expresso: mentorship

A LEGACY OF LIGHTING THE WAY

ARAM EBBEN, IALD, CLD, LEED AP Director of Lighting Design Orlando, FL

MENTOR |

DAWN BROWN, IALD, LC Senior Lighting Designer Hamilton, ON

MENTEE |

“To be a successful leader, you must first be a mentor,” says Aram Ebben, director of lighting design in our Maitland office. He describes mentorship like breathing, something he cannot do without. To him, supporting others to reach their full potential is something that is rarely overthought. It’s just natural . As the director, Aram is responsible for leading the company’s lighting design opportunities and his team of lighting designers through day-to-day operations. Known to lead by transparent example, he’s contributed to the award-winning designs for the CTA Washington/Wabash Elevated Train Station, the Albany Marina in the Bahamas and Doha Grand Parkin Qatar. For lighting designers like Aram, it is important to think of visionary ideas that can be applied at execution throughout the architectural process. While challenging, if done right, the project will radiate success.

and accepted, never looking back. Aram, who invited Dawn to join, now jokes, “You’re ours now,” and she laughs with a fitting response, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was happy to finally see the light.” Aram is not a mentor by accident. He has lived by one question, “What will my legacy be?” His legacy will be that of a dependable father to two beautiful girls, of a brilliant lighting designer who excels at creating memorable experiences through lighting projects for clients, and of a born mentor who loves passing on what he learns to those who follow. His devotion to this legacy stems from being the son of a single mother who always taught him to put others’ needs before his own. He is a testament to her legacy of taking care of others and believing in hard work, which he brought to his role at EXP. While projects propelled his career forward, he has always felt his primary role is to serve as an “unofficial mentor” to his employees and help shape their future. He believes this is how the production of award-winning projects continues to occur. His upbringing, portfolio and work- life balance philosophy have shaped him into a mentor, and then into a leader. With the belief that employees are far more than utilization rates, he seeks to identify and set goals that drive them to create and grow, and then helps them reach

Aram Ebben

Aram and his mother, Liz

The award-winning lighting designs that the group achieves are not only a result of Aram’s illuminating ingenuity but also of his legacy of lighting the way for others. Dawn Brown had always sought to apply her technical expertise and aesthetic touch to projects but did not think both options were possible. That was before she was asked to join the company’s growing team of lighting designers working across North America,

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