Hackman Capital Partners’ Michael Hackman, CEO, and Reza Safavi, Managing Principal, Real Estate Development, received this year’s Business Leadership Award at the 63rd USC Architectural Guild Dinner. The event was held Tuesday, March 21 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.
This theme of this year’s annual flagship event, “Celebrating the Creatives,” commemorated the artists, architects, animators and design leaders who, in multi-dimensional capacities of the creative economy, embrace the complexities of social, environmental, and political concerns. They—along with the builders, planners, disruptors, influencers, and investors—create and make spaces in the world for dynamic, diverse communities to thrive.
“‘Celebrating the Creatives’ recognizes the power of our creative industries to address the most pressing challenges of our time, and those generating a dynamic nexus of action through the lens of architecture, art, mixed media, design, and more,” said Willow Bay, dean of USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and interim dean of USC School of Architecture.
In addition to Hackman and Safavi, Guild honorees included Issa Rae, who received the Citizen Architect Award; Mark Rios, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award; and Behnaz Farahi who received the Inaugural NextGen Award.
“Architecture is at the cornerstone of our business, and we celebrate its power to inspire creativity and transform entire communities,” said Michael Hackman. “To be honored by the Guild with the Distinguished Business Leadership Award is an extraordinary tribute, for which we are sincerely grateful—and we are thrilled to stand among such impressive honorees, current and past.”
“It is an honor to receive this award from the USC Architectural Guild,” said Reza Safavi.. “We applaud the Guild’s mission, not only to support the school, but to forge a significant link between it and the professional community. Because of my long-standing affiliation with the Guild, I have seen firsthand the impact it’s had on the lives of students and the design/build industry at large. The Guild is truly fostering the next generation of architectural leaders, and we are humbled to be recognized by such an important and prestigious group.”
The USC Architectural Guild Annual Dinner is the organization’s major annual fundraising event and supports student scholarships and other program initiatives at the USC School of Architecture.
“USC Architecture students are among the most diverse and dynamic creatives who are preparing to become the next generation of citizen architects. The Architectural Guild’s award-winning student engagement programs are generously supported each year by this milestone event,” said Bay.
