn Becker

Author and Critic

•  Writer on architecture for the Chicago Reader, with nearly 50 articles and four cover stories.  Also articles in Metropolis Magazine and the Harvard Design Magazine.
• Contributor to the books Reveal: Studio Gang Architects, State Street Village IIT,  Insight Guide Chicago, and Urban Planning Today (University of Minnesota Press)
•  Guest curator of Chicago Architecture Foundation exhibition: Boom Towns: Chicago Architects Design New Worlds, September 23 - November 21st, 2008, and February 12 - May 1, 2009.
• Author of Repeat website on Chicago architecture and culture, with 1.8 million visitors and 3.2 million page views since its inception, and the blog ArchitectureChicago Plus, with nearly half a million page views in the last two and one-half years.

Tech Guru

• IT Technician/Help Desk Specialist, supporting nearly 200 Mac users - problem solving, preparing and upgrading computers, purchasing, managing assets, backups, storage maintenance, training, documentation, and more
• VOIP Support Specialist for 400+ phone system - problem solving, preparing phones for users, asset management.
•  Manager, including analysis, strategy, budgeting and project management, working with and motivating associates in everything from a department of three and one-half people, to a national division with six offices and 200 employees 
• Named Agency's "Employee of the Year" after first year of service.

More detailed information and amusing anecdotes available upon request.

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. . .  and now for something completely different: Elvis sighting at Lurie garden . . .