Clotfelter/Samokar

What Clotfelter/Samokar does

Clotfelter/Samokar is a multi-discipline architectural design firm operating as a Kentucky Professional Service Corporation (ClotfelterSamokar, PSC) since 1953. The firm is headquartered at 228 E. Reynolds Road, Suite 1 in Lexington, Kentucky, and offers four core service lines: Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, and Master Planning. Its specialty is educational facility design spanning P-12 schools, career and technology centers, higher education buildings, athletic complexes, and historic preservation, with supplementary work in civic, government, industrial, commercial, and hospitality/tourism projects. Over its 70+ year history, the firm has delivered 2,500+ projects for 200+ clients, with a documented concentration across Kentucky school districts and KCTCS institutions. Leadership consists of principals David M. Samokar (President), Anthony C. Thomas (Vice President, AIA/LEED AP), Michael S. Etapa (Architect, AIA), Joseph W. Clark (Interior Designer, IIDA/LEED GA), and Benjamin R. Boggs (Landscape Architect, RLA/ASLA), supported by a broader team of project managers, graphic artists, construction administrators, and technical staff numbering in the 11-50 employee band.

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services fees, billed on multi-year contracts tied to scope and complexity, with no standard pricing tiers publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting Kentucky school districts, higher education institutions, and government entities through competitive bidding and direct referrals from long-tenured clients. Marketing channels include the firm's project portfolio website, KSBA Annual Conference presence, ongoing news/ribbon-cutting announcements, and bottom-of-funnel referral activity from repeat clients. The firm operates exclusively within Kentucky with no disclosed proprietary technology platform, relying on industry-standard CAD, BIM, and visualization tools. The current ownership structure is private and employee-led, with no private equity, venture capital, or parent company ownership disclosed.

Clotfelter/Samokar's most notable recent engagements include the Regional Postsecondary Education Center (82,000 sq ft) for Elizabethtown Community & Technical College, the Educational Alliance Center in Middlesboro with Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College and Eastern Kentucky University (housing aerospace and nursing programs), the Transportation Education Center at Ashland Community and Technical College (ribbon cutting January 2026), the 213,000 sq ft Harlan County High School, the Redhound Stadium renovation for Corbin Independent Schools (March 2026), and a strategic partnership with the Appalachian Wildlife Foundation on the Appalachian Wildlife Center in Bell County, projected to draw 850,000 visitors annually with $175 million regional economic impact.

Name

Clotfelter/Samokar

Legal name

ClotfelterSamokar, PSC

Website

https://clotfelter-samokar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clotfelter/Samokar is a Lexington, Kentucky-based multi-discipline architectural design firm founded in 1953, specializing in educational facilities (P-12 and higher education) and serving Kentucky school districts, KCTCS institutions, and government entities with project-based professional services across architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and master planning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Educational facility design
• Interior design services
• Landscape architecture
• Master planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based professional fees for architectural design services including new construction, renovation, and historic preservation projects for educational, civic, commercial, and recreational facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clotfelter/Samokar is a multi-discipline architectural design firm founded in 1953, providing architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and master planning services. The firm specializes in educational facility design (P-12 and higher education) along with sports and recreation, civic, community, commercial, and historical renovation projects, primarily for Kentucky-based school districts, higher education institutions, and government entities.

Product overview

Clotfelter/Samokar is a multi-discipline architectural design firm founded in 1953, specializing primarily in educational facilities (P-12 and higher education). The firm offers four core service areas: Architecture (covering P-12, Higher Education, Sports & Recreation, Historical Renovations, Civic, and Community projects), Interior Design (including Space Planning, Concept Development, Material Selection, Furniture & Fixtures Selection, Accessibility & Universal Design, and Sustainable Design), Landscape Architecture (Site Analysis & Assessment, Environmental Sustainability, Planting, Hardscape Design, Irrigation & Drainage), and Master Planning. The firm has completed over 2,500 projects across 200+ clients in Kentucky, with a portfolio spanning schools, athletic complexes, performing arts centers, technology centers, and community facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full architectural design services for P-12 schools, higher education, sports and recreation facilities, historical renovations, civic buildings, and community projects. Clients include Kentucky school districts, higher education institutions, and government entities.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services including space planning, concept development, material selection, furniture and fixtures selection, accessibility and universal design, and sustainable design for educational, civic, and commercial facilities.
• Landscape Architecture Services Landscape architecture services including site analysis and assessment, environmental sustainability, planting design, hardscape design, irrigation, and drainage for educational and civic facility projects.
• Master Planning Services Master planning services including visionary framework development, site analysis, stakeholder engagement, land use and zoning, transportation and infrastructure planning, sustainability and environmental considerations, and economic viability analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 projects completed in 70+ years of operation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable.

• Appalachian Wildlife FoundationnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with Appalachian Wildlife Foundation on the new Appalachian Wildlife Center in Bell County. Project includes nature trails, monument park, classrooms, open-air petting zoo, three museums, theater, 300-seat restaurant, gift shop, and artisan hall. Projected to draw 850,000 visitors annually with $175 million regional economic impact.
• Somerset Community College / KY FAMEnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with KY FAME (Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) for advanced manufacturing technology labs. Program creates dual-track, apprenticeship-style training pipeline with regional manufacturers.
• Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College / Eastern Kentucky UniversitynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance for Educational Alliance Center housing aerospace technology program (flight simulators, drone stations) and nursing program (classrooms, labs, simulator suite) in partnership with EKU.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Corgan: National architecture firm with a sizable education practice serving K-12 districts and higher education institutions. Larger incumbent competing for marquee educational and civic projects nationwide.
• LPA Design Studios: National architecture firm with a strong K-12 and higher education practice, particularly in the western U.S. Broader incumbent with integrated architecture, interiors, and landscape capabilities.
• DLR Group: National architecture, engineering, and planning firm with a substantial K-12 and higher education practice. Larger incumbent that periodically enters Kentucky and adjacent state bids, competing for the same school district and civic projects.
• CannonDesign: Global architecture and engineering firm with significant higher education and K-12 practice. Broader incumbent offering integrated design services across multiple verticals including education.

Direct peers

• TMP Architecture: Ohio-based architecture firm with deep K-12, higher education, and civic project portfolio. Comparable mid-size, multi-discipline design practice with a similar education-vertical specialization.
• Hastings+Chivetta Architects: St. Louis-based architecture firm with a strong higher education and student life specialty. Comparable mid-size firm focused on educational facility design for institutional clients.
• Fanning Howey: Ohio-based architecture firm specializing in educational facility design for K-12 and higher education clients nationally. Closely comparable in vertical focus on learning environments, though larger in scale and geographic reach.
• JRA Architecture: Lexington, Kentucky-based architecture firm of comparable size and regional focus, competing for the same Kentucky public-sector, educational, and civic project opportunities. Direct head-to-head competitor in RFP processes.
• Legat Architects: Illinois-based architecture firm with a strong educational facility design practice serving K-12 districts and community colleges. Comparable mid-size firm competing for similar public-sector education clients in the Midwest.
• Sherman Carter Barnhart: Lexington, Kentucky-based architecture firm with similar size, multi-discipline practice, and educational/civic focus. Competes for the same Kentucky school district, higher education, and community facility commissions.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clotfeltersamok

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Clotfelter/Samokar