Paragon Solutions

What Paragon Solutions does

Paragon Solutions (legal entity Paragon Design Systems, Inc.) is a Fort Worth, Texas-headquartered, privately held professional services firm specializing in convenience retail design. Founded in 1986 by Mike Lawshe, the firm operates with a multidisciplinary team of approximately 25-30 designers and partners under CEO & President Austin Burns, providing integrated site design, store layout, retail design (interior, exterior, finishes), and brand strategy (naming, logos, graphic applications, coffee and food programs) to convenience store operators, travel centers, fuel retailers, and fuel cooperatives across the United States and Canada. Its practice emphasizes designing "with customers in mind" rather than purely operational requirements, extending to 3D design, CX (customer experience) design, and on-site field documentation using Matterport scanning technology.

The firm's service offering is delivered through direct, relationship-driven B2B sales supported by trade-show presence, industry publication case studies, and decade-plus award recognition from C-Store Decisions and Convenience Store News. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed, with design fees described as a small percentage of total construction investment; multi-year contracts are typical. Customer concentration is diversified across SMB independents (Davis Oil, Oak Grove Market), mid-market regional chains (Rusty Lantern Market, Calloway Oil, R.H. Foster Energy), and enterprise-level operators including Rutter's, Liberty Travel Plazas (ONVO), Potawatomi Ventures, and Tri-Energy Cooperative. Notable multi-site programs include the ONVO rebrand rolled out across 40+ Pennsylvania and upstate New York locations, the Freshies 2.0 concept for a 22-store chain, and a 12,000-square-foot premium travel convenience center under design for Denver International Airport in partnership with Aaravya Investments LLC targeting LEED Gold certification. The business is wholly founder-owned with no institutional capital, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Paragon Solutions

Legal name

Paragon Design Systems, Inc.

Website

https://paragon4design.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Paragon Solutions is a Fort Worth, Texas-based, privately held convenience retail design firm founded in 1986, providing integrated site design, retail design, and brand strategy services to convenience stores, travel centers, and fuel retailers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Design & Consulting Services: Paragon Solutions provides commercial design, branding, and customer experience solutions to convenience store operators, travel centers, and fuel retailers. Services include site design, store layout, brand strategy, visual identity, and full-store design solutions. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting and design fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Paragon Solutions provides integrated convenience retail design services to convenience store operators, travel centers, and fuel retailers. The firm delivers site design and store layout, retail design covering interior, exterior, and finish selections, and brand strategy including naming, logos, graphic applications, coffee programs, food programs, and merchandise. Services are delivered to clients building their first store through established multi-state chains across the United States.

Product overview

Paragon Solutions is a Fort Worth, Texas-based convenience retail design firm with nearly 40 years of experience and national reach. The company offers an integrated suite of design services spanning technical site design and store layout, retail design (interior/exterior/finishes), and brand strategy (naming, logos, graphic applications). Their portfolio includes award-winning convenience store and travel center projects such as the Rusty Lantern Market Gen 2 concept, ONVO brand identity, 1747 Bar & Gaming Lounge for Rutter's, and the Fireside Market for Potawatomi Ventures. Recent work includes the Freshies 2.0 concept and Elevate at Denver International Airport. The company has received multiple industry design awards including C-Store Decisions and Convenience Store News Store Design Winners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Design Technical design services including site design and store layout planning for convenience retail environments. Paragon designs site footprint, building placement, parking, drive-thru positioning, and exterior site flow for new builds and redesigns. Service is delivered to convenience store operators, travel centers, and fuel retailers building new locations or modifying existing sites.
• Retail Design Comprehensive interior design, exterior design, and finish selections for convenience stores and travel centers. Service covers customer journey planning, store flow, fixture selection, foodservice layout, and category placement optimized for convenience retail throughput. Service is delivered to convenience store operators, travel centers, and fuel retailers through custom project-based engagements.
• Brand Strategy In-house brand development services for convenience retail brands including brand naming, logo creation, tagline development, graphic applications, coffee program branding, food program branding, swag and merchandise, and billboard design. Service is delivered to convenience store operators and fuel retailers seeking brand differentiation, identity refresh, or first-time brand development through the firm's in-house team of brand strategists.

