Architecture Advantage

What Architecture Advantage does

Architecture Advantage is a privately held, woman-owned architecture firm headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, with a second office in St. Paul. Founded in 2005 by Melissa Graftaas and Ray Blesener, the firm has grown to approximately 18 architects, designers, technicians, and support professionals operating under an integrated service model that spans the full project lifecycle: architecture, interior design, planning, construction administration, procurement, and consultant coordination. A 2018 merger with RRTL Architects brought in FAIA architect Lee Tollefson and seeded the St. Paul office, which formally opened in September 2021. Core technology is Building Information Modeling (BIM), used at varying levels of detail to coordinate between the office, clients, consultants, and field teams; no proprietary software products, APIs, or AI tools are offered.

The firm serves institutional and commercial clients across six verticals: higher education (the primary segment), hospitality, government, multi-family housing, religious, and commercial-retail. Named clients include Lake Superior College, Metropolitan State University, Central Lakes College, Minnesota North College, the University of Minnesota Duluth, St. Louis County, the Cook County Law Enforcement Center, CHUM Center, and Marriott-brand hotels. Architecture Advantage holds architectural registrations in 16 states and employs multiple NCARB-certified architects, enabling pursuit of out-of-state institutional work. Revenue is generated through project-based professional fees on a quote-driven, multi-year engagement model; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Architecturally and culturally, the firm is differentiated by its woman-owned business status, JUST Label certification from the International Living Future Institute, and AIA Minnesota recognition (including the 1997 AIA Minnesota Firm Award via RRTL heritage and the 2025-2026 Emerging Professional Friendly Firm designation). In March 2026, Kane Tewes was named Principal and co-owner alongside President Melissa Graftaas, formalizing a succession structure while maintaining woman-owned certification. Lee Tollefson retired in October 2025 after 55 years in practice and transitioned to Emeritus status. The firm is currently led by Graftaas and Tewes, with no external institutional or private equity investment disclosed.

Name

Architecture Advantage

Legal name

Architecture Advantage, LLC

Website

https://architectureadvantage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Architecture Advantage is a woman-owned architecture and interior design firm headquartered in Duluth, MN with a second office in St. Paul. Founded in 2005, the ~18-person firm delivers integrated architecture, interior design, planning, construction administration, and procurement services to higher education, government, hospitality, religious, and multi-family housing clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural Services (541310), 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

• Architecture design services
• Interior design
• Construction administration
• Master planning
• Building information modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Professional architecture services including programming, schematic design studies, 3D modeling and rendering, building design development, high performance design, code analysis, construction documentation and specifications, and bidding and contract services. Revenue is generated through project-based professional fees.
2. Interior Design Services: Interior design services including space planning, furniture design and specification, material design and specification, custom casework design, and interior signage design. Can be an integral component to architectural projects or standalone engagements.
3. Procurement Services: Furniture, Finishes and Equipment (FFE) procurement services offered since 2010, providing clients a single point of contact for the transition from design to purchasing. Includes budget development, bid management, placing and expediting orders, installation coordination, and on-site supervision.
4. Consulting Services: Consultant coordination services including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, plumbing engineering, structural engineering, civil engineering, landscape architecture, cost estimating, and commissioning agents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Architecture Advantage is an architecture and interior design firm delivering integrated professional services across the full project lifecycle. Offerings include architecture (programming, schematic design, 3D modeling, building design development, code analysis, construction documentation), interior design, planning, construction administration, procurement of furniture/finishes/equipment (FFE), and consultant coordination. The firm uses Building Information Modeling (BIM) as a collaborative integration tool and serves higher education, hospitality, government, multi-family housing, religious, and commercial-retail clients primarily in Minnesota.

