What GMA Design Group does

GMA Design Group, operating as GMA Architects, is a privately held, full-service architectural and interior design firm headquartered in Richmond Heights, Missouri (St. Louis metro), with 53 associates distributed across five U.S. offices in Chicago, Framingham (MA), Riverside (MO), Downers Grove (IL), and Cincinnati. The firm is licensed to practice in all 48 contiguous states plus Washington, D.C., and has completed more than 1,600 projects nationwide across its operating history. Its service portfolio spans architecture (schematic design through contract administration), in-house interior design, structural engineering, pre-design consulting, construction administration, and hospitality design, with industry specializations in cold storage, beverage distribution, manufacturing, food processing, self-storage, warehouse and distribution, entertainment venues, craft breweries, and multifamily residential. Technical operations rely on BIM/REVIT 3D modeling for design coordination, and the firm has produced facilities certified to standards including FDA, USDA, ISO 14644-1 Class 7 cleanrooms, LEED, and hazardous materials classifications (H2/H3/H4).

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project-by-project basis, with no standard pricing tiers publicly disclosed; fees scale with project scope, complexity, and square footage. The go-to-market is primarily direct enterprise sales combined with a content-driven marketing funnel centered on the firm's project portfolio website and news/insights publishing, reinforced by industry awards and recurring design-build partnerships with construction and development firms such as ARCO National Construction, Stonemont Financial Group, and BlueScope Properties Group. The company is 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and is independently operated without disclosed venture, private equity, or parent-company ownership. Notable enterprise clients include Domino's, Cargill, Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group, Dunkin' Donuts, National Development (on behalf of Fortune 500 retailers), Elopak, Watson-Marlow, Puttshack, Andretti, Trojan Storage, and the Breakers Hotel (Pacific 6 Enterprises).

Name

GMA Design Group

Legal name

GMA Architects

Website

https://gma-architects.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GMA Design Group is a privately held, employee-owned (ESOP) full-service architectural and interior design firm with 53 associates across five U.S. offices, licensed in all 48 contiguous states. It delivers turnkey design services to enterprise clients across industrial, food and beverage, manufacturing, hospitality, self-storage, and entertainment verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural & Interior Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK), Design-Build / EPC General Contracting (IMAFAAAD)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Industrial facility design
• BIM REVIT modeling
• Turnkey design solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 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: Full-service architectural design including prototype design, site selection, facility evaluation, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and contract administration. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for design projects.
2. Interior Design Services: In-house interior design services including preliminary layouts, space optimization, furniture selection, artwork selection, and lighting design. Provided as part of integrated turnkey solutions.
3. Construction Administration: Design oversight through construction completion, working with clients and builders to ensure design is fully realized. Included as part of comprehensive project services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GMA Design Group is a national full-service architectural and interior design firm that delivers turnkey design solutions from early concept through construction completion. The firm provides architecture, interior design, hospitality design, structural engineering, pre-design consulting, and construction administration under one coordinated in-house practice. It specializes in complex facility types including industrial, cold storage, beverage distribution, manufacturing, self-storage, multifamily, entertainment, and corporate office projects.

Product overview

GMA Design Group is a full-service architectural and interior design firm offering turnkey design solutions nationwide. The firm operates as a unified service practice rather than a platform-plus-modules software product. Core service offerings include Architecture Services (covering schematic design through contract administration with BIM/REVIT 3D modeling capabilities), Interior Design Services (including preliminary layouts, furniture and lighting specifications, and digital finish boards), and Hospitality Design expertise. Additional service modules encompass Pre-Design Services (conceptual development, site evaluations, cost scheduling input), Construction Administration, and in-house Structural Engineering. The firm specializes across multiple industry verticals including Cold Storage Design, Beverage Distribution Facility Design, Manufacturing Facility Design, Self Storage Facility Design, Multifamily Residential Design, Warehouse and Distribution Design, and Entertainment Venue Design. Projects span from early concept through final execution with integrated architecture, interiors, and structural expertise working as one coordinated effort.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services
• Interior Design Services
• Hospitality Design
• Cold Storage Design
• Beverage Distribution Facility Design
• Manufacturing Facility Design
• Self Storage Facility Design
• Multifamily Residential Design
• Warehouse and Distribution Design
• Entertainment Venue Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,600+ projects completed coast to coast
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ARCO National ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGMA partners with ARCO National Construction on design-build projects including the MJB Wood/Stonemont Financial Group production and distribution center in Bristol, IN, as well as aircraft hangar projects and office developments. ARCO serves as the construction partner while GMA provides architectural and interior design services.
• Stonemont Financial GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partnership on industrial projects including the 489,600 SF MJB Wood production and distribution center in Bristol, IN. Stonemont provides real estate investment and development expertise while GMA delivers architectural design services.
• International Aerospace Coatings (IAC)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGMA partnered with ARCO on an aircraft hangar project for IAC, providing architectural design services for specialized aerospace facility requirements.
• BlueScope Properties GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on industrial development projects including the Great Plains Commerce Center in Olathe, KS, and City Furniture project in Ocoee, FL. Joint recipient of 2025 Capstone Award.
• MJB Wood GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnd-user client for the 489,600 SF production and distribution center in Bristol, IN. GMA provided both architectural and interior design services for this build-to-suit facility supporting MJB's wood products supply chain.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HKS Architects: National architecture firm with industrial, healthcare, and hospitality practices. Comparable service breadth to GMA but at significantly larger scale and broader sector coverage.
• HOK: Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with industrial and workplace practices. Competes for the same enterprise industrial real estate and corporate office clients, but at significantly larger scale.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm. Competes with GMA on industrial, manufacturing, and food/beverage facility design, but operates at vastly larger scale with full multi-disciplinary consulting.
• Perkins&Will: Large global architecture firm with a strong industrial and healthcare practice. Competes for similar enterprise clients but at meaningfully larger scale and broader sector portfolio.

Others

• Gensler:
• ARCO National Construction: Design-build general contractor and key GMA partner on industrial, office, and aircraft hangar projects. Comparable go-to-market approach in industrial construction; partner rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• DLR Group: Integrated design firm delivering architecture, interior design, and engineering across multiple sectors including industrial and civic. Comparable integrated practice model and multi-sector client base.
• LEO A DALY: Privately held, full-service architecture, planning, engineering, and interior design firm with comparable size and multi-disciplinary practice. Comparable integrated delivery and nationwide project execution.
• BRR Architecture: Architecture firm specializing in industrial, distribution, and retail facility design. Highly comparable vertical focus to GMA's industrial, cold storage, and distribution work, with similar mid-market client profile.
• Ware Malcomb: Mid-sized full-service architecture firm with strong industrial, commercial, and office practice. Comparable to GMA in size, multi-office footprint, and design-build integrated delivery model.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 GMA Design Group