Mineola-based JRS Architect, which designed spaces for Swarovski, Brookville Country Club and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, has just been sold.
The firm was recently acquired by Tampa-based BDG Architects, expanding their reach into the Northeast market.
Founded in 1986 by John Sorrenti, JRS initially focused on projects in the financial sector and in interior design on Long Island. Over the years, the firm expanded into projects in retail, higher education and historic preservation. Some of their projects include work at Rutgers University, the Science Museum of Long Island, and the Liberty Hall Museum Carriage House.
The merger was set in motion by Sorrenti’s retirement after 51 years in the business. Sorrenti said the merger will allow JRS to complete projects on a larger scale than they were able to before, letting the firm serve the Northeast and its current clients with a more diverse breadth of ability.
“The merger provides for a broader range of services offered via enhanced technology platforms,” Sorrenti said in a statement. “Our clients will now have expanded opportunities to realize their future projects, whether in the greater New York City area or on the Eastern Seaboard.”
BDG Architects was founded in Tampa, Fla., in 1989, and specializes in corporate, multi-family residential, and hospitality-based architecture projects. Since merging with JRS on July 1 and acquiring locations in Mineola and Princeton, N.J., the firm now has over five offices and more than 150 staff designers.
BDG will continue to operate out of the Mineola and Princeton offices. JRS senior executives Alex Hadjiyane and Robert Morrisey will work with BDG from the Northeast offices.
“The merger is a really very exciting for the firm because we were fortunate to connect with BDG,” Sorrenti said. “They do a lot of the same kind of work we do in financial institutions and higher education, so the fit just seemed right.”
This sentiment was echoed by the president of BDG Architects, Chris Kirschner, in an online statement.
Kirschner said there is a similar synergy, cultural philosophy, workflow, and client type between the two firms.
“For our clients that we service predominantly through the Southeast and mid-Atlantic, being able now to provide support for them in the Northeast is important,” Kirschner said.
The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed at this time.
