MA Design
MA Design is a 45-year-old, Columbus-headquartered architecture and design firm employing nearly 100 professionals licensed in 38 states. It delivers architecture, interior design, experiential design, and sustainability services to healthcare, education, developer, corporate, and government clients across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MA Design does
MA Design, legally Meacham & Apel Architects Inc., is a US architecture and design firm founded in 1980 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with a secondary office in Cincinnati. The firm operates four core service lines: Architecture, Interior Design, Experiential Design (environmental graphics, signage, wayfinding, and brand identity), and Sustainability Consulting, supported by a Productions group for videography, photography, and digital brand strategy. Work is delivered by a team of nearly 100 design professionals and licensed architects registered in 38 states, using Building Information Modeling and an evidence-based design methodology; the firm holds expertise across five green building accreditations including LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, and Fitwel, and has co-developed a proprietary multi-sensory respite room concept with Ohio State University and the National Institute of Health.
The firm serves enterprise clients across healthcare systems (OhioHealth, Nationwide Children's, Adena Health, Mount Carmel), higher education (The Ohio State University, University of Findlay), large commercial real estate developers (Crawford Hoying, TruePointe, M/I Homes), corporate headquarters (Big Lots, White Castle, Sarnova, HAWA), municipal governments (City of Westerville), and mixed-use/retail operators (Easton Town Center), with disclosed individual project values ranging from $21M to $128M. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees on new construction, renovation, and redevelopment engagements, sold via direct enterprise field sales rather than a transactional or platform model.
The firm rebranded from M+A Architects to MA Design in June 2022, and in 2024 transitioned to majority women-owned leadership under CEO Carrie Boyd and COO Lori Bongiorno, subsequently earning Women Business Enterprise (WBE) certification from the City of Columbus. The firm holds 67% women representation on its board and 44% in senior leadership, a profile uncommon in the A/E/C industry, and is privately held with no disclosed external investors or parent company.
MA Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MA Design
- Legal name
- Meacham & Apel Architects Inc.
- Website
- https://designwithma.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- MA Design is a 45-year-old, Columbus-headquartered architecture and design firm employing nearly 100 professionals licensed in 38 states. It delivers architecture, interior design, experiential design, and sustainability services to healthcare, education, developer, corporate, and government clients across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MA Design industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
Keywords
Where MA Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
MA Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture Services: Project-based architecture services for commercial, residential, healthcare, educational, and institutional clients. Revenue generated through design fees for new construction, renovation, and redevelopment projects.
- Interior Design Services: Human-centered interior design services including space planning, finish selection, furniture planning, and tenant improvements.
- Experiential Design Services: Environmental graphics, brand identity, signage, wayfinding systems, and marketing collateral design services.
- Sustainability Consulting: Green building certification administration and sustainable design consulting services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
MA Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MA Design provides comprehensive architecture, interior design, experiential design, and sustainability consulting services for new construction, renovation, and redevelopment projects. Its multidisciplinary team of nearly 100 design professionals and licensed architects delivers space planning, finish and furniture selection, environmental graphics, wayfinding, green building certification, and complementary videography/photography services to enterprise and institutional clients.
Product overview
MA Design is an award-winning architecture and interior design firm offering four core service lines: Architecture Services (comprehensive architectural design with accessibility, code analysis, and consulting), Interior Design Services (human-centered space design for various sectors), Experiential Design Services (environmental graphics, branding, signage, and wayfinding), and Sustainability Services (green building certification, wellness design, and sustainable materials). The firm also provides Productions (videography, photography, and brand strategy) as a supporting service. The company operates as a single unified firm rather than a platform-with-modules structure, serving markets including healthcare, hospitality, industrial, retail, senior living, workplace, education, and multifamily residential through its Columbus, Ohio headquarters and Cincinnati office.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architecture Services Comprehensive architectural design services for new construction, renovation, and redevelopment projects delivered by nearly 100 design professionals and licensed architects registered in 38 states; covers accessibility assessments, building code analysis, cost estimating, and healthcare accreditation consulting for clients in commercial, healthcare, education, industrial, residential, hospitality, retail, and laboratory sectors.
- Interior Design Services Human-centered interior design services including furniture planning, finish selection, space planning, tenant improvements, and lighting design, creating meaningful spaces for living, working, healthcare, and learning environments for enterprise and institutional clients.
- Experiential Design Services Design services for creating meaningful environmental experiences through permanent and temporary environmental graphics, brand identity standards, interior and exterior signage, wayfinding systems, and marketing collateral for enterprise clients.
- Sustainability Services Sustainable building and community design services including green building certification administration (LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, Fitwel, and others), sustainability consulting, health and wellness design, high-performance design, and material research and analysis for enterprise clients.