Product overview

Architecture Advantage is an architecture and interior design firm offering integrated professional services across the full project lifecycle. The firm operates as a single unified service offering comprising Architecture Services, Interior Design, Planning Services, Construction Administration, Procurement Services, and Consultant Services. These services are delivered through a collaborative, integrated approach using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology as a collaborative tool connecting the office, clients, consultants, and field teams. The firm specializes in higher education, hospitality, government, multi-family housing, and religious market sectors, and maintains architectural registrations in 16 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design encompassing programming, schematic design studies, 3D modeling and rendering, building design development, high performance design, code analysis, and construction documentation and specifications. Delivered to institutional, commercial, and government clients.
• Interior Design Interior design services including space planning, furniture design and specification, material design and specification, custom casework design, and interior signage design. Can be integrated with architectural projects or delivered as standalone engagements.
• Planning Services Strategic planning services for long-term business growth including urban and rural master planning, organizational master planning, needs assessment, and existing building analysis.
• Construction Administration Construction phase services including construction observation, construction administration, punch list documentation, and post occupancy evaluations, supporting Design-Bid-Build, Construction Management Multiple-Prime, and Construction Management-at-Risk delivery methods.
• Procurement Services Furniture, Finishes and Equipment (FFE) procurement services including budget development, bid management, order placement and expediting, installation coordination, and on-site supervision for casegoods, upholstered furniture, bedding, lighting, accessories, artwork, window treatments, flooring, and wallcovering. Offered since 2010.
• Consultant Services Consultant coordination services including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, plumbing engineering, structural engineering, civil engineering, landscape architecture, cost estimating, and commissioning agents.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200% increase in shelter capacity (80 to 168 beds) for CHUM Center project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johnson Wilson ConstructorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025General contractor and construction partner for the CHUM Center expansion project in Duluth. Working alongside Architecture Advantage and consultant partners to deliver the 200% capacity expansion.
• Glassblade StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Led by David Wagner, this studio executed stained glass installations designed by Alexander Tylevich for the Saint Thomas More Catholic Church addition project.
• Langer ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Construction partner for Saint Thomas More Catholic Church addition, executing the 3,650 SF expansion connecting church and administration buildings.
• Dunham AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) engineering consultants on the Central Lakes College Student Services renovation project. Longtime trusted partner providing specialized engineering expertise.
• BKBMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Structural and Civil engineering consultants on Central Lakes College project. Provided engineering expertise for the 45,500 SF renovation.
• KRAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Acoustics consultants brought in for Central Lakes College project to address sound considerations in student services and academic support spaces.
• Inspec, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Roofing consultants for Central Lakes College project, providing specialized inspection and consulting services.
• Rockwise StrategiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Cost estimating consultants for Central Lakes College project, helping establish detailed budgeting during the design process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DLR Group: DLR Group is a large national integrated design firm with a strong higher-education practice that competes for institutional clients in Minnesota and across the firm's 16-state footprint.
• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a national architecture incumbent with significant higher-education and healthcare practices; it competes for marquee institutional work across the same 16-state licensing region.
• Cuningham: Cuningham is a Minneapolis-based architecture and design firm with a strong hospitality and entertainment portfolio, competing for many of the same hotel and resort commissions.
• HGA (Hammel, Green and Abrahamson): HGA is a much larger, established Minnesota-headquartered design firm with deep higher-education, healthcare, and cultural portfolios; an incumbent competitor for the same institutional RFPs.

Direct peers

• Widseth: Widseth is a Minnesota-based architecture, engineering, and surveying firm with offices across the state that competes in the same higher-education, municipal, and commercial-retail verticals.
• LHB: LHB is a Minnesota-based architecture and engineering firm of comparable size serving higher education, government, healthcare, and commercial clients, making it a direct regional competitor with a similar full-service, multi-vertical model.
• BKV Group: BKV Group is a Minneapolis architecture, engineering, and interior design firm that directly overlaps Architecture Advantage on multi-family housing, hospitality, and government work in the upper Midwest.
• DSGW Architects: DSGW is a Duluth-headquartered architecture firm with overlapping higher-education, healthcare, and public-sector practice in the same Minnesota/northern-tier market as Architecture Advantage.

Regional players

• Snow Kreilich Architects: Snow Kreilich is a Minneapolis design firm with award-winning civic, higher-education, and cultural work, competing in adjacent verticals and in many of the same RFP processes.
• Pope Architects: Pope Architects is a Minnesota-based firm with deep higher-education, religious, and civic portfolios, making it a strong regional competitor for the firm's core verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Architecture Advantage