Bentz Thompson Rietow

What Bentz Thompson Rietow does

Bentz Thompson Rietow (BTR) is a privately-held architectural practice founded in 1971 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm delivers architecture, interior design, and master planning services for institutional clients across three core verticals: higher education and K-12 schools, government and civic facilities, and religious institutions. Service modules include programming, historic renovation, adaptive reuse, B3 and LEED sustainability consulting, community engagement, accessibility and DEI assessment, and signage/wayfinding. Notable projects span the Lake Harriet Bandshell and Refectory (Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board), Bemidji State University's Hagg Sauer Hall, College of St. Benedict's Schoenecker Commons, the Northeast Minnesota Veterans Cemetery in Duluth (with Stantec), and multiple worship facilities including Mt. Zion Temple and Wooddale Church.

The firm operates as a traditional professional services practice with approximately 11-50 employees under the leadership of President Ann Voda and Principals Randy Moe and Jonathan Strand. Revenue is generated through project-based professional service fees structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed-fee arrangements, with projects won through competitive bidding, RFP responses, and institutional referrals. BTR is a CERT-certified Small Women-Owned Business Enterprise (S/WBE), Minnesota Targeted Group, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), providing competitive positioning in government and institutional procurement. Geographic focus is Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, with isolated out-of-region work such as the Mepkin Abbey project in South Carolina.

The firm's go-to-market relies on long-tenured client relationships, award recognition (including multiple AIA Honor Awards spanning 1986-2019), and reputation within the Minnesota architecture community rather than active digital marketing or sales development. It maintains collaborative subconsultant relationships with firms including Stantec, Graham Gund Architects, Oliver and Associates, and Ayers Saint Gross for project-specific engagements.

Name

Bentz Thompson Rietow

Legal name

Bentz/Thompson/Rietow, Inc.

Website

https://btr-architects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bentz Thompson Rietow is a privately-held, woman-owned architectural firm founded in 1971 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, delivering architecture, interior design, and master planning services to higher education, government/civic, and religious institutional clients across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior architecture design
• Master planning services
• Historic building renovation
• Institutional facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: BTR provides comprehensive architectural services including design, consultation, construction administration, and project management for institutional clients. Revenue is generated through professional service fees tied to project scope, complexity, and construction costs, typically structured as percentage of construction cost or fixed fee arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

BTR is a collaborative architectural practice providing architecture, interior design, and master planning & predesign services for academic, community, civic, and worship institutions. The firm delivers comprehensive services from programming and design through construction administration, with specialized modules in historic renovation, adaptive reuse, sustainability consulting (B3 and LEED), community engagement, accessibility/DEI assessment, and signage/wayfinding. Projects are organized by four verticals: Academic, Community & Civic, Worship, and Legacy.

Product overview

Bentz Thompson Rietow (BTR) is a collaborative architectural practice offering architecture, interior design, and master planning services. The firm operates as a single-service practice with specialized service modules including programming, historic renovation, adaptive reuse, sustainability consulting (B3 & LEED), community engagement, accessibility/DEI assessment, and signage/wayfinding design. Projects are organized into four main categories: Academic Projects (higher education and K-12), Community & Civic Projects (libraries, government facilities, veterans cemeteries), Worship Projects (churches, synagogues, temples), and Legacy Projects (renovation of landmark historic buildings). Founded in 1971 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the firm serves clients throughout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest with a focus on community-centered design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services
• Interior Design
• Master Planning & Predesign
• Academic Projects
• Community & Civic Projects
• Worship Projects
• Legacy Projects

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StanteccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTR/Stantec team has designed multiple veteran cemeteries for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. This is a collaborative relationship where the combined team brings together BTR's architectural expertise with Stantec's engineering and design capabilities for government cemetery projects.
• Oliver and AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTR served as consultant architect to Oliver and Associates (architect of record) for the Saint Paul College Health and Science Alliance Center project. BTR provided specialized expertise while Oliver and Associates maintained overall project leadership.
• Graham Gund ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTR designed the Saint Paul Academy and Summit School Middle School in association with Graham Gund Architects of Boston. Collaborative design partnership for this private school project.
• Ayers Saint Gross (ASG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAyres Saint Gross provided design services for the Minnesota State University, Mankato Dining Center project while BTR was involved in the evaluation and pre-design study leading to the decision to construct the new facility.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BWBR Architects: St. Paul-based architecture firm with a similar institutional focus on higher education, healthcare, and civic projects in the Twin Cities and Upper Midwest.
• Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA): Long-established Minneapolis architecture and engineering firm serving education, healthcare, civic, and cultural clients; competes directly with BTR for institutional work in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.
• Cuningham Group Architecture: Minneapolis-based architecture firm with deep institutional and hospitality portfolios; competes with BTR for civic and educational clients in the same regional market.
• Snow Kreilich Architects: Minneapolis-based architecture firm with a similar civic, cultural, and educational project portfolio; comparable in size and design-led approach to BTR.
• Welsh Color & Architecture: Minnesota architecture firm specializing in worship, religious, and educational projects; highly comparable to BTR's distinct worship and academic vertical.
• LHB Corporation: Minneapolis-based architecture and engineering firm with a strong portfolio in higher education, civic, healthcare, and government — same Upper Midwest institutional client base and similar project types as BTR.
• MSR Design (Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle): Minneapolis architecture firm recognized for civic, cultural, and educational facility design; comparable in scale, regional focus, and project typology mix to BTR.
• Perkins&Will (Minneapolis): Minneapolis studio of a large global architecture firm; competes with BTR for higher education and civic projects in the Upper Midwest, with significantly more scale.

Broad incumbents

• SmithGroup: National architecture firm with strong higher education, civic, and cultural portfolios; competes with BTR for institutional projects and is a typical larger-firm incumbent in BTR's RFP pool.
• DLR Group: Large national architecture, engineering, and planning firm with substantial civic, K-12, and higher education practices; participates in the same institutional RFPs as BTR but at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/btrchitecture
• Facebookfacebook.com/BTRchitecure
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bentz-thompson-rietow-inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Bentz Thompson Rietow