Looney Ricks Kiss
Looney Ricks Kiss is a privately held architecture, interiors, planning, and urban design firm founded in 1983, operating from eight US offices and serving enterprise clients across commercial, residential, hospitality, healthcare, education, civic, and mixed-use sectors, with a signature specialty in historic adaptive reuse.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersMemphis, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Looney Ricks Kiss does
Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK) is a privately held architecture, interiors, planning, and urban design firm founded in 1983 by Carson Looney, Frank Ricks, and Richard Kiss in Memphis, Tennessee. The firm operates from eight offices across Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania, serving enterprise and institutional clients in sectors including commercial, residential, hospitality, civic, healthcare, education, and sports/entertainment. Its core services span full architectural design, interior design, master planning and urban design, and a specialized historic preservation/adaptive-reuse practice built around the revival of nearly 100 historic structures — most notably Crosstown Concourse in Memphis, which has received over 30 industry awards. Differentiated practice areas include New Urbanism and traditional neighborhood development, vertical urban village design, and sustainability/LEED-credentialed delivery, supported by four AIA Fellows and a LEED Fellow on staff.
LRK's business model is professional-services-based, generating revenue through project-based design fees, project management fees, and consulting engagements quoted on a per-project basis tied to scope, complexity, and duration, typically structured as multi-year contracts. Distribution is executed through direct, principal-led enterprise sales targeting developers, corporations, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and government entities, with the firm's multi-office footprint enabling regional relationship management. Marketing and demand generation rely on industry award submissions (AIA, ULI, PCBC, NAA, ENR), association engagement, earned media in outlets such as Forbes and Smithsonian, and a public project portfolio website, rather than paid digital channels. The firm has no external investors, no parent company, and shows no evidence of private equity involvement; ownership appears to rest with founders and principals, with management succession supported by ongoing principal and senior associate promotions.
Looney Ricks Kiss firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Looney Ricks Kiss
- Legal name
- LRK Inc.
- Website
- https://lrk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Looney Ricks Kiss is a privately held architecture, interiors, planning, and urban design firm founded in 1983, operating from eight US offices and serving enterprise clients across commercial, residential, hospitality, healthcare, education, civic, and mixed-use sectors, with a signature specialty in historic adaptive reuse.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Looney Ricks Kiss industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
Keywords
Where Looney Ricks Kiss is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Memphis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Looney Ricks Kiss business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Architectural Services: Full-service architectural design for commercial, residential, hospitality, civic, healthcare, and educational projects. Revenue is generated through design fees, project management fees, and consulting services for new construction and renovation projects.
- Interior Design Services: Interior design services for commercial, residential, multifamily, and hospitality projects, including space planning, finishes selection, and construction documentation.
- Urban Planning and Design Services: Master planning, urban design, and planning services for communities, districts, and transit-oriented developments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Looney Ricks Kiss product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LRK is a multi-disciplinary architecture and planning firm providing architectural design, interior design, urban planning, and historic preservation / adaptive reuse services. The firm delivers building design, master planning, and interior architecture projects for commercial, residential, healthcare, education, hospitality, and mixed-use clients through eight offices across the United States.
Product overview
Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK) is a nationally recognized architecture, interiors, planning, and urban design firm offering a comprehensive suite of design services. The firm's core offerings span architectural design, interior design, urban planning and design, and historic preservation/adaptive reuse. LRK operates across multiple markets including multifamily, mixed-use, hospitality, commercial, civic, and single-family residential sectors, serving clients nationwide through eight offices. The firm's integrated approach combines architecture, interiors, and planning services within a unified practice rather than as separate product modules.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architectural Design Services Full-scope architectural design for new construction and renovation projects across commercial, residential, healthcare, education, hospitality, and mixed-use sectors, delivered to enterprise and institutional clients.
- Interior Design Services Interior architecture and design services integrated with building projects, led by a dedicated Studio Director of Interiors and delivered to enterprise clients across sectors.
- Urban Planning Services Master planning and urban design services for districts, campuses, and mixed-use developments, supporting municipalities, developers, and institutional clients.
- Historic Preservation / Adaptive Reuse Services Specialty services for the restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of historic structures, supporting developers, institutions, and municipalities with preservation-compliant design.
- Sustainable / LEED Design Services Sustainability-led design consulting and LEED certification support, led by a LEED Fellow, helping clients meet green building targets across project types.
Quantifiable outcome
- Crosstown Concourse achieved highest Fitwel certification level
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Looney Ricks Kiss
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Looney Ricks Kiss technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Looney Ricks Kiss partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Bounds & Gillespie ArchitectsminorLRK worked in association with Bounds & Gillespie on the Central Station Hotel project, where Bounds & Gillespie served as the architectural partner responsible for historic tax credit rehabilitation of the 1914 railroad station.
