CDA Architects

What CDA Architects does

CDA Architects is a Houston-headquartered professional architecture firm providing full-lifecycle design services spanning pre-design and schematic design, design development and construction documents, bidding and permitting, construction administration, and post-construction support. Founded in 1974 by Charles Chambliss and incorporated in Texas on June 26, 1995 as Chambliss Design Associates, Inc. d/b/a CDA Architects, the firm specializes in grocery store design (its foundational practice), multi-anchor and neighborhood shopping centers, corporate and office buildings, restaurant and hospitality facilities, medical and dental offices, industrial structures, mixed-use developments, and private educational buildings. The firm's core technology is traditional architectural methodology delivered through collaborative in-person design coordination, with LEED-certified project experience and architectural registrations across 19 states. The firm is led by President Ray Duerer (AIA, LEED AP, at CDA since 1995), Executive Vice President Tamim El Haje (AIA, licensed in 18 states plus Texas), and Vice President Stuart Allison, supported by a staff of approximately 16 professionals.

CDA generates revenue through project-based professional service fees, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers. Business development is sales-led and driven by long-tenured client relationships and referrals rather than paid marketing; the firm maintains a content blog and earns visibility through Houston Business Journal and other regional trade press coverage. Named enterprise clients include Kroger (a 50-year anchor), HEB, Fiesta Mart, Brixmor Properties, the Signorelli Company, NewQuest Properties, Hartz Chicken, and Merit Commercial Real Estate, with project scale ranging from 1,500 SF interior build-outs to 150-acre retail centers with over one million SF of buildings.

In October 2025, CDA Architects completed a merger with Onyx Creative, Inc., becoming the Houston presence of a national design firm of 180+ architects, engineers, and interior designers with offices in Cleveland, Tucson, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Baltimore, Portland (ME), and Houston. The merger, between firms with a 25+ year working relationship dating to OfficeMax projects in Texas in the late 1990s, positions the combined entity for larger and more complex projects and broader geographic reach while preserving CDA's client portfolio and regional relationships.

Name

CDA Architects

Legal name

Chambliss Design Associates, Inc.

Website

https://cdaarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CDA Architects is a Houston-headquartered architecture firm providing full-lifecycle design services for grocery, retail, hospitality, medical, educational, and industrial projects; following its October 2025 merger with Onyx Creative, it operates as the Houston office of a 180+ person national design firm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Commercial building design
• Retail architecture
• Grocery store design
• Architectural design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based professional services for architectural design, from pre-design through construction administration. Revenue is generated through fees for architectural services on a project-by-project basis, serving long-term client relationships across multiple building types and industries.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CDA Architects is a professional architecture firm providing comprehensive architectural design services spanning pre-design, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding/permitting, construction administration, and post-construction. The firm specializes in grocery store design (its foundational practice since 1974), multi-anchor and neighborhood shopping centers, corporate/office buildings, hospitality/restaurant facilities, industrial facilities, mixed-use developments, educational buildings, and medical facilities, with operations in Texas and the Gulf Coast region.

