The best projects come down to who is across the table, especially when things get difficult. You want an architect who asks good questions, brings the right people together, and doesn’t walk away when the answer isn’t obvious. At VIP, that’s Conner Flisnik.
VIP Structures has promoted Conner, a licensed architect in New York State, to Senior Project Manager at VIP Architectural Associates. His expanded role includes leading architectural design, guiding project teams, building client relationships, and serving as Architect of Record on many of VIP’s industrial, municipal, and mixed-use projects.
“I’ve always enjoyed working directly with Clients and figuring out what they need from a project. What I’m looking forward to most in this role is continuing to build those relationships, guiding our design teams, and helping turn our Clients’ plans into buildings people can use.”
ARCHITECTURE, BASEBALL & TEAMWORK
Conner grew up in Whitesboro, NY, and knew early that he wanted to be an architect. He also knew architecture school would be hard, and he saw that as a challenge worth taking on.
He chose Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston for its hands-on approach, with internships and real-world preparation built into the degree. Then he added four years of college baseball. Conner played shortstop, served as team captain, and finished his college career with 163 hits, setting a school record that still stands today.
As captain of Wentworth's baseball team, Conner learned what it meant to be responsible to a team, even when he was exhausted himself.
Some weeks meant a Thursday night in the studio finishing a project due Friday, then a Saturday doubleheader in the cold New England spring. Several of his teammates were architecture students, too. They understood the late nights and early mornings, and they pushed each other through both.
DIFFERENT BUILDINGS. DIFFERENT CHALLENGES
Before joining VIP in January 2025, Conner built a career that took him from research facilities in Cambridge to healthcare projects in Boston and high-rise residential towers in Miami.
His early experience included work on the expansion of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research campus in Cambridge. Along the way, he worked on schools, international retail interiors, and science and technology facilities with firms including Audrey O’Hagan Architects, CannonDesign, March Associates, and Stantec.
One of those projects was Bezel at Miami Worldcenter, a 43-story tower with 434 residences that is now part of the downtown Miami skyline. Conner loved the modern design and working with the Developer, ZOM Living. What he’s proudest of is that the project made it through the challenges of design and construction and got built.
That range shaped how he handles the unfamiliar. His attitude isn’t that he already knows every answer. It’s that he knows he can figure out what the project needs.
For Owners, that matters. Buildings rarely arrive as neat design problems. Budgets, operations, approvals, users, and competing priorities all have to be worked through before the right direction is clear.
The Jon Diaz Community Center in Nedrow, NY, is the vision of former NFL running back and Onondaga High School alumnus Latavius Murray, in memory of his childhood friend. The facility will bring recreation, fitness, childcare, education, and wellness programs together for children, families, and seniors.
THE DRAW OF DESIGN-BUILD
Conner came to VIP for something his career hadn’t given him yet: Design-Build.
He wanted to experience what happens when architects and builders work together from the start, instead of approaching design and construction as separate conversations.
At VIP, architecture and construction often work on projects together as one integrated Design-Build team. That can mean walking down the hall to test an idea with the Construction team before a decision is made. Does it work on paper? How will it be built? What will it cost? Is there a better way to reach the same goal?
For Owners, that creates opportunities to identify problems before they become expensive changes and make design decisions with construction knowledge already at the table. Design and technical rigor still matter, but the best ideas also have to survive contact with the realities of construction.
BRINGING HIS EXPERIENCE BACK HOME
After years in Boston and Miami, some of Conner’s most meaningful work is now close to where he grew up. He is helping lead architectural design for the City of Rome’s Michael E. Jensen Recreation and Community Center, known as the Legacy Center. The facility honors Michael E. Jensen, a Rome native and Syracuse police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2024. Plans include the region’s largest indoor turf field, a 10,000 SF childcare center, and Legacy Hall, honoring people whose service has shaped the Rome community.
Conner’s current projects also include the planned redevelopment of the historic Sears Building, the future home of ON-RAMP CNY, and the Jon Diaz Community Center in Nedrow, along with two industrial Design-Build renovation projects for regional manufacturers.
Conner loves ambitious design, and he’s proud of buildings that become part of a skyline. But he’s just as invested in the work it takes to get a building built. A design doesn’t do its job on a drawing board. It does its job when people can use it.
RECOGNIZING LEADERSHIP, BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Conner’s promotion reflects the responsibility he has already taken on in under two years at VIP and the firm’s confidence in what he will contribute next.
For the Clients Conner already works with, the person they call doesn’t change. What grows is the experience and responsibility he brings to their projects. That’s how VIP builds its architecture team: by giving capable people room to grow and recognizing them when they do.
“We’re always looking for a better way to build, and that starts with people like Conner. He listens first, asks the hard questions early, and stays with a problem until there’s a way forward. He genuinely cares about the communities he designs for. Our Clients already know that about him, and we’re proud to recognize it.”
For Conner, the promotion brings greater responsibility and an opportunity to help shape the future of VIP’s architecture practice. But the determination that carried him through architecture school, college baseball, and years of challenging projects hasn’t changed.
Figure out what needs to be done. Rely on the people around you. Keep working until you get there. Congratulations, Conner!
Planning a project? Meet Conner and the VIP architecture team to discuss what you’re looking to accomplish.
About VIP Structures
Founded in Syracuse in 1975, VIP Structures is a design-build firm providing integrated architecture, construction, development, property management, and building technology services to commercial, industrial, and institutional clients throughout New York State. Led by CEO Meg Tidd, VIP has completed more than 2,500 projects throughout Central New York. For more information, visit www.vipstructures.com.