- Productions Videography, photography, and digital brand strategy services for creating storytelling content that connects clients with their audiences.
Quantifiable outcome
- WELL Gold certification achieved for Jane E. Heminger Hall
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use MA Design
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
MA Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
MA Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Habitat for HumanitycoreOfficial Corporate Partner of Habitat for Humanity. The firm participates in corporate social responsibility activities including volunteer work supported by paid volunteer time for all employees company-wide. Recognized as Habitat for Humanity Design Partners and 2019 National Award Winners for Best Community Impact.
- Dress for SuccesscoreOfficial Corporate Partner of Dress for Success. The firm supports this nonprofit organization through their Corporate Social Responsibility Program, with employees receiving paid volunteer time to participate in partnership activities. Recognized as Dress for Success Columbus' Annual Corporate Partner of Power in 2019.
- The Ohio State UniversitycoreCollaborated with lead neuroscience researchers from The Ohio State University to develop the proprietary respite room concept designed to support mental health in the built environment. The partnership involved research collaboration on psychological studies and the central nervous system.
- National Institute of HealthcoreCollaborated with researchers from the National Institute of Health on the development of the proprietary respite room concept, working together to create a revolutionary full immersion, multi-sensory room designed to support the central nervous system and shift stigma to strength for mental health support.
- System of StrengthminorLocal gym partnership offering complimentary membership packages to staff as part of the MA Wellness Committee program supporting employee physical wellness.
- The Butchershop FitnessminorLocal gym partnership offering complimentary membership packages to staff as part of the MA Wellness Committee program supporting employee physical wellness.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MA Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with deep healthcare specialization and recognized leadership in WELL and LEED-certified projects. Competes with MA Design for institutional healthcare and higher education commissions at larger scale.
- HOK: Global architecture, planning, and design firm with strong healthcare, workplace, and education practices. Competes for large-scale institutional projects where MA Design is pursuing growth.
- NBBJ: Globally scaled healthcare and workplace architecture firm with a strong evidence-based design practice. Competes with MA Design on large health-system clients (e.g., OhioHealth) but operates at a much larger scale with broader international reach.
- HDR Architecture: Large integrated architecture and engineering firm with deep healthcare, education, and civic-sector presence. Competes with MA Design on bundled design services for institutional clients, but offers deeper engineering capabilities.
Regional players
- LRK Architecture: Multi-office architecture firm with comparable healthcare, senior living, and workplace focus, particularly in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Comparable in size and service breadth, with adjacent geographic footprint.
- Champlin Architecture: Cincinnati-based architecture firm with comparable healthcare, education, and community-sector focus. A relevant peer for benchmarking in the Cincinnati/Ohio market, though smaller in scale than MA Design.
Direct peers
- BHDP Architecture: Cincinnati-based architecture and interior design firm with strong overlap on workplace, higher education, and civic clients. The closest in-market peer, sharing Ohio geography and multi-sector service breadth.
- SmithGroup: Multi-disciplinary design firm combining architecture, interior design, and sustainability consulting across healthcare, workplace, education, and senior living — mirroring MA Design's four-pillar service model and evidence-based design approach.
- CannonDesign: Healthcare-architecture-focused firm with comparable integrated architecture, interior design, and sustainability service lines, including WELL and LEED expertise. Overlaps directly with MA Design on healthcare, higher education, and science/technology client bases.
- Moody Nolan: Ohio-based (Columbus HQ) architecture firm of comparable size and multi-sector portfolio (healthcare, education, workplace, multifamily). The most directly comparable peer given shared Midwest geography, large-scale project capability, and similar recognition as an Architectural Record Top 300 firm.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MA Design social profiles
Digital presenceMA Design compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
MA Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MA Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
MA Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MA Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MA Design
What does MA Design do?
MA Design provides comprehensive architecture, interior design, experiential design, and sustainability consulting services for new construction, renovation, and redevelopment projects. Its multidisciplinary team of nearly 100 design professionals and licensed architects delivers space planning, finish and furniture selection, environmental graphics, wayfinding, green building certification, and complementary videography/photography services to enterprise and institutional clients.
Is MA Design a public or private company?
MA Design is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was MA Design founded?
MA Design was founded in 1980. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is MA Design based?
MA Design is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does MA Design make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Architecture Services are the primary driver. The others are interior Design Services, experiential Design Services and sustainability Consulting.
Who are MA Design's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Perkins&Will, HOK, NBBJ and HDR Architecture. Regional players are LRK Architecture and Champlin Architecture. Direct peers are BHDP Architecture, SmithGroup, CannonDesign and Moody Nolan.
Does MA Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for MA Design.
What industry is MA Design in?
MA Design's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 54131.