Product overview

CDA Architects (now operating as Onyx Creative - Houston) is a professional architecture and design services firm offering a comprehensive range of architectural services across the project lifecycle: Pre-Design & Schematic Design, Design Development & Construction Documents, Bidding Administration & Permitting, Construction Phase Services, and Post Construction Services. The firm's core expertise lies in specialized building type design including Grocery Store Design (their foundational practice since 1974), Multi-Anchor Shopping Centers, Neighborhood Shopping Centers, Corporate/Office Buildings, Renovations, Hospitality/Restaurant Facilities, Industrial Facilities, Mixed Use Developments, Educational Buildings, and Medical Facilities. The company recently merged with Onyx Creative (October 2025) and currently operates as part of a 180+ person design firm with multiple office locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grocery Store Design Specialized grocery store architectural design services for major grocery chains including Kroger, HEB, and Fiesta Mart. The foundational building type for CDA since founding in 1974.
• Multi-Anchor Shopping Center Design Large retail center design with multiple anchor tenants such as Target, Ross, Marshalls, T.J.Maxx, PetSmart, and others requiring complex master planning and tenant coordination.
• Neighborhood Shopping Center Design Community-scale retail center design providing essential services close to residential areas.
• Corporate/Office Building Design Corporate headquarters and office building design for clients including Kroger Texas, NewQuest Properties, Hartz Chicken, Signorelli Company, and Brixmor Properties.
• Renovation Services Building renovation and reuse design services focused on improving properties while retaining existing building structures.
• Hospitality/Restaurant Design Restaurant and hospitality facility design including Fuddruckers, Luby's, Slim Chickens, Starbucks, Pappadeaux, and other food service establishments.
• Industrial Facility Design Industrial building design balancing utilitarian needs with aesthetic considerations for facilities including warehouses, car washes, and manufacturing structures.
• Mixed Use Development Design Complex mixed-use projects combining retail, commercial, hospitality, medical, and multi-family residential uses in master-planned developments.
• Educational Building Design Private education facility design for schools including Pro-Vision, Northland Christian, St. Anne's Tomball, and St. Nicholas Schools.
• Medical Facility Design Medical office design including dental, veterinary, and general medical facilities serving doctors, dentists, and veterinarians.
• Architectural Services (Pre-Design through Post-Construction) Comprehensive architectural services spanning the project lifecycle: Pre-Design & Schematic Design, Design Development & Construction Documents, Bidding Administration & Permitting, Construction Phase Services, and Post Construction Services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully completing projects from 1,500 SF interior build-outs to 150 Acre Retail Centers with over 1 Million SF of buildings

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Onyx Creative, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Merger completed October 2025 combining CDA Architects with Onyx Creative, Inc. The merger emphasizes innovation by collaboration, with CDA bringing talented design professionals and architects to Onyx Creative along with strong regional presence in Texas. The combined entity has 180+ architects, engineers and interior designers with office locations in Cleveland, OH; Tucson, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Portland, ME; and Houston, TX. Mike Crislip, President of Onyx Creative, noted a 25+ year relationship with Ray Duerer, CDA President, beginning with OfficeMax projects in Texas in the late 90s.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ware Malcomb: Commercial architecture firm with established retail and office building practices serving enterprise clients across multiple U.S. regions; comparable project types and direct-enterprise GTM motion.
• WD Partners: Retail-focused architecture, design, and engineering firm serving grocery, restaurant, and retail clients nationwide; comparable customer base and project types (store remodels, prototypes, multi-site rollouts) to CDA's grocery/retail practice.
• GreenbergFarrow: Architecture and engineering firm specializing in retail, restaurant, hospitality, and grocery design with multi-state practice; competes directly for national grocery and big-box retail client engagements.
• Onyx Creative, Inc. Parent company of CDA Architects post-October 2025 merger; Cleveland-based retail and commercial architecture firm with 180+ staff across 7 offices specializing in retail, grocery, foodservice, industrial and medical sectors — directly overlapping CDA's practice areas.
• Nelson Worldwide: Architecture and brand experience firm with deep grocery, retail, and restaurant expertise; serves enterprise chains across multiple states with similar building-type focus to CDA.

Broad incumbents

• HOK: Global architecture firm with established retail and commercial practices; competes for large-scale grocery, retail, and mixed-use engagements where CDA is also active.
• PGAL: Mid-to-large architecture and engineering firm with retail, healthcare, and commercial practices; serves enterprise clients across multiple states and overlaps CDA's grocery/retail and medical building types.
• Gensler: Largest U.S. architecture firm with significant retail, hospitality, and commercial practices; serves many of the same enterprise retail clients as CDA (developers and national chains) but at much broader scale and portfolio breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cda_architects
• Facebookfacebook.com/100063796922941
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cda-architects-chambliss-design-associates

Compliance1 record

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 CDA Architects