Somdal Associates

What Somdal Associates does

Somdal Associates LLC is a privately held, multi-disciplined architectural and interior design firm headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana, with a secondary office in Baton Rouge. Founded in 1908 by Edward F. Neild, the firm has operated continuously for over 117 years under successive principal leadership, currently led by Director of Design Chris Elberson and Architect Emeritus Ed Elberson. It serves healthcare, education, religious, hospitality, commercial, residential, and sports/recreation clients across Louisiana and adjacent Mississippi, with a project portfolio that includes healthcare facilities (Christus Health West Annex, Biomedical Research Foundation CMIT), educational campuses (Centenary College, St. Mark's Cathedral School), religious buildings (Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, St. Joseph Catholic Church), and hospitality venues (Southern Trace Country Club, Ameristar Casino).

The firm delivers full architectural services spanning concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration, alongside interior design, master planning, and feasibility studies. Its technology stack is built on industry-standard platforms — AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Bluebeam, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft 365 + Teams, and Deltek Ajera — supplemented by two proprietary internal assets: Somdal University, a professional development platform for employee licensure and certification, and PSJM (Project Studio Job Management), an SOP-driven project budgeting and resourcing system.

The business model is a traditional professional services firm: revenue is generated through project-based, quote-based professional fees tied to scope, size, and complexity. Client acquisition is principal-led, relying on the firm's century-old regional reputation, civic and professional affiliations (AIA Shreveport, AIA Louisiana, ICAA Louisiana, NCARB, Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners), and direct relationships rather than formal marketing channels. The firm operates as an independent LLC with no external investment, parent company, or disclosed funding.

Name

Somdal Associates

Legal name

Somdal Associates LLC

Website

https://somdal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Somdal Associates is a privately held, 117-year-old architectural and interior design firm based in Shreveport, Louisiana, delivering full-service design for healthcare, education, religious, hospitality, commercial, and residential clients across Louisiana and adjacent Mississippi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (541410)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Master planning services
• Construction administration
• Feasibility studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Shreveport

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 fees for architectural services including concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction administration. Services provided for healthcare, education, commercial, religious, and residential projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Somdal Associates is a multi-disciplined design firm providing professional architectural and interior design services from concept through construction administration. The firm serves healthcare, education, religious, hospitality, commercial, and residential clients with master planning, feasibility studies, and a phased Design Process covering Conceptual Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, and Construction Administration. Work is delivered by principals and credentialed staff across offices in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Product overview

Somdal Associates offers a suite of architectural and design services centered around its core offerings: Architecture, Interior Design, Master Planning, Design Process, and Feasibility Studies. The firm is an architectural and interior design practice, not a software product company. Somdal University serves as the firm's internal professional development platform supporting employee education and credentialing. The portfolio includes healthcare facilities, schools, churches, athletic centers, multifamily residences, and custom homes across Louisiana and surrounding regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full architectural design services for healthcare, education, commercial, religious, and residential projects, focused on functional, sustainable, and client-responsive design delivered from concept through construction administration.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services from concept through furniture selection and material specifications, creating environments that support well-being, productivity, and sense of place for healthcare, hospitality, commercial, and residential clients.
• Master Planning Services Long-term vision for growth, development, and transformation for campuses, facilities, and communities through collaborative stakeholder engagement.
• Feasibility Studies Early-phase evaluation of site conditions, regulatory constraints, program requirements, and cost considerations to inform project decisions.
• Design Process Collaborative phased design approach including Conceptual Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, and Construction Administration phases.

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Institute of Architects (AIA)coreOthersProfessional affiliation and membership organization for architects. Multiple Somdal principals have served as presidents of the AIA Shreveport chapter and AIA Louisiana. The firm uses AIA Handbook of Professional Practice as foundational reference.
• Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA)coreOthersProfessional organization promoting classical architecture. Chris Elberson serves as President of ICAA Louisiana Chapter.
• National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ)coreOthersProfessional certification body for interior designers. Somdal interior designers hold NCIDQ certification.
• NCARB - National Council of Architectural Registration BoardscoreOthersProfessional certification and licensure support organization. Multiple Somdal architects hold NCARB certification. Ed Elberson served as national officer and committee member.
• Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners (LSBAE)coreOthersState regulatory board for architectural practice in Louisiana. Chris Elberson serves as Board Member.
• Shreveport Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC)coreOthersLocal governmental planning body. Chris Elberson serves on the commission.
• C100 - Committee of 100 Shreveport-BossiercoreOthersEconomic development organization. Chris Elberson serves as President.
• Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC)minorOthersArts and cultural organization in Shreveport. Somdal encourages employee civic engagement.
• AHA - Alliance for Historic and Artistic PreservationminorOthersHistoric preservation organization. Somdal encourages employee involvement.
• Shriners Hospitals for ChildrenminorOthersHealthcare charity organization. Somdal encourages employee civic engagement.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• LEO A DALY: Nationwide architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong healthcare, education, and commercial practices. Provides overlap on healthcare and institutional project types but operates at much broader scale.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Multi-discipline architecture, engineering, and consulting firm headquartered in Texas. Competes in healthcare, education, and civic sectors with comparable regional Gulf South presence but broader scale.
• SmithGroup: Integrated design firm with deep healthcare, education, and workplace practices. Comparable to Somdal in design philosophy but operates nationally with significantly larger headcount and resources.
• HKS: Large national architecture firm with a globally recognized healthcare practice. Competes for the same large-scale hospital and medical campus work Somdal pursues, but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Tipton Associates: Louisiana-based architecture and planning firm with deep regional roots in healthcare, education, and civic projects. Operates in the same Gulf South geography and competes for many of the same institutional clients as Somdal.
• WHR Architects: Texas-headquartered architecture firm specializing in healthcare and education facility design. Highly comparable to Somdal's healthcare-primary mix and regional delivery model, with a similar project scale and customer profile.
• BRPH Architects-Engineers: Mid-sized architecture and engineering firm with strong healthcare, education, and aerospace/defense portfolios. Comparable in scale, multi-discipline offering, and emphasis on technical design delivery similar to Somdal.
• Morris Architects: Houston-based architecture practice with a long-running healthcare, education, and civic portfolio. Comparable to Somdal in vertical mix, regional concentration, and project typologies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SomdalDesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/SomdalAssociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Somdal Associates