DES MOINES, Iowa – HFW Partner Firm INVISION, an architecture, planning and interior design firm with a 111-year legacy in Iowa, has added another Southeastern architecture firm as part of its national expansion strategy, this time partnering with Atlanta-based Macgregor Associates Architects (MAA).
MAA, in business since 1987 and today employing 41 professionals, specializes in designing distribution and fulfillment centers, warehouses, data centers, manufacturing facilities, corporate headquarters, and office buildings.
As part of the deal, the firm now will operate as Macgregor Associates Architects/An INVISION Studio, retaining its own brand legacy in Atlanta, Dallas, Texas, and nationwide, according to Eric Ritland, a partner with INVISION who is leading INVISION’s merger-and-acquisition efforts. “Macgregor and Associates, with its reputation for specialized design services in light industrial facilities and data centers, not only has given us an opportunity to continue our expansion into the Southeast market, but this also allows us to expand the depth of our design expertise and strengthen those services across a growing national footprint,” said Ritland.
MAA, in fact, brings to INVISION and The HFW Partnership its own already-expansive national project footprint, thanks to its industrial sector work. The firm earlier this year was ranked in Building Design+Construction’s 2024 Giants 400 Report as the ninth largest industrial-sector architectural firm in the country, based on 2023 industrial building design revenue. Such a high national ranking, Ritland said, reflects the firm’s reputation in that sector, as well as its commitment to a base of clients that have made MAA part of their own national expansion teams.
“Our commitment to our clients must be matched through any merger or acquisition,” he continued. “MAA’s strong dedication to quality work, client satisfaction, and knowledge of our industry made the firm and its talented team stand out to us.”
This acquisition comes at the heels of INVISION’s merger earlier this year with Jacksonville, Fla.-based RDB, which now is called RDB INVISION. INVISION’s Iowa presence includes offices in Des Moines, Waterloo, and Iowa City.
INVISION, an HFW Partner Firm since 2023, has been providing planning, architecture, and interior design services since 1914. Its expertise spans business and industry, civic and community, health care, higher education, K-12 education, hospitality, housing, and sports and
recreation.
MAA’s principals agree that the two companies’ cultures will fit together well. “We have been looking a while for the right strategic growth partner to take us to the next level, and we’re pleased that we found INVISION,” said Andrew Dell, a partner with MAA, along with Federico Chiappina. “We were greatly impressed with INVISION’s depth of architectural expertise, its people, its systems, and its vision for growth. We’re excited about becoming ‘an
INVISION Studio.’”
Chiappina, meanwhile, said he is grateful for the new long-term opportunities this partnership will bring to the MAA staff both geographically and from a project perspective. “Providing greater future opportunities for our teams in Atlanta and Dallas was important to us in finding the right strategic partner to lead us forward,” Chiappina said. “INVISION, with its stellar design reputation across a diversity of markets and its connection to the HFW Partner Network,
make this a great deal that will secure a bigger future for all involved.”
INVISION launched its expansion strategy earlier this year following annual revenue growth of more than 20 percent over the last two years alone, Ritland said. Prior to this latest deal, the firm had grown to more than 100 employees.
Supporting INVISION’s expansion strategy is The HFW Companies (HFW), a St. Louis, Mo.- based professional services firm that is building a national network of architectural and engineering (AE) partner firms designed to accelerate growth and leverage the network’s collective expertise for new collaborations. Today, INVISION is part of a network of 10 AE firms and growing. INVISION received M&A support from HFW in identifying potential acquisition targets, including MAA, and providing due diligence and other resources.
“We’re pleased to support INVISION as it leverages our resources to accelerate its growth and expansion across our national footprint,” said Michael Hein, AIA, CEO of HFW. “INVISION’s efforts exemplify our vision for the entire HFW Partner Network in what we’re working to accomplish as we continue to grow our network. MacGregor Associates Architects will be a great addition.”
For more information, contact Daniel Bates at 412.310.3167 or daniel.bates@hfwcompanies.com. To learn more about The HFW Companies, visit hfwcompanies.com.