Collingswood’s Kitchen & Associates is unveiling a new look, a new website and a new name, officially rebranding to Thriven Design.
The multidisciplinary design firm made the announcement and debuted its refreshed identity Oct. 26.
Bartner
“For over 50 years, our firm has been guided by the idea that design changes the way people live, work, and interact with their environment for the better,” said Matthew Bartner, who was appointed managing principal for the firm in May. “Our new look and feel represents an exciting new chapter of service and growth for the firm, and better reflects our long-standing multidisciplinary approach and focus on community impact.”
The firm’s portfolio spans affordable, market-rate and student housing; adaptive reuse; asset preservation; large-scale site planning; commercial facilities and more. Founded more than 50 years ago by architect and urban planner Benjamin Kitchen, the firm describes itself as a pioneer in socially responsible and environmentally conscious design.
The new name recalls the company’s legacy for creating spaces “where people thrive and its commitment to serving others and enacting positive change.” The new website, meanwhile, helps bring the brand “to life” through the people and projects that Thriven Design’s work affects across its national client base.
For its refresh, Thriven Design enlisted Philadelphia-based branding agency Cohere; while communications and strategy for its rollout were coordinated by Maven Communications, which is also based in the City of Brotherly Love.
“The firm recently entered a new phase of leadership and strategic expansion, creating the perfect opportunity to ensure our branding reflects who we are as a company,” said Thriven Design Senior Director of Business Strategy Richard Carbone in a statement. “With the launch of Thriven Design, our clients can expect the same commitment to excellence from the same talented team, with an expanded suite of services and opportunities across our portfolio.”
That expansion was also part of the mission highlighted by Bartner’s appointment earlier this year. Following his lead, Thriven Design said its executive leadership team is focused on expanding its housing practice, in addition to increasing its presence in other key markets.
Princeton’s Michael Graves Architecture is making gains on its long-term strategic growth plan with the acquisition of Jose Carballo Architectural Group, its second in 2022.
MGA announced the addition of the Hackensack-based architecture firm Oct. 12. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“When evaluating this acquisition, we knew our two firms would work well together. We were already collaborating with Jose on three projects, and our teams demonstrated our shared core values by operating as one team to serve our client,” MG President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Furey said in a statement. “Our teams not only complement each other in terms of our design approach and deep market sector knowledge, but also through our common values, particularly when it comes to our devotion to innovation, commitment to quality, and unwavering client service.”
Furey will oversee the ongoing integration of the companies. According to MG’s announcement, the addition of JCAG will particularly strengthen its expertise in the multifamily residential sector.
JCAG Founder and Principal Jose Carballo will serve as principal under the new structure in addition to heading the firm’s multifamily sector in the Tri-State area. That company’s employees will be “thoughtfully incorporated into the company’s organization makeup in key roles,” MG said.
“I see significant growth ahead as we join with Michael Graves, allowing a bright future for my talented team, much in the way that Michael Graves paved the way for the continued success of his firm,” Carballo said. “At JCAG, we pride ourselves on developing lasting relationships and delivering high quality work for our clients, many of whom are repeats. … We’re excited to work together to grow the Michael Graves brand and present new and existing clients with excellent service and innovative design solutions.”
Looking ahead, Furey will also continue MG’s acquisition strategy. The company plans to develop and diversify its expertise, expand its physical presence and continue the legacy of its founder, the late Michael Graves.
“The future of our company is not as a corporate bureaucracy,” he said in a statement. “We will grow the company in scale, and in doing so, maintain the boutique feel our clients are accustomed to as we integrate the firms and continue to deliver creative solutions and extraordinary customer service.”
Spiezle Architectural Group recently debuted a new look — and website — to better reflect the Hamilton-based firm’s growth and offerings.
“We are excited and proud to debut our new brand and company website to our clients, partners, and employee-owners,” said President and CEO Thomas Perrino said in a statement. “The brand is a modern interpretation of who we are today and the inclusiveness, innovation, and forward progress we continue to promote.
We are excited to share our new brand, along with our new website that highlights our talented staff, service offerings, and design portfolio,” he said.
