A&E + SMA Design

A&E + SMA Design Two of Montana’s top firms have become one people-first, community and client-driven powerhouse. Let’s go! Stronger together, by design.

We love seeing our communities dream bigger. The future AC Hotel, designed by A&E + SMA Design, is featured in the June ...
06/05/2026

We love seeing our communities dream bigger. The future AC Hotel, designed by A&E + SMA Design, is featured in the June 2026 issue of Simply Local Billings, where our renderings offer a glimpse of what's to come.

From guest rooms and dining experiences to rooftop gathering spaces, the project is part of a larger wave of momentum downtown. We're proud to help create a destination that welcomes visitors, strengthens the urban core, and reflects our commitment to creating meaningful places with lasting impact.

Read the full article and learn more about the project at simplylocalbillings.com.

🤝: AC Hotel by Marriott Billings, Simply Local Magazine Billings

A new chapter for Shields Valley’s youngest learners is underway.This work-in-progress design focuses on creating a new ...
06/04/2026

A new chapter for Shields Valley’s youngest learners is underway.

This work-in-progress design focuses on creating a new building that feels connected to the existing school while giving Pre-K through 6th grade students a modern learning environment.

The design carries forward familiar brick, scale, and proportions, with wood accents adding warmth. Inside, administrative space, a library, and a music room will support daily school life, while flexible areas help the school make the most of its footprint and serve students, staff, and the community for years to come.

🤝: Shields Valley Public Schools

Last week, our materials specifications expert visited our offices for team education on how specs support the work behi...
06/03/2026

Last week, our materials specifications expert visited our offices for team education on how specs support the work behind the work. From materials and finishes to quality standards and contractor coordination, specifications are like a manual, helping translate design vision into a clear, buildable path forward.

This kind of ongoing education is part of how we grow as a team and as a firm. When our people keep learning, we strengthen the process for every project – so we can give our clients even greater confidence in the experience and the final result.

06/02/2026

Strong foundations and wide horizons. To celebrate the merger of A&E + SMA Design, we created this set of City Cards to give out to clients, partners, and collaborators – folks who’ve helped shape our path forward. 
 
Each card features a black-and-white illustration inspired by one of the Montana communities we call home. As you visit our offices, you can collect matching stickers and complete the full image over time.
 
In a fast-moving world, the idea was to create something simple and tangible. Part postcard, part keepsake, they’re a reason to stop in, say hello, and stay in touch.
 
DrivenToCreateImpact

The Boone and Crockett Club makes its home in Missoula’s National Register-listed Milwaukee Depot, bringing conservation...
06/01/2026

The Boone and Crockett Club makes its home in Missoula’s National Register-listed Milwaukee Depot, bringing conservation history and architectural history together under one roof.

Our historic preservation team assessed the exterior of the iconic 1910-era building and helped secure grant funding to support the restoration effort. Working to restore the Depot's historic character, our team helped guide masonry restoration and replace the building’s non-historic asphalt roof with a terra cotta clay tile roof, returning one of its most recognizable architectural features to the Missoula skyline.

📸: LARA SWIMMER PHOTOGRAPHY / Esto
🤝: Boone and Crockett Club

The best environments are designed around human experience. That’s where experiential graphic design does some of its mo...
05/28/2026

The best environments are designed around human experience. That’s where experiential graphic design does some of its most important work.

The A&E + SMA Design team traveled to San Francisco for the SEGD Conference, joining designers from around the world with leading voices in the field. We talked wayfinding, storytelling, inclusivity, and place. Meaning: we got to nerd out about signs. And maps. And murals. And how people find the front door. And why certain spaces feel welcoming before anyone says a word.

SEGD – the Society for Experiential Graphic Design – brings together a multidisciplinary community dedicated to creating spaces that are more accessible, intuitive, and emotionally resonant.

We came home with inspiration and energy for creating designs that are clearer to navigate, richer to experience, and more human-centered at every step.

