NBA Principal Bettie Bragg Retires
After an accomplished, almost nineteen year career at NBA, Interior Design Principal Bettie Bragg is retiring.
The firm bids a fond farewell to a colleague and a friend who has made a lasting impact on her co-workers, clients, and the Atlanta design industry. Bettie joined the firm in 2000 and has managed interior design projects in the student housing, multi-family housing and hospitality markets. Her work has been the recipient of numerous IIDA Georgia Best of the Best (B.o.B.) and ASID Georgia Design Excellence Awards. These projects include Olmsted Chamblee, UH 2100 San Antonio, UH Midtown and Trellis House.
The firm wishes Bettie all the best and is grateful for her years of hard work and dedication in helping lead the firm to where it is today!
Read more about Bettie’s career and projects below…
When/how did you meet Niles?
I moved to Atlanta to start an interior design firm, Designers II, with my UNC college roommate, Janet Garner. We met Niles through a mutual friend in real estate and our firms started working together since at the time, NBA only had an architecture practice and we just did interior design.
Tell us the story of Niles getting you to come work at Niles Bolton Associates.
Janet moved to Europe and we closed DII. Niles must have found out because he called me and said, “Come on, let’s have lunch.” We did, and pretty soon, I’m walking through Niles Bolton Associates and he’s offering me a job! And I thought, “Why the heck not? He’s a good guy. His integrity is without question.” So, that was it, nineteen years ago, and they’ve been nineteen very good years. I just can’t imagine a better job.
What’s something you’ve learned from Niles?
The top of the list is always integrity, which it should be. Don’t be careless about what you say. Be direct with clients. Don’t be afraid to have a discussion if you really feel that the path of the project is going the wrong way.
What’s been your favorite thing working at NBA?
It’s been rewarding to see people grow in their abilities from when they first started working at the firm. I’ve enjoyed working with such a talented team of designers and have learned a lot from each of them.
What projects stick out in your mind?
There have been so many! All projects come with their challenges and opportunities. I have enjoyed being creative and working with our team of talented people to find the right solutions for our clients. To specifically name a few… San Jose State was my first project at NBA, it had me flying back and forth between Atlanta and California a lot! We’ve done some good work with RISE over the years, Trellis House was one of my favorites.
What will you miss the most about NBA?
There are so many people here that I’m going to miss! They all mean so much to me. We’re like a big family here. We all take care of each other and look out for each other. It’s been such a pleasure to work with these people that I have been lucky to have as my colleagues and friends. I’m going to miss each and every one of them.
Your projects have won numerous IIDA and ASID awards, what does that mean to you?
It means we [the interior design team] collaborated well. The quality of the designs for our projects had their own identity and weren’t like what everyone else was doing, and that was rewarding.
Explore some of Bettie’s favorite projects from the past nineteen years!
Sheraton Sand Key Resort
Clearwater, FL
Rutgers University - B.E.S.T. Hall
Piscataway, NJ
Trellis House
Washington, DC