Spiezle, an employee-owned, full-service architectural, interior design, landscape architecture and planning firm was founded in 1954. The firm now has eight offices across six states, most recently expanding its footprint in Florida with the acquisition of Donadio and Associates, Architects PA. In 2020, the company was ranked No. 38 in the NJBIZ 50 Fastest Growing Companies in New Jersey Awards.
Spiezle Architectural Group, founded in 1954, has revealed a brand refresh and new website. – SPIEZLE ARCHITECTURAL GROUP
The refresh, according to the firm, also better reflects its values. Its new tagline is People. Passion. Purpose.
“The firm celebrates its employee-owners whose passion makes a positive impact in the lives of the firm’s clients, the spaces they inhabit, and the world around us,” Spiezle said of the new branding. Its new logo is representative of those people — and the firm they comprise — stepping into the future.
“Our goal was to create an engaging brand that represented our company culture and positions us for the next step forward in our growth,” said Creative Marketing Director Jaime Sliker. “We love design, and we love what we do. Our new brand and website convey our design excellence, our openness, and our personality.”
On the firm’s new website, projects from across Spiezle’s portfolio — which covers education, senior living, health care, corporate/commercial, government, hospitality, landscape architecture, electrical engineering, urban planning, interior design, furniture procurement and multifamily residential projects — are featured, along with its people. The “Our Team” menu provides further introduction the firm’s work, and thought leadership, across all its offices and markets.
Additional features on the firm’s new website include a blog, white papers and a recruitment section.
In February, Colliers announced it negotiated a lease extension and expansion for PLT Health Solutions that would keep the developer and marketer of ingredient solutions for the natural products, food, beverage and cosmeceuticals markets at Morristown’s Headquarters Plaza.
The move to the North Tower of the complex gave staff members views of the Morristown Green. Inside, PLT has new views, as well, following the build out of the space, announced April 18 by Kimmerle Group, which was enlisted for the project at 119 Headquarters Plaza. The new space incorporates existing items along with new ones for a feeling the Harding Township-based architecture and planning firm describes as elegant and refined, while also feeling current and fresh.
Living walls bring the outdoors in and provide for a modern feel at PLT Health Solutions new space in Morristown. – KIMMERLE GROUP
“This was a real opportunity to create a space that reflects PLT’s overall wellness and health platform. Green walls and natural woods combine with sleek glass to allow sunlight to penetrate and permeate the space throughout,” Kimmerle Group Vice President Paul Newman said in a statement.
Kimmerle Newman Architects, the firm’s architectural and interior design division, and Kimmerle Workspace, which provides procurement and purchasing services, worked together to complete the project for the client, with the latter also carrying out branding and graphics. According to Kimmerle, PLT was looking to refresh its office space, and its move afforded the opportunity to craft a space that is more reflective of the company for its employees.
Newman added: “It was clear PLT was enjoying the design process!”
Kimmerle’s design lets light filter through the updated space. – KIMMERLE GROUP
PLT is frequently visited by clients, so creating reception and conference areas that make visitors feel welcome was important. Living walls add a burst of color, bringing the outdoors in, to the reception area and elevator lobby for a modern feel. The lobby was also outfitted with spaces for PLT to display its products, which is doubly fitting as Kimmerle said the client’s own branding played a part in choosing materials for the office.
Where it fit, existing elements of the space — some of the woodwork in the lobby and reception area, that space’s natural slate floors, and existing woodwork in the conference rooms — were retained in the new design. Select pieces of furniture and fixtures were also reused, incorporated with new finishes and pieces to refresh the existing elements.
Where possible, Kimmerle kept existing elements to incorporate with new features. – KIMMERLE GROUP
“PLT Health Solutions is a company that brings a unique set of value propositions to a very diverse, progressive, and global customer base,” PLT Health Chief Operating Officer Devin Stagg said. “We wanted our headquarters space to reflect these capabilities and to provide a highly collaborative space for our people, our suppliers and our customers.”
Glass-fronted offices offer more workstations with window views, and provide as much natural light — taking advantage of the firm’s new view in the 13-floor building — and open space as possible.