Quantifiable outcome

• 77% increase in coffee sales for Rusty Lantern Market following category refresh
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• R.H. Foster Energy / FreshiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Paragon Solutions developed the Freshies 2.0 concept for R.H. Foster Energy's 22-store convenience chain based in Hampden, Maine. The partnership includes complete brand redesign, visual identity, and store design for the flagship location in Bangor, Maine. Paragon conducted research including shop-alongs and customer intercepts to inform the brand refresh that positioned food as the hero of the Freshies experience.
• Denver International Airport (DEN) / City of DenvermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Paragon Solutions is serving as the design firm for 'Elevate,' a 12,000-square-foot premium convenience center at Denver International Airport. The project is a collaboration between DEN authority and Aaravya Investments LLC. Paragon is providing complete design services for this multi-use travel convenience center featuring 48 fueling positions, EV charging, car wash, restaurant, lounge, and conference facilities on 5.49 acres. The project targets LEED Gold sustainability certification.
• Aaravya Investments LLCmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Aaravya Investments LLC is the investment company developing the Elevate convenience center near Denver International Airport in partnership with DEN authority. Paragon Solutions is providing design services for this project. Aaravya is described as a minority-owned operator with more than 20 years of experience, with more than 75% of their workforce identifying as women or minorities.
• Liberty Travel Plazas / OnvocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParagon Solutions executed a complete brand transformation for Liberty Travel Plazas, creating the new Onvo brand identity and design system from the ground up. The scope included site design, store layout, exterior and interior environments, and brand applications. The Dorrance, PA prototype established the design foundation that now extends across 40+ locations in Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
• Coffee by DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee by Design is a local Maine roaster whose beans are the centerpiece of Rusty Lantern Market's coffee program. Paragon's store designs for Rusty Lantern feature the local roaster's premium beans, supporting the brand's positioning around local, craft, and fresh.
• Potawatomi Ventures / Forest County Potawatomi CommunitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParagon Solutions developed Fireside Market for Potawatomi Ventures, a travel center rooted in the heritage of the Forest County Potawatomi Community, 'keepers of the fire.' The Slinger, Wisconsin travel center was designed from the ground up to honor the culture and people through every design decision, with the brand identity connecting to meaningful cultural elements.
• Rutter'smajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParagon Solutions designed Rutter's most ambitious prototype - the 1747 Bar & Gaming Lounge, a 14,000-square-foot concept named for the year Rutter's was founded. Paragon handled complete design including store layout, new exterior design, interior environment, and graphics throughout. First two locations opened in Johnstown and Milton, Pennsylvania.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CBX: CBX (now part of Accenture Song) is a brand experience and retail design agency that creates brand strategy, packaging, and store design for major retail and consumer clients. It is a direct peer in retail brand and store experience design, although it serves a broader set of verticals beyond convenience.
• Shook Kelley: Shook Kelley is a long-standing retail branding and store design firm with deep specialization in convenience, fuel, and QSR retail. It competes directly with Paragon for convenience retail branding and design engagements, with a similar long-tenured category-specialist positioning.
• WD Partners: WD Partners is a retail experience design firm serving restaurants, convenience, and fuel retailers with brand, prototype, and store design services. It is a direct competitor in the same client base, although it operates at a larger scale and broader vertical footprint than Paragon.
• King Retail Solutions: King Retail Solutions designs retail stores and brand experiences for specialty and convenience retailers, including prototype development and rollout support. It competes with Paragon for c-store and travel center design work and shares the same vertical-specialist DNA.
• FRCH Design International: FRCH Design International is a retail architecture and design firm serving major retail and hospitality brands with store planning and interior design. It overlaps with Paragon in retail store design and rollout, although it operates at materially larger scale across broader retail categories.
• Chute Gerdeman: Chute Gerdeman is a retail design and brand experience agency that creates store concepts, prototypes, and shopper experiences for retailers across categories. It is comparable to Paragon as a peer retail design firm, though it serves a broader set of categories than just convenience.

Broad incumbents

• IA Interior Architects: IA Interior Architects is a large global commercial interior design firm with a dedicated retail practice serving enterprise retail and hospitality clients. It competes for retail design work that overlaps with Paragon's offering but at much larger scale and across many verticals.
• Little Diversified Architectural Consulting: Little Diversified is a large architectural and design firm with an established retail practice covering prototype, rollout, and brand-driven store design. It competes with Paragon for retail design engagements as a broader incumbent with much larger scale and multi-vertical reach.
• TPG Architecture: TPG Architecture is a commercial architecture firm with a retail practice designing stores, prototypes, and rollouts for major retail brands. It is comparable to Paragon as a retail design peer, though it is broader in scope and considerably larger.
• Gensler: Gensler is one of the largest global architecture and design firms with a substantial retail experience practice serving enterprise retailers on store design and brand environments. It competes with Paragon for high-profile retail design engagements, particularly enterprise and travel/hospitality work like the DEN Elevate project.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paragon-solutions-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/paragon4design
• Xx.com/paragon4design
• Facebookfacebook.com/Paragon4Design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paragon Solutions