Fletcher Thompson Firm's Naples, Fla. Office Targets Healthcare, Senior Living and Education Sectors
By Mel Fabrikant Monday, May 24, 2010, 09:56 AM EDT
Growing Office Establishes Strong Regional Presence for Connecticut-Based Firm
Two national trends -- the increasing enrollment in community colleges and the demand for healthcare facilities for an aging population -- are propelling the growth of Fletcher Thompson's Naples, Fla. Office.
Fletcher Thompson, an award-winning Regional architecture, engineering and interior design firm, acquired the Naples office two years ago in an effort to expand its regional presence in the Southeast. The firm, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has six offices on the East Coast.
"Aligning ourselves with one of the largest and most respected firms in the Northeast has allowed our practice to branch out to specialties such as education and healthcare," stated James E. Boughton, AIA, LEED AP, principal of Fletcher Thompson and business development leader for the southeast region. "Today we are better positioned for the growing trends in Florida such as the expansion of community college campuses and the additional need for healthcare facilities, including continuing care retirement communities for the elderly."
Boughton, an Ohio native who has lived in Florida since 1987, founded Boughton Architects in Naples in 1992, providing services for a wide range of retail, commercial, corporate, financial and residential clients. The firm merged with Fletcher Thompson at a time when it was looking to increase its credentials in the education, healthcare and other sectors in order to gain an entrée into the growing Florida markets in these areas.
Fletcher Thompson has a distinguished portfolio of projects in the K through 12 education, healthcare, college and university and corporate sectors. Many of its projects have won awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for design excellence. The firm has also been honored by building, industry and community organizations for its work.
This merger met Fletcher Thompson's goal of expanding its services into identified market areas that matched what it does best. The vision of Michael Marcinek, President and Chief Financial Officer at Fletcher Thompson, called for transforming the firm, which at the time was comprised of offices located in the New England and New York metropolitan regions, into one that spanned the entire East Coast, as well as one that has strong ties to the communities in which they serve.
"By expanding our reach to include the Florida market, we were able to establish ourselves within the design community as more than just a 'northeast' firm," Marcinek said. "Florida was an excellent match for us, not only geographically, but also culturally -- due to the fact that the firm's targeted markets are closely matched with the areas of growth in Florida."
A particular area that is being targeted by Fletcher Thompson's Naples office is state and community colleges as a result of increased enrollment and the need for additional buildings. Fletcher Thompson, which has designed facilities on 17 community college campuses, views the trend toward the localization of higher education as an opportunity to work on projects that develop and grow a community.
The trend of two-year community colleges moving to four-year programs reaches beyond Florida, presenting opportunities for architecture and design work in other states along the eastern seaboard, Boughton said. Approximately 16 other states have adopted legislation allowing two-year community colleges to offer four-year degrees with the intention of alleviating the enrollment pressures on the states' university systems as well as making higher education more affordable.
Another national trend of particular importance in Florida is the growing demand for healthcare for the aging population, a business sector in which Fletcher Thompson has a wealth of experience. In particular, the firm has designed many of the buildings that transformed New Brunswick, N.J., into the "Health Care City." The firm's projects include multiple facilities for the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital system such as the Cancer Hospital of New Jersey and the CORE Pavilion, and the Clinical Academic Building Complex for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The merger with Fletcher Thompson has allowed the Naples office to expand its healthcare portfolio. In leveraging Fletcher Thompson's healthcare experience, the Naples' office is pursuing more healthcare and senior living projects across the state, including the expansion of its work with Bentley Village in Naples, a Classic Residence by Hyatt facility. The Bentley Village continuing care retirement community (CCRC) has been part of the firm's ongoing portfolio for 15 years. Bentley Village and other such facilities offer all-in-one-location hospitality, independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care designed to meet seniors' changing health and housing needs.
James A. Beaudin, AIA, LEED AP, Chairman of the Corporation and President of Fletcher Thompson's Naples, Fla., office, believes that as our aging population continues to grow, the demand for healthcare and senior living facilities will exceed all other types of construction.
"In Florida, the CCRCs and other healthcare facilities are expected to grow faster than the housing, commercial real estate, retail and industrial markets," Beaudin said. "Fletcher Thompson's noteworthy history of design within the medical industry will put us on the forefront of that trend."
Fletcher Thompson has six east coast offices located in Shelton and Hartford, Conn.; Boston, Mass.; Somerset, N.J.; New York City and Naples, Fla., and is celebrating its 100-year milestone with their staff of 100. In commemoration of their century of longevity and stability, the firm is planning marketing campaigns and events throughout the year at local and regional levels.