Let’s kick off summer by hitting the trails – and making every mile matter!A&E + SMA Design is proud to sponsor GVLT’s S...
05/27/2026

Let’s kick off summer by hitting the trails – and making every mile matter!

A&E + SMA Design is proud to sponsor GVLT’s Summer Trails Challenge this June, joining more than 40 local businesses to help raise $100,000 for Gallatin Valley Land Trust. From June 1-30, every trail mile logged means $1 for GVLT from the sponsor match pool. Walk, run, bike, hike, bring the dog, have a picnic, stop to look at wildflowers – it all helps!

We’re inviting YOU – our staff, clients, project partners, friends, and neighbors – to join team A&E + SMA and spend some time outdoors for a great cause. Bonus: participants on team A&E + SMA will be eligible for a $100 top-mileage prize and a $50 raffle prize, with every mile logged counting as one raffle entry.

Start logging your miles as early as Monday, June 1st, at gvlt.org and choose "A&E + SMA Design" as your team. Together, we can support the trails and open spaces that make the Gallatin Valley such a special place to live, work, and play!

🤝: Gallatin Valley Land Trust

Laurel Intermediate School is officially award-winning! This project received an IIDA Rocky Mountain Chapter BEST Award,...
05/26/2026

Laurel Intermediate School is officially award-winning! This project received an IIDA Rocky Mountain Chapter BEST Award, which celebrates design excellence, new ideas, and the impact of interior design across Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

The school is a key part of Laurel Public Schools’ district-wide efforts to make room for growth and give students better spaces to learn. Designed for grades 3-5, the interiors reflect the energy, independence, and curiosity of intermediate learners.

We’re thrilled to see this lively, student-centered space earn regional recognition — it’s a big win for the school, the district, and the Laurel community!

📸: LARA SWIMMER PHOTOGRAPHY / Esto
🤝: Laurel Public Schools - District Page, IIDA Rocky Mountain Chapter

This Helena office was made for Robert Peccia and Associates, a civil engineering firm working at the intersection of te...
05/25/2026

This Helena office was made for Robert Peccia and Associates, a civil engineering firm working at the intersection of technical precision, field expertise, and big-picture thinking. The LEED Silver-certified building brings together strong commercial presence, natural light, open views, and true Montana character.

A two-story lobby gives the office a clear center of gravity, connecting the open stair, conference spaces, and shared circulation. Dozens of perimeter offices bring daylight into the workday, while open core spaces keep the plan bright, energized, and easy to navigate. Outdoor decks, huddle rooms, a third-floor kitchen/break room, and a multi-bay garage for company vehicles and specialized technical equipment support the firm’s full range of needs, from focused desk work and team meetings to equipment-heavy field operations.

📸: Longviews Studios / Heidi Long
🤝: Robert Peccia & Associates

Please join us in celebrating 20 years with Dusty Eaton! 🌟Over the past two decades, Dusty has helped drive one of the m...
05/22/2026

Please join us in celebrating 20 years with Dusty Eaton! 🌟

Over the past two decades, Dusty has helped drive one of the most transformative chapters in A&E + SMA Design’s story. From becoming the youngest partner in company history to leading the firm as CEO, he has continually challenged us to think bigger about the role design can play in people’s lives and communities.

Under Dusty’s leadership, our firm has become a multidisciplinary creative studio where architecture, interiors, landscape architecture, preservation, graphics, and storytelling work together to create impact, by design. Dusty’s vision reaches across Montana and the Northwest through diverse and meaningful projects ranging from schools and civic spaces to healthcare, historic preservation, and downtown revitalization.

Just as importantly, he has built a culture rooted in mentorship, trust, creativity, and “leaders building leaders” – empowering people across the firm to grow, lead, and make a difference.

Thank you, Dusty, for 20 years of bold ideas, inspiring leadership, and unwavering belief in the power of people and design to create positive change!

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124 North 29th Street
Billings, MT
59101

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Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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