We offer all of our employees a competitive benefits package including: Vacation & Sick Days, Health Insurance, Dental + Vision Insurance, 401K matching, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Spending Account (HSA), Life Insurance, and more.

We are also able to offer discounts on various products and programs through our partnerships and industry connections, including: Chicago CTA + Metra, Caltrain, travel accommodations, health & wellness services, technology products, and many more industry discounts on furnishings and materials.

At VDT, we value personal wellness for all employees. Our Culture Initiative has brought wellness to the forefront of our firm during the 2020-21 pandemic. We celebrated our first annual ‘Wellness Week’ in 2020.

Each year, our office also participates in the Chicago Active Transportation Alliance Bike to Work Week and the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge 5K.

We believe that a part of wellness is giving back to our communities, so VDT offers 16 paid hours/year for employees to spend volunteering for causes they believe in.

We look forward to continuing the wellness initiative at VDT and finding new ways to support it in the future.

We believe in helping our employees reach their career goals. That is why we offer a number of opportunities including a Mentorship Program, Fireside Chats, assistance with licensure testing and materials, memberships in professional organizations, and assistance in attending industry conferences and events.

Mentorship
Our Mentorship program is a structured, one-on-one program aimed at coaching in professional development and fulfillment of professional goals; understanding of the industry and navigating the profession. Each mentor will be paired with 1 or 2 mentees for a 6-month duration. During this time, the mentor and mentee meet monthly.

Fireside Chats
We have periodic presentations / chats presented by one of our eight principals. This is a space where employees can learn about the principal's background, how they got to where they are today, and glean new knowledge about the history of VDT and the architecture industry.

Licensure
VDT supports the completion of licensure for architecture and interior design. The firm reimburses completion of ARE, CSE, NCIDQ and LEED exams; and provides supporting study materials.

Work From Home is here to stay and VDT has adapted and pivoted. All of our staff are now able to enjoy a hybrid work model of 60% in-office and 40% work-from-home.

We have established different committees (Technology, Operations, Sustainability, and Culture) to help engage the entire staff, provide leadership opportunities and develop value-added programs for the workplace.

At VDT, everyone has a seat at the design table. Great ideas come from multiple sources, from any level of the design team, and from partners and stakeholders.

The architecture community as a whole has a long way to go to reflect the diversity of American society. VDT recognizes this and remains committed to expanding access and opportunity to our profession, engaging with the vibrant and diverse communities of our home cities, and supporting and forming partnerships with organizations that share these values.

Design is always the answer, whatever the question. Our experience has taught us that successful design draws from a variety of unique and diverse voices and that each answer brings different perspectives and drives creative innovative solutions.

In order to truly design for everyone, our staff also needs to be representative of our diverse community. VDT is committed to building a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive architectural future. to be advocates for our profession, mentor young professionals in the field, partnering with HBCUs, building the right partnerships with local and equitable design groups, tie into sustainability, etc.

​ACE Mentor is a nation-wide program that connects professionals with high school students who are interested in pursuing careers in Architecture, Construction, and Engineering. ACE Mentor Chicago is one of the largest and most active chapters, reaching nearly 300 students each year. VDT is proud to participate, with Lendlease Construction and Thornton Tomasetti Structural Engineers as our partners. ACE Mentor Chicago is dedicated to increasing opportunity and diversity in our professions, with a majority of our students self-identified as minorities.

Our ACE team meets on Thursday nights from November through April. We host a team of about 25 students at our office to work on collaborative design projects, as well as field trips, scavenger hunts, and visits to our partner firms. A typical year ends with the students submitting their project to the Construction Industry Round Table's national student design competition. We love helping mentor, train, and recruit the next generation of architects, contractors, and engineers.

We feel that making space to relax, unwind, and get to know one another provides the opportunity to know your colleagues better on a personal level.

One of our favorite traditions is Beer Fridays where we celebrate the end of the work-week with a cold one. We also hold various other events like Pancake Day, Holiday Parties, and Summer Outings, to name a few.