Kern Architects

What Kern Architects does

Kern Architects is a private, founder-led architecture firm headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded in 2019 by Phillip Kern, AIA. The firm provides turnkey commercial architectural design and project management services, specializing in financial institution architecture for banks and credit unions while also serving commercial, residential, government, medical, and religious clients across a four-state Gulf Coast region spanning Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Project budgets range from $50,000 to $20 million, with hundreds of completed engagements concentrated in the Louisiana financial institution segment.

The firm's technical platform is built around a 100% Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflow supplemented by virtual reality visualization, AI-assisted design tools, and 3D scanning for existing conditions documentation. Service delivery is integrated end-to-end, covering project consultation, site selection and due diligence, feasibility studies, budgeting, architectural design, renovations, construction administration, and furniture/fixtures/equipment procurement, with vendor bidding and management handled in-house. Recurring partnerships with an interior design firm and a network of regional construction contractors enable turnkey design-build delivery without internal expansion of those capabilities.

Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-driven professional services contracts. The firm employs approximately six people and operates with no disclosed outside capital, no institutional investors, and no parent company. Customer acquisition relies on a combination of direct consultation inquiries (website CTAs and a prominent phone line), organic social presence, and founder-led visibility through the AIA Baton Rouge presidency and NCARB licensure advisory work, yielding a high-touch, relationship-driven go-to-market model centered on the regional financial institution segment.

Name

Kern Architects

Legal name

Kern Architects

Website

https://kernarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kern Architects is a Baton Rouge-based, founder-led architecture firm founded in 2019 that delivers turnkey design-build services primarily for banks and credit unions, with secondary commercial and residential work across the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida Gulf Coast region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Commercial architecture services
• Financial institution design
• Turnkey project management
• Building information modeling
• Design-build construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Comprehensive architectural services including project consultation, site selection, due diligence, feasibility studies, budgeting, architectural design, renovations, construction management, and vendor management from concept to completion.
2. Commercial Blueprint Services: High-quality commercial drawings including preliminary drawings, presentation drawings, and construction drawings for commercial and industrial clients.
3. Turnkey Project Management: Complete project management including furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FFE) procurement, vendor bidding and contracting, and vendor management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kern Architects is a Baton Rouge-based architectural firm providing turnkey commercial architectural design and project management services, with a primary specialization in financial institution architecture for banks and credit unions. The firm delivers integrated design-build services spanning project consultation, site selection, due diligence, feasibility studies, budgeting, architectural design, renovations, construction administration, and furniture/ fixtures/equipment (FFE) and vendor management from concept to completion, serving the Gulf Coast region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Product overview

Kern Architects is a Baton Rouge-based architecture firm offering integrated design-build services primarily serving the Gulf Coast region (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida). The firm operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core services include Commercial Architecture Services, Financial Institution Architecture Services (their primary specialty with 20+ years of experience), Commercial Blueprints & Drawings, and Residential Architecture Services. All services are delivered through a comprehensive turnkey project management approach that integrates project consultation, site selection, architectural design, construction, and vendor management from concept to completion. The firm specializes in financial institutions, having completed hundreds of projects with budgets ranging from $50,000 to $20 million.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Architecture Services Full-service commercial architecture and design-build services covering office buildings, retail spaces, restaurants, churches, government facilities, medical clinics, and entertainment venues across the Gulf Coast region.
• Financial Institution Architecture Services
• Commercial Blueprints and Drawings
• Residential Architecture Services
• Turnkey Project Management

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects completed with budgets ranging from $50,000 to $20 million
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CDI SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design partner working with Kern Architects on multiple projects including Meritus Credit Union Corporate Office Build-Out, Metairie Bank renovations, First Pioneers Federal Credit Union, and numerous other financial institution projects. CDI Solutions provides interior design services integrated into Kern Architects' turnkey project delivery.
• The Pixel HouseminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPhotography partner documenting completed projects for Kern Architects' project portfolio and marketing materials. Captured images for Meritus Credit Union, Lincoln Builders renovation, and other projects.
• C.M. Miciotto & SonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction contractor partner for Meritus Credit Union Corporate Office Build-Out project in Lafayette, LA.
• CM CombsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction contractor partner for UNO Federal Credit Union Main Office Renovation project in New Orleans, LA.
• Voelkel McWilliamsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction contractor partner for Metairie Bank David Drive Branch Renovation and EPIC Federal Credit Union New Northshore Branch projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with significant financial-services and commercial client base. Represents the larger incumbent competitor for high-end financial-institution and commercial engagements.
• Gensler: Global architecture and design firm with deep financial-services practice and significant commercial build-out work. Competes for larger financial-institution and commercial assignments that fall above Kern Architects' typical ceiling.
• HOK: Global architecture firm with established financial-services and commercial interiors practices. Represents the kind of larger incumbent Kern Architects may compete against for institutional scale projects.
• DLR Group: Architecture and design firm with a recognized financial-institutions practice serving banks and credit unions nationwide. Competes in the same vertical but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• CannonDesign: National architecture and design firm with established practice areas across commercial, workplace, and institutional sectors. Overlaps with Kern Architects' commercial and institutional work, though at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Holly & Smith Architects: Louisiana-based architecture firm with a comparable portfolio spanning commercial, educational, religious, and financial-institution projects across the Gulf South. Similar regional scale and customer mix.
• LS3P Associates: Southeast US architecture firm with offices across the region delivering commercial, workplace, and civic projects. Comparable regional delivery model and project size range to Kern Architects, with broader geographic reach.
• Mathes Brierre Architects: Baton Rouge-based architecture firm with a similar Gulf Coast focus and comparable range of commercial, institutional, and financial-institution projects. Closest geographic and scale comparable for Kern Architects.
• Yeager Architects: Regional architecture firm based in Louisiana serving commercial, financial, and institutional clients. Similar size, similar Gulf Coast orientation, and overlapping service offerings make it a natural peer.

Direct peers

• WDG Architecture: Mid-sized commercial architecture firm with comparable service offering in workplace, commercial build-out, and mixed-use projects. Similar delivery model and project scale make it a direct comparable in size and approach.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KernArchitects
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kern-architects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Kern Architects