From Air Force airman to architect, an area small business owner helps give downtown Shreveport a fresh face.

“I think it is easy to overlook the incredible potential Shreveport has and the city leaders who are trying hard to make downtown a great place to live,” said Jason Cram, managing partner. “I know we have a great community of people, and I am excited to see revitalization of our downtown and the growth of our area.”

The company teamed up with another area architecture firm, iARCHITECTURE, to renovate their own building on Lake Street after outgrowing a previous leased space. iARCHITECTURE and The Agora Borealis are counted among the firm’s building-mates.

Cram said his family has been in the construction business for as long as anyone can remember. He said the construction industry is a tough place to make a living because of the hard work and long hours. Plus, he said it could be negatively affected by the economy and weather.

“Architecture seemed to be a good bridge between the two,” he said. “I was still able to create and see things built, but I was partially insulated from some of the negative aspects of the business.”

It was the Air Force that originally brought Cram to Shreveport. He attended Louisiana Tech University and earned his degree in architecture. Since then, he has worked with architecture firms in New Orleans and New England specializing in hospitality, multi-family and single-family residential and historic structures.

“I really grew a love for bringing back dilapidated structures and giving them new purpose,” he said.

The company, which designs residential, commercial and historic locations, gives back to the community through involvement with The Fuller Center for Housing NWLA. Vintage Design Group has provided no-cost design services for their neighborhood market, building surplus store and many neighborhood homes, to the nonprofit.

“I hope that in some way our small contribution might help someone else out like many others did for my company and me,” he said.

– Melissa Airhart