A central canteen connects to a collaborative work area near the window line, Kimmerle said, allowing for full staff meetings, company gatherings or other celebrations.
“Our new facilities reflect the creativity and commitment to human health and environmental friendliness that are hallmarks of the PLT business,” Stagg added.
Gov. Phil Murphy tours Cinelease Studios – Caven Point in Jersey City, one of several production facilities that have opened as part of New Jersey’s burgeoning production business. – EDWIN J. TORRES/NJ GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
New Jersey has seen some success in its efforts to reclaim its crown – or at the very least, mount a successful reboot – as the place to make movies, with a plethora of projects taking advantage of the Film & Digital Media Tax Credit Program.
Since the incentive was reinstated in July 2018, it’s been expanded several times. According to data from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which administers the program, from its inception through this past February, it has distributed awards to more than 60 projects amounting to approximately $263 million. And throughout 2021, returns on in-state production spending from filmmaking set a record, according to the Governor’s Office, surpassing $500 million.
One of the effects of that popularity among projects, which have included Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning “West Side Story,” and Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” is the need to house these productions. In February, Kearny Point Business Center welcomed its second soundstage in less than a year; last summer, Gov. Phil Murphy was on hand to cut the ribbon on the state’s largest studio, Cinelease Studios – Caven Point in Jersey City, which measures 70,000 square feet. According to the governor’s office, the location is “the first purpose-built facility of its kind in the state.”
But probably not its last.
Hanadel
Keith Hanadel is principal in charge of the Media & Entertainment practice at New York-based HLW, which has an office in Madison, in addition to locations in Los Angeles, London and Stamford. Though he was unable to discuss current work, HLW’s past projects in the Garden State include the CNBC building in Englewood Cliffs and work for Univision. And after more than 25 years of doing such work, Hanadel said there’s been a big increase in the volume of inquiries in New Jersey. According to him, starting “the year before COVID, all of a sudden the entire marketplace exploded.”
This isn’t the first time he’s seen an uptick in interest in the region. Back in the early aughts, Hanadel said HLW did a lot of speculative investigations for developers looking into the prospect of building film and stage facilities on the East Coast in New Jersey and across the Hudson in New York, but not one panned out. Now, not only is the volume cranked up, but Hanadel says the scale of these projects is also increased, signaling a change in the marketplace.
“At one point, people wanted to talk to us about renovating existing warehouses and other large-scale facilities into film facilities.” Now, Hanadel said, interest is building around, well, new buildings: “Which signals to me, people are willing to commit much more of an investment into the marketplace than they were before.”
“One of the great differences, I suspect,” he continued, “is the tax incentive program.”
Think big
The requirements for such large-scale production spaces aren’t all that different from another state sector experiencing record-breaking interest coming out of the pandemic: industrial commercial real estate. First off, there’s the footprint. In Jersey City, Cinelease Studios – Caven Point sits on 6 acres. According to Hanadel, lately the inquiries he’s seeing are for 15-acre sites, including six and eight stages at between 15,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. But stages aren’t the only space that needs to be accounted for. There’s also mill space, he says, where sets are built, stage service space – including props, storage, and hair and makeup – and production offices. “A program with six stages could be … half a million square feet pretty easily,” Hanadel said. “That ideally you’d have, you know, 15 or 20 acres.” Once you start looking at putting a project like that on an 11- or 12-acre site, you need to be more creative with your design, he said.
Gov. Phil Murphy cuts the ribbon on the largest film studio in New Jersey – Cinelease Studios, Caven Point in Jersey City – on Aug. 6, 2021. – EDWIN J. TORRES / GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
Room to get around is also necessary. “The production itself is constantly moving from stage to location, to location to stage,” according to Hanadel and those moves are “supported by a series of big giant trucks.”
“There’ll be a dozen 50-foot trucks that are required for a production,” he said, and similar to how those trucks provide the accommodations of the home-base while out on location, they also have to be accommodated at the studio.
