CenterState CEO recently hosted its annual Economic Champions Celebration, recognizing the businesses, organizations, and individuals driving growth across Central New York. VIP is proud to be among the companies honored again this year!
This year’s honorees reflect a region that is building, hiring, investing, and creating opportunities at every level. We are proud to be part of that story. Take a deeper look at why VIP was named an Economic Champion—rooted in the growth, recognition, and community impact shared in our nomination.
Celebrating 50 Years in Syracuse
This year marks a milestone: VIP’s 50th anniversary. Founded in Syracuse in 1975 by architect Dave Nutting, VIP pioneered an integrated approach to design and construction long before “design-build” became an industry standard. Today, under the leadership of CEO Meg Tidd, VIP is a 150-person firm serving clients across architecture, engineering, construction, development, property management, and building technology—all from right here in Central New York.
VIP’s recent projects tell the story of a firm committed to Syracuse for five decades—and with plans to keep building here for the next 50 years:
VIP's 50th Year - Marked By Meaningful Recognitions
This has been a milestone year for VIP. Our team earned several state, national, and industry honors that speak to the impact we’re making both inside and outside the company:
- 2025 CenterState CEO Business of the Year (Medium Company Category)
- 2024 CenterState CEO Economic Champion
- Best Companies to Work for in New York — #2 Medium-Sized Company (2025)
- 2025 PSMJ AEC Building a Better World Award — recognizing firms nationwide that create positive community impact
- PACNY Paul Malo Award for the One Webster’s Landing (OWL) Apartments adaptive reuse project
- Varco Pruden Hall of Fame Award for three of VIP’s Pre-Engineered Metal Building projects:
- Kris-Tech Wire’s 75,000 SF manufacturing addition
- Food Bank of CNY’s 34,000 SF warehouse and office addition
- ELG Utica Alloy’s innovative re-roof retrofit
Growing our Team
Over the last year, VIP added 19 new hires, including 8 brand-new positions across architecture, engineering, construction, and development. Each addition strengthens our ability to serve clients through our integrated design-build approach and expand the capabilities of our architecture, engineering, construction, and development teams.
VIP in Action - Giving Back to the Community that Helped us Grow
Community impact isn’t separate from our work—it’s part of how we work. Over the past year, VIP employees:
Investing in People and Community
VIP was named an Economic Champion not only for what we build, but for how we show up in Central New York:
- We invest in our employees and create space for them to lead, volunteer, and grow.
- We support dozens of organizations across the region.
- We open our doors to employees and their families to enjoy downtown events, from parades to the holiday tree lighting to concerts on our patio.
- We prioritize local hiring, local partnerships, and local investment.
Being named a 2025 CenterState CEO Economic Champion is an honor—but more importantly, it’s a reflection of our people, our partners, and the communities we serve. Every project, every hiring decision, every volunteer effort contributes to a stronger Central New York. We’re grateful to CenterState CEO for recognizing the work happening across the region and for shining a spotlight on companies committed to long-term, sustainable growth.
