National Park Service Recovery Act  - AJC Architects, Salt Lake City, Utah

Jill Jones, owner of AJC Architects in Salt Lake City said her Recovery Act story isn’t quite as dramatic as some Recovery Act stories. “I can’t say that we’d be out of business without the Recovery Act, but we’d certainly have a different look.”

Jill is being modest. She would have lost up to 35 percent of her staff without the Recovery Act projects her firm is working on for the National Park Service and other federal agencies. “The design and architecture world has taken a big hit from the Recession,” she said. “We haven’t had to lay off any of our staff but there are firms in Utah that have and those people are calling us to see if we have openings.”

For now, AJC is holding its own. They’ve saved jobs and anticipate hiring additional staff as Recovery Act projects keep coming next year. “The Recovery Act is an important building block to getting out of the Recession,” Jill says. “It’s important because I believe the Recovery Act work businesses have today will help get us to the point where banks start letting some of the money flow again.”

Retaining jobs and being able to add employees is well and good, Jill says, but the Recovery Act is a confidence builder, too. “There’s this pervasive attitude of caution, of fear sometimes, that we have to wait and see, wait and see, wait and see, and it really strikes at people’s confidence.

“I see the Recovery Act contributing to a restoration of people’s confidence. Let me give you an example. I had an employee come in recently. Their home air conditioning had broken down and she was afraid to get it repaired - in 103 degree heat! She asked me if I thought she should get it fixed because she wasn’t sure she’d have a job long term.

“I told her to go straight out and get it fixed. We have work for all of us here. The Recovery Act has changed the confidence level of the 22 people working here and I believe it has a ripple effect that will move across the country as more and more of these Recovery Act projects hit the ground.”

Contact:  Jeffrey Olson, National Park Service, (202) 208-6843