To lure productions, the state’s diversity of locations is often touted – beaches, cities and woodlands – and Hanadel agrees with that sentiment. “It’s a small, dense place with a lot of location—a lot of almost fixed sets if you will.” The state’s position next to New York City doesn’t hurt either. “Another reason that New Jersey has become attractive [is] the proximity to New York,” Hanadel said. Not only does that offer access to above the line talent – “stars,” so to speak – but it also offers access to a highly skilled labor force. Which is important, Hanadel said, because these “are all skilled jobs.”
When Cinelease Studios – Caven Point celebrated its opening, the studio said it anticipated annual productions would put 200 to 400 film crew technicians to work, in addition to supporting other ancillary businesses. But those aren’t the only kinds of jobs to consider: “The sealed workforce in terms of building these things, it’s also important,” Hanadel added, crediting New Jersey as the kind of place that offers access to that kind of advantage.
Location is nothing if you can’t get there, though – calling to mind another similarity between the state’s industrial real estate sector, with its last-mile emphasis, and the growing interest in setting up production spaces. Ideally a location will be attached or close to a major conduit – Interstate 95 or 295, for example – so that “the people that end up on the marquee” can get to and from a production facility in real time.
For your consideration
So building up the logistics of production in the Garden State requires space and access. But there are other issues and according to Hanadel, addressing those items is a group effort. Project teams, which include architects like HLW but also engineers across a variety of disciplines (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural and fire protection, for example) or acousticians tackle these elements collaboratively.
“[T]hose kinds of considerations [need to be taken into account], like the amount of power—they use a tremendous amount of power,” Hanadel said of these types of properties. And they use a tremendous amount of air conditioning, he added. At 10 Basin Studios in Kearny – the soundstage that opened in February – the facility offers a fully soundproof stage with 150 tons of soundproof HVAC and 7200 amps of dedicated electrical power, according to the Governor’s Office.
In the Golden Age of Hollywood’s studio system, you never left the lot. You showed up in the morning and everything you needed was on hand. That’s not necessarily the case nowadays, but like other sectors seeking to entice employees, or customers, building in amenities at these production spaces is gaining steam. Hanadel said he thinks that competition is going to be a big driver. “Certainly we are being asked more and more about providing the amenities in these kind of places.”
Those include more gathering spaces, food options and even retail. The latter poses a bit of a problem due to the security involved with keeping productions under wraps until they’re ready to be released. “[T]hat sort of thing between that public access and privateness is a complicated element,” he said. “How do you create amenities that are somehow helping the community, but at the same time, you know, secure? That’s a design piece that we’re all … working with.”
On its website, the New Jersy Motion Picture & Television Commission lists seven current productions filming in the state. According to its services directory, there are 45 studios or stages—mostly in Central and North Jersey, for now. Earlier this month, the South Jersey Film Office Cooperative opened to lure projects further down the state to Camden and Gloucester counties. Now the plot has been laid, and as studios engage companies like HLW to work out plans to set up shop in the state, New Jerseyans can stay tuned to see how the Garden State’s reboot gamble continues to play out. Hanadel is optimistic.
“Frankly, I think it’s really going to be a big growth industry in New Jersey in the next couple of years,” he said.
PS&S already has two offices in New York, and April 4 the company announced that it is expanding its presence in the Empire State further with the acquisition of a 40-person consulting firm known, in particular, for its streetscaping, green streets, waterfront development and other sustainable projects.
Following the acquisition, PS&S will have a team of approximately 310 people throughout 10 offices across the Northeast, North Carolina and Texas. According to firm President and CEO John Sartor, PS&S’s five-year strategic plan includes growing in new geographic areas — especially those that stand to benefit from President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure legislation — with new partners and capabilities.
John Sartor, president and chief executive officer of PS&S.
B. Thayer Associates, which has been in business for three decades, offers architecture, engineering, surveying and mapping, and landscape architecture services. According to PS&S, it is a founding member of the nonprofit Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.
B. Thayer Associates has experience working with “virtually every” New York City and State agency, PS&S said. Some of the its past projects include the rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge, the modernization of the Mets-Willets Point train station and the Van Wyck Expressway – JFK Access project.
