(Pictured left to right ) MRB Group Executive Vice President and COO James Oberst, PE ; HBT Partner James Tripp , AIA ; HBT Managing Partner Trevor Harrison, AIA; and MRB Group President and CEO Ryan T. Colvin , PE
MRB Group President & CEO Ryan T. Colvin, P.E., recently announced that HBT Architects has joined MRB Group, combining two of the most respected firms in the engineering and architecture industries.
“The decision to join our professional teams presented a unique opportunity for our respective clients,” Colvin stated. “Each team is remarkably accomplished on its own and complements the capabilities of the other. Together they provide clients with an enhanced menu of services,” he continued.
Based in Rochester, New York, HBT Architects is renowned for, creating award-winning architectural design solutions for institutions and corporations throughout the region. Their portfolio includes completed projects with organizations such as The University of Rochester, Columbia Development, Rochester Regional Health, Rochester Institute of Technology, Paychex, Inc., and numerous municipalities and State entities.
MRB Group is one of the longest-serving engineering, architecture, and planning firms providing support to municipalities since 1927. With headquarters in Rochester, MRB Group provides support to more than 180 communities. Its principal role of helping local governments create and preserve critical infrastructure and facilities is now expanded to commercial and institutional clients through the acquisition of HBT Architecture. By combining professional engineering and architecture services and professional teams, the merger has created an enhanced resource for clients who can rely on turn-key, cutting-edge design solutions.
As East Coast Architectural Manager, Trevor Harrison, AIA, will oversee the east coast architecture team. He will work closely with Vice President of Architecture Tanya Reed-Mikeska, AIA, and MRB Group engineering team leaders under the direction of James Oberst, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of MRB Group.
Former HBT architects and project management professionals will continue to work with clients in roles uninterrupted by the transition.
“In recognition of the powerful influence of HBT Architecture’s reputation and history working with clients in New York, Florida, and Michigan, we are proud to continue to display its name as a division of MRB Group,” added Colvin.
“There is a tremendous amount of respect and admiration that exists between our teams,” said Colvin. “Our focus on clients has been the mark of professional integrity that our individual firms have always shared, and why this merger is already a success.”
Following the merger, MRB Group has now increased its staff to more than 170 employees across several locations, extending its presence into Michigan and continuing a trend of remarkable growth over the past 12 years. The firm was recently named one of the “Top 100” businesses in the Rochester, New York, region, the fifth consecutive year of achieving that recognition. Having nearly doubled the size of its headquarters located there in recent years, MRB Group is also currently expanding its office in Charleston, South Carolina, and recently completed a major expansion in both its Austin and Temple, TX, offices in 2021.
