RBS Design Group

What RBS Design Group does

RBS Design Group is a privately held, Owensboro, Kentucky-based architectural firm founded in 1978 that provides full-scope design services for K-12 education, athletic, healthcare, religious, civic, commercial, and cultural/recreational facilities. The firm operates as a single integrated practice rather than a platform or productized service, delivering project-based architectural design on a fee-for-service basis through direct client engagement and competitive RFP responses. Its core technology stack is industry-standard — AutoCAD and Revit for drafting and BIM documentation, plus Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for rendering and client presentations — with no proprietary tooling, AI/ML components, or software products disclosed. Geographically the practice is Kentucky-focused, with two physical offices (Owensboro headquarters at 723 Harvard Drive and a Louisville office at 9850 Von Allmen Ct.) and a portfolio concentrated in public-sector work for school districts, municipalities, and community institutions, supplemented by selected commercial and healthcare engagements.

The firm serves primarily Kentucky K-12 school districts as its anchor vertical, alongside healthcare providers, municipal governments, religious organizations, financial institutions (Old National Bank, The Murray Bank), and a small set of enterprise commercial clients (Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Don Moore Toyota). Notable project scale includes the 94,000 sq ft Paducah Middle School, the 75,600 sq ft Clarkson Elementary, the 46,000 sq ft Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center, and the currently underway $23M East Heights Elementary phased renovation. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees tied to construction value, with revenue mechanics governed by public-sector procurement cycles and project-based engagement rather than recurring contracts. The firm maintains a sustained recruiting relationship with Western Kentucky University's Architectural Sciences and Interior Design programs as its primary talent pipeline, and has executed a notable partnership with Gensler (Toyota's prototype architect) on the Don Moore Toyota dealership. RBS Design Group is recognized with industry awards including the American Schools & University Outstanding School Design citation (2010), and remains actively operating with a recent April 2025 groundbreaking.

Name

RBS Design Group

Legal name

RBS Design Group

Website

https://rbsdesigngroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RBS Design Group is a privately held, Owensboro, Kentucky-based architectural firm founded in 1978 that delivers full-scope design services across education, healthcare, civic, religious, athletic, and commercial sectors, primarily serving Kentucky K-12 school districts, municipalities, and regional institutional clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• K-12 education facilities
• Civic facility design
• Healthcare facility design
• Commercial architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Owensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural design services provided on a project-by-project basis for educational, healthcare, civic, religious, athletic, and commercial facilities. Revenue is generated through design fees for new construction, renovations, and additions across various building types.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RBS Design Group is an architectural firm providing comprehensive design services for educational, athletic, healthcare, religious, civic, commercial/workplace, and cultural/recreation facilities throughout Kentucky. The firm delivers new construction, major renovations, additions, and phased modernization projects, with specialized expertise in K-12 schools, early learning centers, athletic complexes, and energy-efficient building systems. Revenue is generated through project-based design fees billed directly to clients including school districts, municipal governments, healthcare providers, and commercial enterprises.

Product overview

RBS Design Group is an award-winning architectural firm providing comprehensive design services throughout Kentucky. The firm operates as a single integrated practice rather than a platform-with-modules architecture, offering specialized architectural services across seven core sectors: education (K-12 schools, early learning centers), athletics (gymnasiums, stadiums, natatoriums), healthcare (medical offices, health departments), religious (churches, chapels), civic (government buildings, fire stations), commercial/workplace (corporate offices, banks), and cultural/recreation (parks, spray parks). Projects range from new construction and major renovations to phased additions, with recent notable projects including Paducah Middle School (94,000 sq ft), Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center (46,000 sq ft), and Clarkson Elementary School (75,600 sq ft).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Facility Design Services
• Athletic Facility Design Services
• Healthcare Facility Design Services
• Religious Facility Design Services
• Civic Facility Design Services
• Commercial and Workplace Design Services
• Cultural and Recreation Design Services

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• GenslerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBS Design Group partnered with Gensler (the Toyota prototype architect) to create the new Don Moore Toyota dealership facility, collaborating on state-of-the-art automotive dealership design following Toyota prototype standards.
• Western Kentucky UniversityminorOthersRBS Design Group recruits interns from Western Kentucky University, hiring graduates of their Architectural Sciences and Interior Design programs. The firm actively recruits from WKU's College of Architecture and Design.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fanning Howey: National leader in K-12 educational facility architecture with deep sector specialization. Directly comparable to RBS's K-12 focus and project-based professional services model, though operating at significantly larger scale across multiple states.
• Hastings+Chivetta Architects: St. Louis-based architecture firm specializing in K-12, higher education, and cultural facilities. Comparable vertical specialization, project portfolio breadth, and mid-size professional services profile to RBS Design Group.
• TMP Architecture: Ohio-based architecture firm with strong K-12 educational design practice. Comparable to RBS in serving public school districts with new construction and renovation work in a defined regional market.
• WRA Architects: Texas-based architecture firm with dedicated K-12 education practice. Comparable mid-sized firm profile and specialization in school facility planning, design, and renovation.
• BRW Architects: Texas-headquartered firm with strong K-12 educational facility design portfolio. Comparable to RBS in specialized education vertical, project-based delivery, and civic-sector experience.

Broad incumbents

• Corgan: Large national architecture firm with substantial K-12 and higher education practice. Represents the larger-incumbent competitive threat to RBS, with deeper resources and broader service portfolio.
• Stantec: Global design and engineering firm with education and civic facility practices. Comparable in K-12 capability but vastly larger scale, geographic reach, and integrated services offering.

Regional players

• Sherman Carter Barns: Kentucky-headquartered architecture firm serving K-12, healthcare, and civic clients across the Commonwealth. The closest geographic peer to RBS Design Group, competing for the same Kentucky public-sector projects.
• Pohl and Associates: Kentucky-based architectural firm with healthcare and commercial focus. Regional peer competing in overlapping Kentucky markets for civic and institutional design work.
• Brandstetter Carroll: Kentucky and Ohio-based architecture firm with K-12, healthcare, and civic experience. Closely comparable regional peer competing for similar Kentucky public-sector architectural engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rbsarchitecture
• Facebookfacebook.com/rbsdesigngroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rbs-design-group-architecture
• Instagraminstagram.com/rbsdesigngroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 RBS Design Group