“B. Thayer Associates has a reputation for excellence in New York City, on Long Island and in New York State and is highly regarded by government agencies, especially those responsible for public transportation, and infrastructure improvements such as roads and highways, utilities, resiliency, and other public works projects,” Sartor said in a statement accompanying the news of the acquisition.
Among B. Thayer Associates’ current project is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Penn Station Access project. According to PS&S, the $2.2 billion design-build endeavor will bring Metro-North trains into the transit hub when the project is completed in 2027.
According to the announcement, Barbara Thayer, founder and president of B. Thayer Associates, will continue to play an active role in the combined firm’s New York market, working closely with the management team at PS&S to oversee an expansion of resources and capabilities across the Hudson River.
“I have long been familiar with PS&S and its multidiscipline approach,” she said. “As part of PS&S, my firm will now have the advantage of a much larger team, more disciplines in house, greater capital resources and the scale needed to compete as a prime contractor in today’s environment. I could not be more pleased that B. Thayer Associates has joined PS&S and look forward to actively working with leadership to take the firm to the next level of growth.”
Building on its long-term strategic growth plan, Princeton’s Michael Graves Architecture & Design announced the acquisition of Waldon Studio Architects on March 8.
Based in Maryland, Waldon Studio is a planning, architecture and interior design firm. According to MG, the addition strengthens its health care, education and worship sectors.
Both firms are also committed to sustainable design and historic preservation.
“When approaching this acquisition, we set out looking for a company with a deeply rooted set of core values that we share, and we knew right away we had found this in Waldon Studio Architects,” MG President and CEO Joe Furey said in a statement. “Our teams not only complement each other in our design approach and deep market sector knowledge, but also through our shared values, particularly in our devotion to innovation, commitment to quality, and unwavering client service.”
Ravi Waldon, founder and principal at Waldon Studio, will serve as principal at MG and head the firm’s faith-based sector — an area for which Waldon Studio is nationally recognized, having completed more than 200 church projects across the U.S. According to Michael Graves Architecture, additional Waldon Studio principals and directors will also be incorporated into the company’s organizational structure as principals for various practice sectors.
“I want to ensure a bright future for my talented team, much in the way that Michael Graves paved the way for the continued success of his firm,” Waldon said. “At Waldon Studio Architects, our calling has always been to create and serve. When we met with Joe and his team, we felt an immediate sense of mutual respect and were impressed by MG’s culture of thoughtfulness. We’re excited to work together to broaden our horizons and present new and existing clients with excellent service and innovative design solutions.”
Furey will oversee the integration of Waldon Studio, and MG’s continued acquisition strategy. That plan, according to Furey, shuns “corporate bureaucracy,” in favor of keeping the firm’s boutique roots in tact. “We will grow the company in scale, and in doing so, maintain the boutique feel to our clients as we integrate the firms so we continue to deliver creative solutions and extraordinary customer service,” Furey said.
Michael Graves Studio said it aims to expand its physical presence in major U.S. cities, develop its depth and diversity of expertise, and ensure its founder’s legacy.
In business for more than 50 years, MG was founded by architect Michael Graves, who passed away in 2015. The firm’s recent projects include The St. Regis Hotel in Cairo, Egypt; a headquarters for a Fortune 100 company at Midtown Center in Washington, D.C.; and 1776 by David Burke featuring Topgolf Swing Suites in Morristown.
The blues used in the color palette for KS Engineer’s new office at 2 Riverfront Plaza in Newark, designed by Ware Malcomb, come from the engineering firm’s branding. – MICHAEL SLACK PHOTOGRAPHY
KS Engineers PC is setting up shop at a new office in Newark.
And design firm Ware Malcomb announced the completion of construction for the new digs at 2 Riverfront Plaza, on Feb. 8.
The firm, which has Garden State offices in Princeton and Newark, provided interior architecture and design services for the 30,000-square-foot project.
Project construction was led by general contractor SJP Properties.
According to Ware Malcomb, the design offers a welcoming environment for clients and consultants that unifies KSE’s employees and allows for streamlined communication–a significant goal of the project was to bridge the gap across different levels of staff, and departments, to foster collaboration.
