Many of Rhode Island’s architectural firms seek a high percentage of their work out of state, according to information gathered for this week’s listing of the area’s top architects in Providence Business News. . The Robinson Green Beretta Corporation, first on the Providence Business News list of architects, a place they’ve held since PBN first ran the list in 1992, does 45 percent of its work out of state.
According to Kathleen Cawley, marketing director for RGB Corp., the company has done considerable housing work in Indiana, Nebraska, Georgia and Florida, and even designed a nursing home in the Virgin Islands.
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RGB, which also has a small satellite office in Tampa, Florida, is currently in the design stage for two public libraries in Somerset and Dighton, Massachusetts. They are also working on projects for UMass Dartmouth in Massachusetts, Norwich Academy and Fairfield University in Connecticut, a library in Killington, Vermont and one in Middletown, Rhode Island.
”A lot of our work is client referral,” Cawley said. “We’re always looking for new business, but our clients are pleased with our service and have shown us that by coming back with repeat work.”
Joe Hall, principal of J.C. Hall Architect, said his company does 20 percent of his work out of state because he has difficulty finding Rhode Island jobs consistently.
”It’s very much a word of mouth business,” he said, “I found Rhode Island very difficult to break into. It’s a very small community”
“Getting established here is very difficult,” he said. “The other curious thing, and this is not only in Rhode Island, if you look at all the big projects, the vast majority are done by out-of-state firms.”
Hall, who worked in Connecticut for 25 years, said his company does most of its out-of-state work in Connecticut. However, he is currently working on a small private house in Smithfield, one in Burrillville and a law office going into construction in Smithfield.
Kathy Bartels a partner with Lerner Ladds + Bartels, Inc., said the 20 percent of her firm’s work that is not Rhode Island-based is all New England. Having done work in Florida, Bartels said the firm is definitely interested in expanding their business into other states. They just have not had the time.
”I think that what happens is we get enough work that sort of comes through the door,” she said. “To take the time and go out and market is something we’d like to do, but we don’t have time.”
