CTA Architects P.C.
New York, New York, United States
Number of employees: #58
https://www.ctaarchitects.com/
CTA Architects P.C. (CTA) is composed of talented, hands-on architects well-versed in traditional urban building types and new technologies. The firm has garnered respect from a myriad of clients from both the private and public sectors and specializes in new design, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, building restoration and rehabilitation. They have committed to pledging their profit and time towards helping the community.
While CTA Architects P.C. (CTA) has been dedicating a portion of its time and profit to valuable causes and nonprofit organizations since its founding, we only recently signed on to Pledge 1% in 2022. We have been uplifted and inspired by the community stories shared and have continued to take on new ways in which we can give our time and profit to causes in need of support.
One of the newer causes that we supported beginning this year was the New York Architect’s Regatta Foundation. CTA sponsored a boat for the 2022 New York Architect’s Regatta hosted in September 2022, and had five of its very own sailors aboard a J-24 sailboat in the Hudson River, racing to support providing waterfront access and educational experience to a wide audience of various socioeconomic backgrounds.
Over the past few years, the Regatta helped to realize some amazing feats such as:
• Successfully lobbied Congress and the NYS Legislature to enact laws that protect our drinking water supply
• Modified a fleet of sailboats so that people with spinal cord injuries, many of them combat veterans, can sail
• Taken classes of elementary and middle school students out for a day of sailing mixed with science lessons, on the Long Island Sound
• Provided leadership training, social services, college application support, STEM classes, and scholarships to students all over the NYC area
• Supported the US Olympic Sailing team, and especially, the US sailing team representative to the Paralympic Games
One of CTA’s very own employees came across this opportunity about a month before the event, and asked the Partners if we would be able to support the cause with a short timeframe. Without hesitation, an office-wide message was sent out asking for interest and participants for the regatta. Five members of CTA staff (also known as the “sailors”) volunteered and committed to raise a minimum of $2,500 to participate in the regatta. The sailors reached out to contractors, consultants, friends, family, and employees of the company, to gain financial support necessary to secure a sailboat on race day, with CTA itself making a generous donation to our team’s cause. At the end of the fundraising period, CTA was proud to have raised a total of $3,445 in just two and a half weeks, an achievement that we are very proud of.
The team was a group of all first-time sailors, and welcomed the challenge of sailing on a rainy day in the Hudson River with a great attitude and determination for success. The sailors, Nadja, Christian, Saša, Ben and Isabel, along with their trusty skipper Thomas, took to the waters and utilized their communication skills and strong sense of teamwork to excel during the races. CTA’s sailboat placed 6th in race one, 4th in race two, and 7th in race three. For a boat of first-time sailors, our skipper assured us that our listening skills, teamwork and above all else, our goal to have fun, helped us excel.
It was very encouraging to be able to support a new cause and get involved in something we had no exposure to, all while making a difference. We hope to continue supporting this cause on an annual basis and host a boat in the competition in future years!
Their #1 tip or advice for companies?
It is most important to base and build an impact program upon values and causes that your company cares about, and to give employees the ability to bring their own foundations and causes close to their hearts to the table for discussion of support. More progress is made when employees are passionate about the causes we support.