KSE is an engineering, survey and construction management firm. It has nearly 200 employees and 48 licensed engineers, according to the firm’s appearance on the 2021 NJBIZ Engineering Firms list.
KS Engineers PC’s redesigned office includes numerous ways for employees to collaborate. – MICHAEL SLACK PHOTOGRAPHYThe café at KS Engineers PC’s newly redesigned office features a gaming area with virtual golf. – MICHAEL SLACK PHOTOGRAPHY
Looking toward the future, the design is also focused on appealing to a cross-generational workforce, to help recruit and retain talent.
“We conducted visioning sessions with KSE’s executive team to learn exactly what they were looking for, in terms of enhancing their culture, operations, and work environment,” said Marlyn Zucosky, regional director for Ware Malcomb’s New Jersey office. “The KSE team was especially open to new ideas, which made the process collaborative and engaging. This new space supports a culture that is interactive and unifying.”
A new reception area welcomes visitors to the new space, which also includes a board room, huddle rooms, phone booths, a café with virtual golf and other gaming, a wellness/meditation room and a library/lounge.
By positioning select departments adjacent to each other, the design allows for the better cross-training of divisions, Ware Malcomb said.
Interior offices feature boarding huddle rooms and open areas of the office feature plan tables with storage – both to help encourage impromptu collaboration or planning review sessions.
KSE’s in-house graphics team created images from past projects to add to the revamped space, and the color palette features blues from KSE’s branding mixed with complementing shades.
DMR Architects named Pradeep Kapoor as its chief operating officer, a new position for the Hasbrouck Heights-based firm, and promoted five others as part of its expansion into new practice areas, according to a Feb. 8 announcement.
Pradeep Kapoor – DMR ARCHITECTS
“Supporting the scope and volume of our new projects and absorbing and directing new staff members is made all the more complex by the layers of practice areas and services we have added in recent years,” Lloyd Rosenberg, founder and CEO of DMR, said in a prepared statement. “Pradeep has been managing the firm’s operations, and I am pleased to be able to recognize his success at this role by naming him DMR’s first chief operating officer.”
Kapoor has worked for DMR for 21 years, and in that time has served in several roles and managed many of the firm’s most complex design and construction projects, primarily focusing on the municipal, health care and education practices, according to the announcement. In 2017 he was named a partner in the firm while serving as its director of sustainability.
DMR said Kapoor was among the first architects in New Jersey to achieve LEED accreditation and helped build the firm’s sustainable design program, which today includes certified, silver- and gold-level projects–notably Hudson County Schools of Technology, a LEED Gold recipient, and the Carlstadt Elementary School, the first LEED Silver public school in New Jersey.
DMR’s other recent promotions include five new positions for existing staff with tenures that range from two to 27 years:
Maria Perez, director of human resources
Perez has managed DMR’s office and staff since 1994, guiding the firm’s organizational development, creating a diverse staff and performance management structure, as well as managing benefits, compensation and training. She implemented a streamlined onboarding process to facilitate DMR’s growth from 10 to a team of more than 40, the firm said in the statement.
Donna Coen O’Gorman, director of business development – Education Sector
A registered architect for 35 years, Coen O’Gorman has dedicated her professional life to the education sector. Through a commitment to continuing education, conference involvement and thought leadership, her project management work in the educational sector has expanded to client advocacy, business development and thought leadership.
Megan Apostol, director of marketing
During her decade at DMR, Apostol has launched publicity initiatives, print and digital communications, and marketing initiatives highlighting the firm’s team and diverse practice capabilities. She is responsible for securing architectural and real estate industry awards for DMR, including NJBIZ’s Best Places to Work.
Kevin Johnson, project manager
Johnson joined the production staff in 2012, and established himself as an integral member of DMR’s New York City School Construction Authority team, helping complete more than 200 projects valued at $500 million over his nearly 10 years with firm.
Pierre Talisse, project manager
Talisse joined the team in 2019, bringing with him experiences ranging from a 550,000-square-foot development in India to capital improvements across New Jersey’s preK-12 school districts. Serving on DMR’s educational design team, Talisse supports capital improvement projects for many of the firm’s school district clients – including Bayonne, Hackensack, Edison and New Brunswick – as well as the new construction of schools in Plainfield and Jersey City. As a project manager, he will support the education and public sectors, which accounts for more than $400 million of DMR’s pipeline.