- Trane TechnologiesminorLRK's Crosstown Concourse serves as a working example of Trane's Connected Building concept, demonstrating how HVAC systems can be integrated into sustainable building operations.
- Urban Land Institute (ULI)coreLRK has deep involvement with ULI both in Tennessee and nationally. The firm sponsors ULI meetings and conferences and has presented projects including Crosstown Concourse, The Gulch, Jackson Walk, Memphis Ballpark Neighborhood, and Harbor Town at ULI events.
- US Green Building Council (USGBC)coreLRK has extensive involvement with USGBC through its LEED-accredited professionals (17 in Memphis alone) and LEED Fellow. The firm has been recognized for sustainable design leadership including Krissy Buck Flickinger becoming Memphis' first NGBS Green Verifier.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Looney Ricks Kiss competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- archimania: archimania is a Memphis-based architecture and design firm with a strong local reputation in residential, civic, and adaptive reuse work. As a Memphis peer, it competes for the same regional clients and talent pool, providing a useful regional comparable.
Broad incumbents
- Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a global architecture practice with strong healthcare and higher education portfolios, directly overlapping LRK's healthcare (Church Health, FedEx Family House) and education (University of Memphis, Notre Dame) segments. It is a broader incumbent competing for similar enterprise clients.
- HOK: HOK is a large, globally established architecture, engineering, and planning firm with deep healthcare, sports, and civic practices that overlap LRK's strongest verticals. As a much larger incumbent, it competes for the same institutional clients but with broader geographic reach and a deeper bench.
- Gensler: Gensler is the largest U.S. architecture and design firm, with category leadership across commercial, hospitality, mixed-use, and workplace interiors. It is a much broader incumbent that competes with LRK on enterprise-scale commercial and mixed-use commissions.
Direct peers
- LEO A DALY: LEO A DALY is a privately held full-service architecture, planning, and engineering firm of comparable size with broad sector coverage including civic, healthcare, hospitality, and mixed-use. Its integrated practice model and size profile make it a direct comparable to LRK.
- DPZ CoDesign: DPZ CoDesign (Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk) is the foundational New Urbanism practice behind Seaside and Celebration, directly comparable to LRK's traditional neighborhood development and Town Architect work at Baldwin Park, Celebration, and Painted Tree.
- DLR Group: DLR Group is an integrated design firm of comparable scale offering architecture, interiors, and planning services across civic, education, hospitality, and mixed-use markets. Its full-service delivery model and sector overlap with LRK (mixed-use, multifamily, civic, education) make it a closely comparable direct peer.
- SmithGroup: SmithGroup is an integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm of similar mid-to-large size with strength in higher education, healthcare, and urban design. Its integrated practice model and emphasis on sustainability parallel LRK's positioning.
- HKS: HKS is a Dallas-headquartered full-service architecture, interiors, and planning firm of comparable scale with strength in healthcare, sports, and urban mixed-use work. Like LRK, it blends architecture, planning, and interiors and operates across multiple U.S. regions, making it a strong direct peer for project type and market overlap.
Emerging players
- Torti Gallas + Partners: Torti Gallas + Partners is a planning and architecture firm specializing in urban design, TOD, and traditional neighborhood development. Its focus on master-planned and mixed-use communities aligns closely with LRK's planning and TND portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Looney Ricks Kiss social profiles
Digital presenceLooney Ricks Kiss compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Looney Ricks Kiss financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Looney Ricks Kiss leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Looney Ricks Kiss funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Looney Ricks Kiss 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 Looney Ricks Kiss
What does Looney Ricks Kiss do?
LRK is a multi-disciplinary architecture and planning firm providing architectural design, interior design, urban planning, and historic preservation / adaptive reuse services. The firm delivers building design, master planning, and interior architecture projects for commercial, residential, healthcare, education, hospitality, and mixed-use clients through eight offices across the United States.
Is Looney Ricks Kiss a public or private company?
Looney Ricks Kiss is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Looney Ricks Kiss founded?
Looney Ricks Kiss was founded in 1983. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Looney Ricks Kiss based?
Looney Ricks Kiss is headquartered in Memphis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Looney Ricks Kiss make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Architectural Services are the primary driver. The others are interior Design Services and urban Planning and Design Services.
Who are Looney Ricks Kiss's main competitors?
archimania is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Perkins&Will, HOK and Gensler. Direct peers are LEO A DALY, DPZ CoDesign, DLR Group, SmithGroup and HKS. Torti Gallas + Partners is listed as an emerging player.
Does Looney Ricks Kiss have an API?
No public API is recorded for Looney Ricks Kiss.
What industry is Looney Ricks Kiss in?
Looney Ricks Kiss's product category is Architecture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 8711.