March Associates

What March Associates does

MARCH Associates is a privately held architectural firm founded in 1993 and headquartered in Utica, New York, with a secondary office in East Syracuse. The firm provides planning, design, and construction administration services across four primary verticals: K-12 education, higher education, civic/government, and commercial/industrial. Its project portfolio includes 50+ documented engagements ranging from small renovations to capital projects exceeding $38M in construction value (e.g., OHM BOCES Complex, Salmon River CSD Phase-2 at $36.5M, Newburgh Heritage Middle School at $17.8M, and the Utica National Insurance headquarters). The firm specializes in sustainable design practices including geothermal systems, LEED construction, historic preservation, and energy-efficient retrofits, with three LEED AP BD+C-credentialed principals among its 19-person staff (10 of whom are registered architects).

The business operates on a project-based professional services revenue model, with fees typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or fixed fees for defined scopes. The firm employs a partner-in-charge model in which a principal is personally involved in all phases of each project, from programming through construction closeout. GTM is sales-led and direct, driven by repeat client relationships, public-sector competitive proposals, industry event participation (e.g., NYS School Boards Association Convention), and word-of-mouth referrals. The customer base is concentrated in Central New York, with deeper relationships in K-12 districts, SUNY/private colleges, and county/municipal entities.

Ownership is held by five active principals following a 2021 leadership transition that elevated four long-tenured employees (Lahey, Jadlowski, Lacey, Wickman) to partner status, while founders Martino and Higgerson moved to Emeritus/Consulting roles. The firm executed a merger with Bonacci Architects in August 2024, expanding capacity in the Syracuse market. There is no external investment, no parent company, and no funding rounds; the firm is self-funded through operating cash flow.

Name

March Associates

Legal name

March Associates

Website

https://marchassoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MARCH Associates is a privately held, 19-person architectural firm founded in 1993 in Utica, New York, providing planning, design, and construction administration services across K-12, higher education, civic, and commercial sectors throughout Central New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Utica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architecture services for educational, corporate, and industrial facilities including planning, design, and construction administration. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for architectural services, typically billed as a percentage of construction cost or as fixed fees for defined scopes of work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

March Associates is a Central New York architectural firm providing planning, design, and construction administration services across four primary sectors: K-12 education, higher education, civic/government facilities, and commercial buildings. Services span programming through construction closeout, with partner-in-charge oversight on every project. The firm holds specialized expertise in sustainable/LEED design, geothermal systems, historic preservation, and New York State Education Department (NYSED) capital project submission processes for K-12 districts.

Product overview

MARCH Associates is an architectural firm (not a software product company) dedicated to the planning, design, and construction of high quality educational, corporate, and industrial facilities. The firm was established in 1993 and operates across four primary service sectors: K-12 school projects (including elementary, middle, and high schools, BOCES facilities), Higher Education projects (residence halls, dining facilities, academic buildings, campus renovations for colleges and universities), Civic projects (courthouses, fire stations, libraries, arenas, government offices), and Commercial projects (office buildings, breweries, industrial facilities). The firm's services include architectural design, construction administration, and project management across these sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design and Construction Administration Services
• K-12 Educational Facility Design
• Higher Education Facility Design Architectural services for colleges and universities, including residence halls, dining facilities, academic buildings, libraries, student centers, and historic preservation/conversion projects.
• Civic and Government Facility Design Architectural services for county and municipal government clients, including courthouses, fire stations, libraries, government offices, and public recreation facilities, with expertise in historic preservation approvals.
• Commercial and Industrial Facility Design Architectural design for private commercial enterprises, including new office construction, brewery/industrial facilities, aviation hangars, senior living communities, and mixed-use developments, with LEED/sustainable design expertise.
• Historic Preservation and Masonry Restoration Services Specialized preservation and restoration services for historic buildings, including cast stone restoration for WPA-era buildings, laser scanning of original architectural elements, and custom replication of period design features to meet modern codes.
• Sustainable and Geothermal Building Design Services Specialized sustainable design services including geothermal well field design, district-scale renewable energy integration, and LEED-certified construction, demonstrated in projects such as the Indian River Intermediate School, Matt Brewing Company, and Salmon River CSD.

Quantifiable outcome

• $36.5M capital project approved by voters for Salmon River CSD
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bonacci ArchitectsmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Bonacci Architects merged with MARCH Associates in August 2024. Team members Greg Hallett (Architect) and Carrie Hood (Architectural Designer) joined MARCH Associates through this merger, expanding the firm's capabilities and team.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clark Patterson Lee (CPL): NY-based architecture, engineering and planning firm offering K-12, higher ed and municipal design across Upstate New York with similar project delivery and a comparable repeat-district model.
• LaBella Associates: Rochester-headquartered architecture/engineering firm providing K-12, higher education, civic and municipal design across New York - a larger but adjacent peer with overlapping vertical mix and geographic footprint.
• SWBR Architecture: Rochester-area architecture firm with K-12, higher education, civic and adaptive-reuse expertise - comparable regional competitor pursuing similar upstate school district work.
• King + King Architects: Liverpool, NY architectural practice serving K-12 and higher education across Upstate New York with comparable project scales ($5M-$30M) and an equivalent regional principal-led delivery model.
• Mosaic Associates Architects: Central New York architecture firm based in Syracuse delivering K-12, higher education, healthcare and civic projects - directly overlapping March's geographic and vertical focus in the same Upstate NY school-district market.
• Beardsley Architects + Engineers: Cortland, NY architecture and engineering firm providing educational, institutional and civic facility design - direct geographic overlap with March's CNY territory and similar public-sector client base.

Broad incumbents

• CannonDesign: National architecture firm with a major higher-education and K-12 practice - a larger incumbent that competes for the same school-district and college RFPs March pursues, especially flagship higher-ed commissions.
• Stantec: Global A&E firm with a sizeable US K-12 and higher-education practice - competes against March on larger educational and civic commissions and as an integrated project delivery alternative.

Emerging players

• SHW Group: Architecture firm specializing in K-12 educational environments - overlapping vertical with March's primary K-12 focus though operating at a larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Tinkelman Architecture: Upstate NY firm with K-12 and higher-education portfolio - smaller regional peer competing in overlapping school district RFPs in Central NY.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MARCHAssoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/march-associates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 March Associates