What Lesko Architecture does

Lesko Architecture (legal entity Lesko Associates, Inc.) is a privately held architectural firm founded in 1953 by Nicholas Lesko, FAIA, headquartered at 27955 Clemens Road, Suite A, Cleveland (Westlake), Ohio. The firm specializes exclusively in PK-12 educational facility planning and design, serving public and private school districts, boards of education, and individual schools across northern Ohio. The current ownership is Robert W. Blatchford, Jr., AIA, REFP, and Seyed Moh Ayat, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, who together bring 79 years of combined educational facilities experience. Headcount is 11-50 employees and the firm has operated continuously for over 70 years.

The firm's offering is organized into three integrated service pillars: Planning Services (strategic planning, enrollment projections, district and community engagement, educational program evaluation, and master planning), Bond Issue Campaign Assistance (voter trend analysis, community surveys, campaign strategy, community dialogues, campaign literature, and data visualization), and Architectural Design Services (facilities assessments, site evaluation, cost analysis, building and site design, athletic facilities, food service planning, performing arts and natatorium design, interior design, construction documents and specifications, bidding assistance, construction administration, and post-construction evaluation). Specialty portfolios include high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, combination schools, joint vocational schools, school board offices, athletic facilities, and transportation facilities. A Principal of the firm oversees each project, and engagement is direct client-facing rather than channel-mediated.

The business model is fee-for-service professional architecture and consulting work, sold through direct client engagement with public-sector education buyers in Ohio. Revenue mechanics are project-based, tied to the Ohio school bond and capital improvement cycle, with no pricing or revenue figures publicly disclosed. The firm has accumulated an extensive design awards portfolio spanning 1968-2014, including recognitions from American School & University, AIA Ohio, National School Boards Association, and the inaugural William W. Caudill Outstanding Educational Architect Award (1983). No private equity, venture capital, parent company, M&A, or external funding involvement is indicated. The technology stack is traditional architectural design services with no disclosed AI, API, or proprietary platform capabilities.

Name

Lesko Architecture

Legal name

Lesko Associates, Inc.

Website

https://lesko-associates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lesko Architecture is a Cleveland, Ohio-based firm founded in 1953 that provides planning, design, and bond campaign services exclusively to PK-12 educational institutions across northern Ohio, with 11-50 employees and 70+ years of continuous operation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Architecture Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Education Facilities Construction (Labs, STEM, CTE Shops, Arts, Athletics) (EDAEABAI), Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Educational facility design
• PK-12 school architecture
• School master planning
• Athletic facility design
• Educational facility planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

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

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Lesko Architecture is an architecture firm that provides comprehensive planning, design, and construction administration services for PK-12 educational facilities. Its offering covers strategic planning, enrollment projections, community engagement, educational program evaluation, master planning, bond campaign assistance, architectural design for new schools, renovations and additions, athletic facilities, transportation facilities, performing arts and natatorium design, interior design, construction documents, and construction administration—primarily serving school districts and educational institutions in northern Ohio.

Product overview

Lesko Architecture (Lesko Associates, Inc.) is an architecture firm offering a unified suite of services for educational facilities. The core offering consists of three integrated service pillars: Planning Services (strategic planning, enrollment projections, educational program evaluation, and master planning), Bond Issue Campaign Assistance (voter analysis, community surveys, and campaign strategy), and Architectural Design Services (facilities assessments, site evaluation, building design, athletic facilities, performing arts venues, natatoriums, interior design, construction documents, and construction administration). The firm specializes in PK-12 school design across multiple categories including high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, combination schools (PK-12), joint vocational schools, school board offices, athletic facilities, and transportation facilities. Founded in 1953, the firm has over 70 years of experience designing educational facilities in northern Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Services Comprehensive planning services for PK-12 school districts, including strategic planning, enrollment projections, district and community engagement, educational program evaluation, and master planning.
• Bond Issue Campaign Assistance Support services for school bond campaigns including voter trend analysis, community surveys, campaign strategy development, community dialogues, campaign literature creation, and data visualization.
• Architectural Design Services Full architectural design services for educational facilities encompassing facilities assessments, site evaluation, cost analysis, building and site design, athletic facilities design, food service planning and design, performing arts and natatorium design, interior design, construction documents and specifications, bidding phase assistance, construction administration, and post construction evaluation.
• Athletic Facilities Design Specialized design services for athletic facilities including stadiums, field houses, natatoriums, and sports complexes for educational institutions.
• Transportation Facilities Design Design services for school transportation facilities including bus maintenance facilities and transit operations centers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hord Coplan Macht: Mid-Atlantic/Midwest architecture firm with a strong K-12 and higher education practice. Comparable to Lesko for education-focused planning and design engagements.
• Fanning Howey: Indiana-based architecture firm exclusively focused on educational facility planning and design. Most directly comparable to Lesko in terms of K-12 specialization, regional Midwest footprint, and integrated planning-and-design service model.
• Legat Architects: Midwest architecture firm with a dedicated education practice serving PK-12 and higher education clients. Comparable to Lesko in geographic scope, vertical focus, and small-firm service intensity.
• SHP Leading Design: Pittsburgh-based architecture firm specializing in K-12 educational facility design. Direct competitor in the same niche of school district planning, design, and bond support services.
• KA Architecture: Ohio-based architecture firm with deep experience in K-12 educational facility design across Ohio districts. Direct regional competitor to Lesko in the same Ohio market.

Regional players

• TMP Architecture: Ohio-based architecture firm serving PK-12, higher education, and public-sector clients. Comparable regional competitor within Northern Ohio with overlapping K-12 design services.

Broad incumbents

• DLR Group: Large integrated design firm with a national K-12 education practice. Competes with Lesko for Ohio school district capital projects but with broader portfolio and significantly larger scale.
• CannonDesign: National architecture and engineering firm with a substantial K-12 and higher education practice. Overlaps with Lesko in education planning and design but operates at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with a dedicated education practice. Competes with Lesko for larger Ohio K-12 programs as part of a much broader services portfolio.
• Perkins&Will: International architecture firm with an established K-12 and higher education practice. Comparable for educational facility design expertise but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lesko-associates-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Lesko Architecture