To contact Fletcher Thompson, please call Diane Kozel at 203-225-6605 or e-mail her at dkozel@ftae.com
Two national trends -- the increasing enrollment in community colleges and the demand for healthcare facilities for an aging population -- are propelling the growth of Fletcher Thompson's Naples, Fla. Office.
Fletcher Thompson, an award-winning Regional architecture, engineering and interior design firm, acquired the Naples office two years ago in an effort to expand its regional presence in the Southeast. The firm, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has six offices on the East Coast.
"Aligning ourselves with one of the largest and most respected firms in the Northeast has allowed our practice to branch out to specialties such as education and healthcare," stated James E. Boughton, AIA, LEED AP, principal of Fletcher Thompson and business development leader for the southeast region. "Today we are better positioned for the growing trends in Florida such as the expansion of community college campuses and the additional need for healthcare facilities, including continuing care retirement communities for the elderly."
Boughton, an Ohio native who has lived in Florida since 1987, founded Boughton Architects in Naples in 1992, providing services for a wide range of retail, commercial, corporate, financial and residential clients. The firm merged with Fletcher Thompson at a time when it was looking to increase its credentials in the education, healthcare and other sectors in order to gain an entrée into the growing Florida markets in these areas.
Fletcher Thompson has a distinguished portfolio of projects in the K through 12 education, healthcare, college and university and corporate sectors. Many of its projects have won awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for design excellence. The firm has also been honored by building, industry and community organizations for its work.
This merger met Fletcher Thompson's goal of expanding its services into identified market areas that matched what it does best. The vision of Michael Marcinek, President and Chief Financial Officer at Fletcher Thompson, called for transforming the firm, which at the time was comprised of offices located in the New England and New York metropolitan regions, into one that spanned the entire East Coast, as well as one that has strong ties to the communities in which they serve.
"By expanding our reach to include the Florida market, we were able to establish ourselves within the design community as more than just a 'northeast' firm," Marcinek said. "Florida was an excellent match for us, not only geographically, but also culturally -- due to the fact that the firm's targeted markets are closely matched with the areas of growth in Florida."
A particular area that is being targeted by Fletcher Thompson's Naples office is state and community colleges as a result of increased enrollment and the need for additional buildings. Fletcher Thompson, which has designed facilities on 17 community college campuses, views the trend toward the localization of higher education as an opportunity to work on projects that develop and grow a community.
The trend of two-year community colleges moving to four-year programs reaches beyond Florida, presenting opportunities for architecture and design work in other states along the eastern seaboard, Boughton said. Approximately 16 other states have adopted legislation allowing two-year community colleges to offer four-year degrees with the intention of alleviating the enrollment pressures on the states' university systems as well as making higher education more affordable.
Another national trend of particular importance in Florida is the growing demand for healthcare for the aging population, a business sector in which Fletcher Thompson has a wealth of experience. In particular, the firm has designed many of the buildings that transformed New Brunswick, N.J., into the "Health Care City." The firm's projects include multiple facilities for the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital system such as the Cancer Hospital of New Jersey and the CORE Pavilion, and the Clinical Academic Building Complex for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The merger with Fletcher Thompson has allowed the Naples office to expand its healthcare portfolio. In leveraging Fletcher Thompson's healthcare experience, the Naples' office is pursuing more healthcare and senior living projects across the state, including the expansion of its work with Bentley Village in Naples, a Classic Residence by Hyatt facility. The Bentley Village continuing care retirement community (CCRC) has been part of the firm's ongoing portfolio for 15 years. Bentley Village and other such facilities offer all-in-one-location hospitality, independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care designed to meet seniors' changing health and housing needs.
James A. Beaudin, AIA, LEED AP, Chairman of the Corporation and President of Fletcher Thompson's Naples, Fla., office, believes that as our aging population continues to grow, the demand for healthcare and senior living facilities will exceed all other types of construction.
"In Florida, the CCRCs and other healthcare facilities are expected to grow faster than the housing, commercial real estate, retail and industrial markets," Beaudin said. "Fletcher Thompson's noteworthy history of design within the medical industry will put us on the forefront of that trend."
Fletcher Thompson has six east coast offices located in Shelton and Hartford, Conn.; Boston, Mass.; Somerset, N.J.; New York City and Naples, Fla., and is celebrating its 100-year milestone with their staff of 100. In commemoration of their century of longevity and stability, the firm is planning marketing campaigns and events throughout the year at local and regional levels.
To contact Fletcher Thompson, please call Diane Kozel at 203-225-6605 or e-mail her at dkozel@ftae.com