DIGroup Architecture traces its roots to a group of small firms that banded together to work on school projects at a time when such work was mainly handled by larger competitors. Today, New Brunswick-based DIGroup ranks among the largest minority-owned businesses in the region and has become a significant player in its own right.
For the latest edition of NJBIZ Conversations, Editor Jeff Kanige spoke with Vincent Myers, the firm’s president, about the business, the state of the market and his outlook for 2022. Myers also discussed some of the persistent challenges faced by minority-owned firms.
“Part of it we do take responsibility for — we need to do a better job everybody, needs to do a better job if we’re going to move things forward,” he said. “I can’t just sit back and go ‘where’s all the work? How come I don’t have this and how come I don’t have that?’ We have to go out and we have to get work and we have to let other people know who we are, what we stand for, the work that we’ve done, our reputation and get that message out there.”
To watch the full interview, click on the image below.
Architecture and interior design firm Spiezle Architectural Group Inc. acquired Donadio and Associates, Architects PA of Vero Beach, Fla. on Nov. 1.
Donadio and Associates will expand Spiezle’s Florida footprint.
Spiezle President and CEO Thomas Perrino said that Donadio and Associates “has a long history in Florida and solid reputation” in a firm announcement on the acquisition.
“Their complementary expertise with similar project types makes them a perfect strategic partner as we continue our smart growth approach to our business. After successfully teaming with Donadio and Associates on numerous pursuits, we both realized that joining forces was the next logical step in our relationship,” he said.
Donadio and Associates was founded in Vero Beach in 1990 by Anthony Donadio. It’s expanded over the last three decades and now executes design and renovation projects for governmental, education, commercial, retail, arts, civic, health care, residential and religious buildings.
“Since our inception 30 years ago, we have believed that, as professionals, we must be aware of, and take responsibility for, the impact and consequences that our work has on the built environment and our fellow human beings,” Donadio said on the acquisition. “This new chapter allows us to draw on our deep market knowledge and expand our impact by utilizing Spiezle’s talent, expertise, and depth of resources to enhance our current and future Florida-based projects.”
Century-old architecture and design firm Mancini Duffy is opening its second New Jersey office, this one in Red Bank, the company announced Oct. 11.
Mancini, founded 105 years ago with an office in New York City, will formally open the Red Bank location at 200 Monmouth St. downtown, in what’s known as the borough’s “Arts and Antique District.”
With an office already in Millburn, the new Monmouth County location will open at the end of October with a capacity for 12 employees, according to Monday’s announcement.
It will have a number of retail neighbors in the four-story Anderson Building, built as a warehouse in the 1920s and located across the street from the borough train station.
From left, Christian Giordano and Scott Harrell at Mancini Duffy’s Red Bank office. – MANCINI DUFFY
“As there has been migration out of New York City, more company leaders who reside in Monmouth County realize their company can be here, too, to cater to their existing local clients,” Christian Giordano, the firm’s owner, said in the Monday announcement.
That means design for buildings amid the explosion in redevelopment across the state, said principal and shareholder Scott Harrell, ranging from warehouses and distribution centers, to residential and retail mixed-use projects.
The so-called “warehouse sprawl” across the Garden State has met resistance by several lawmakers, who are aiming to enact roadblocks for the surge of such construction in suburbs, rural stretches and environmentally sensitive corners of the state.
Mancini previously did a renovation study for 4 Gateway Center in Newark, according to its website, as well as designs for Bell Works in Holmdel, formerly the site of the famed Bell Labs, and Guardian Life Insurance, a tenant at Bell Works.
It was also involved with the design of accounting firm Sax’s new office at the Latitude in Parsippany; the rebranding of SJP Properties’ 95 Green St. property in Jersey City to the Liberty Innovation Centre; the massive, 756-unit Holland Center mixed-use towers in Jersey City; The Green, an office building based in Florham Park; and accounting giant KPMG’s Short Hills office.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.