Welcome to the Team! Jim Merriman, AIA, Named Learning Practice Leader

We are thrilled to announce Jim Merriman, AIA, has been hired as a dedicated practice leader in the learning market. Merriman will grow the education practice at Progressive Companies in the Charlotte, NC, region while continuing the firm’s commitment to serving existing learning clients. He has more than 35 years of experience and is credited with numerous award-winning projects.“We are making a significant investment to bolster our regional expertise, experience base, and portfolio in the learning market, which means hiring the best and brightest,” said Wes Jones, managing principal of the Progressive Companies Charlotte office. “We are excited to continue to grow our presence in the regional education market, and Jim is just the person to lead these initiatives. He is a well-known expert whose knowledge and expertise will be of great value to our clients and the firm.”Merriman comes to Progressive Companies from RATIO, a national design and consulting firm where he was an associate principal of architecture. His notable and award-winning projects include The College of Engineering at NC State University, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, a recent master plan for Jackson Library at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Greensboro, the Watt Family Innovation Center at Clemson University, Marsico Hall Lung Institute at UNC Chapel Hill, and classroom renovations at UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro and UNC Charlotte. Merriman has extensive experience in the design and renovation of residence life buildings including the new student union at East Carolina University and residence halls at Appalachian State and Shaw University.“Joining Progressive AE as a learning market practice leader is an exciting opportunity and challenge,” said Merriman. “The firm is well-known in Michigan for its expertise and experience with education. I look forward to bringing together that wealth of knowledge with our strong regional relationships to grow our team of experts and projects here in the Charlotte region.”Merriman possesses a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Before working with RATIO, he worked at global architecture firm Perkins+Will for more than 25 years, including five years as Design Principal of the firm’s Charlotte office. As one of the firm’s core values, Progressive Companies is committed to learning and approaching all manners with eager curiosity and self-driven pursuit of personal and professional development.