AERC
AERC, pllc is a privately held, Hernando, Mississippi-based architectural and interior design firm founded in 2002 that serves Mid-South government, faith-based, industrial, education, and commercial clients using AutoCAD and Revit, employing 1-10 staff.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersHernando, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AERC does
AERC, pllc is a privately held architectural and interior design professional services firm headquartered at 342 West Valley Street, Hernando, Mississippi. Founded in 2002 by Doug Thornton, a Mississippi State University School of Architecture graduate, the firm has operated continuously for over 20 years serving DeSoto County and the broader Mid-South region across Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Its core service offering is full-service commercial architecture delivered from schematic design through construction administration, executed using industry-standard tools including AutoCAD and Revit, and staffed by AIA-licensed architects (Doug Thornton, Bradley Wallace, Jonathan Hooker) plus an NCIDQ-certified interior designer (Hollie Steele). AERC also offers a stand-alone Interior Design service line (AERC Interiors) for space planning, finish selections, and furniture procurement, and operates a separate web-based AERC Plan Room for construction document distribution and bidding.
The firm serves a diversified set of end markets including government (DeSoto County Schools, City of Senatobia, Tishomingo County, Hernando Animal Shelter, Senatobia Fire Department, Como Historic Preservation Commission), places of worship (Trinity Presbyterian, Getwell Road Church, Tunica Presbyterian, Longview Point Baptist, Sacred Heart Southern Missions, Baddour Center), commercial/financial (Planters Bank, Bank of Holly Springs, DeSoto County Farm Bureau, Summit Management), industrial/manufacturing (Twin Creeks Technologies solar/semiconductor facility, V. McGee Trucking, Majestic Steel, Patton State Farm), education (Magnolia Heights School, Northwest Community College), and hospitality (Landers Center convention center expansion). Project engagement values range from smaller tenant improvements to an anchor $25 million industrial facility deployment and active multi-phase institutional programs (e.g., The Baddour Center's residential expansion).
AERC monetizes through project-based professional services fees quoted per engagement, typically structured as multi-year contracts spanning schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction phase services. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, driven by direct client relationships, municipal referrals, and 20+ years of community reputation in the region. The firm operates with 1-10 employees and maintains no public revenue disclosure, no outside funding, no parent company, and no institutional ownership — consistent with a founder-controlled small professional services practice.
AERC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AERC
- Legal name
- AERC, pllc
- Website
- https://aercpllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AERC, pllc is a privately held, Hernando, Mississippi-based architectural and interior design firm founded in 2002 that serves Mid-South government, faith-based, industrial, education, and commercial clients using AutoCAD and Revit, employing 1-10 staff.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AERC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architectural Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)
Keywords
Where AERC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hernando
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
AERC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through architecture and interior design project engagements. Services include commercial architecture, interior design, planning, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction phase services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
AERC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AERC is a multidisciplinary architecture and interior design firm providing full-service commercial architecture and standalone interior design. The firm delivers schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction phase services for offices, healthcare, education, government, industrial, manufacturing, and places of worship clients. It also operates an online plan room for construction documents and bidding information.
Product overview
AERC is a multidisciplinary architecture and design firm offering two integrated service lines: Commercial Architecture (the core platform providing full-service design and project management across sectors including office, industrial, healthcare, government, education, and places of worship) and Interior Design (now offered as a stand-alone service for space planning, finish selections, and furniture procurement). The firm also operates an AERC Plan Room as a supplementary web-based resource for project documentation. Together, these services support clients 'from concept to completion' through schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration phases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AERC Interiors: Interior design services offered as a stand-alone service by AERC's licensed interior design team, certified through the National Council of Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ).
- AERC Plan Room
Products and services
- Commercial Architecture Full-service commercial architecture providing schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration for office buildings, industrial facilities, healthcare facilities, government buildings, and educational institutions. Delivered by AIA-licensed architects using AutoCAD and Revit.
- Interior Design Stand-alone interior design service including space planning, finish selections, furniture procurement, and styling for renovations, workplace refreshes, and new build-outs. Delivered by NCIDQ-certified interior designers using AutoCAD and Revit.
- AERC Plan Room Web-based plan room platform for accessing construction documents, project specifications, and bidding information for AERC projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- $25 million in building design, construction and equipment purchases administered for Twin Creeks Technologies project
Companies that use AERC
Customer profileNamed customers26 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
AERC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
AERC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
AERC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HOK: Global architecture firm with practices across healthcare, education, workplace, and civic sectors — represents the larger incumbent competitive set against which AERC must differentiate on local presence and personal service.
- CannonDesign: National architecture firm with deep healthcare, education, and commercial practices — competes for some of AERC's larger regional pursuits but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
Direct peers
- LRK: Memphis-based architecture firm with a multi-sector portfolio across commercial, healthcare, education, and residential — directly comparable to AERC's Mid-South focus and service breadth, and the most relevant same-region competitor for civic and institutional work.
- Renaissance Group: Memphis-based architecture, planning, and interiors firm serving commercial, education, and institutional clients — a comparable regional direct competitor with overlapping sector coverage and interior design capabilities.
- A2H: Mid-South (Memphis-area) architecture and engineering firm offering multi-sector design services across education, healthcare, commercial, and industrial — closely comparable to AERC's regional service mix and licensure profile.
Regional players
- JBHM Architects: Jackson, Mississippi-based architecture firm with a multi-sector portfolio across education, healthcare, and commercial — a comparable Mid-South peer with similar scope, licensure, and client type profile.
- Hastings Architecture Associates: Nashville-based architecture firm with multi-sector work across commercial, healthcare, civic, and education projects — a comparable mid-size peer operating in an adjacent regional market with similar client mix.
- Dale Partners Architects: Jackson, Mississippi-based architecture firm offering commercial, institutional, and healthcare design — a comparable regional peer serving similar client types in Mississippi.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AERC social profiles
Digital presenceAERC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AERC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
AERC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AERC 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 AERC
What does AERC do?
AERC is a multidisciplinary architecture and interior design firm providing full-service commercial architecture and standalone interior design. The firm delivers schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction phase services for offices, healthcare, education, government, industrial, manufacturing, and places of worship clients. It also operates an online plan room for construction documents and bidding information.
Is AERC a public or private company?
AERC is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AERC founded?
AERC was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is AERC based?
AERC is headquartered in Hernando, United States, in the North America region.
How does AERC make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are AERC's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HOK and CannonDesign. Direct peers are LRK, Renaissance Group and A2H. Regional players are JBHM Architects, Hastings Architecture Associates and Dale Partners Architects.
Does AERC have an API?
No public API is recorded for AERC.
What industry is AERC in?
AERC's product category is Architectural Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAK, Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services. Its NAICS code is 541310 and its SIC code is 8711.