E. Clay Elder is President and CEO of ESD Partners, a Charlotte firm that provides commercial architectural, interior design and project management services throughout the Southeast, with particular expertise in financial, medical and corporate facilities. Before establishing ESD in 1992, Clay had over thirteen years of experience in Project and Design Management positions with local and national architectural firms based in Charlotte.
Clay is a registered architect who holds registrations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Ohio, Delaware and Kentucky. A native of Shelby, NC, he received his degree in Architecture at UNC Charlotte. His professional affiliations include the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), organizations that develop and recommend standards for architectural registration as well as the standards reformulation and improving the practice of architecture.
Among Clay’s awards are the 1994 L. Vincent Lowe, Jr. Business Award, issued by the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina and the Best New Construction of the Year in 1996, issued by the South Carolina Downtown Development Association.