Forte Architects

What Forte Architects does

Forte Architects is a full-service architectural firm headquartered in Wenatchee, Washington, providing architectural, planning, and interior design services across commercial, residential, multi-family, and public-sector projects. Founded in 2006 by Tom Bassett and Lenka Slapnicka, the firm serves the North Central Washington market — primarily the Wenatchee Valley and Lake Chelan region — with a portfolio spanning wineries, tasting rooms, restaurants, mixed-use developments, K-12 educational facilities, multi-family residential developments (townhomes and condominiums), and adaptive reuse projects. The core service offering covers the full project lifecycle: Initial Programming, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding Assistance, and Construction Contract Administration, supplemented by specialty offerings in Educational Specification (Ed Specs) preparation, LEED accreditation assistance, as-built drawing production, and bond material preparation for school district funding.

The firm operates with a team of approximately 11, including two Principals (Kristofer Larsen and Ellyn Freed, who assumed ownership in early 2023), architectural associates with specialized affinities in interiors, healthcare, sustainability, and adaptive reuse, and a Business Director. Differentiated domain expertise includes LEED-accredited sustainable design (founder Tom Bassett served on the committee that produced the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol), adaptive reuse of historic and underutilized structures (e.g., converting three vacant fruit warehouses into the SoCo Crossing family entertainment complex), and resort-area hospitality design around Lake Chelan.

The business model is project-based professional services with fees quoted on a per-project basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led, driven by direct client relationships, an established consultant network (general contractors, structural and civil engineers), local reputation, and a portfolio-driven website. The firm has no external funding, no parent company, and no identified venture investment — it operates as an independent private practice. Customer concentration is spread across at least 11 named enterprise and mid-market clients spanning hospitality, food & beverage, healthcare, government/community, fitness/recreation, entertainment, and residential development segments, though individual multi-unit residential projects likely represent a disproportionate share of annual fees given the firm's revenue base.

Name

Forte Architects

Legal name

Forte Architects

Website

https://fortearchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forte Architects is a Wenatchee, Washington-based full-service architectural firm offering design, planning, and interior design services across commercial, hospitality, residential, multi-family, adaptive reuse, and public-sector projects in North Central Washington, with a team of approximately 11 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Commercial architecture
• Residential architecture
• Interior design
• Adaptive reuse

Headquarters

HQ city

Wenatchee

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Professional architectural services for commercial, residential, multi-family, and public sector projects. Services span the full project lifecycle from initial programming through construction contract administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Forte Architects is a full-service architectural firm offering architectural, planning, and interior design services across the full project lifecycle from Initial Programming through Construction Contract Administration. The firm delivers commercial, residential, multi-family, hospitality, public/institutional, and adaptive reuse projects for developers, businesses, school districts, and individual homeowners across North Central Washington and the Lake Chelan region. Supplementary offerings include Educational Specification (Ed Specs) preparation, LEED accreditation assistance, As-built drawing production, and bond material preparation support.

Product overview

Forte Architects is a full-service architectural firm offering architectural, planning, and interior design services. Their core services include Initial Programming, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding Assistance, and Construction Contract Administration. Additional offerings include Educational Specification preparation, Interior Design services, As-built drawing production, LEED accreditation assistance, and bond material preparation. The firm specializes in commercial projects (restaurants, wineries, gyms, hospitality, adaptive reuse), residential homes, and multi-family residential developments (townhomes, condominiums). The company operates from Wenatchee, WA and serves North Central Washington and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Services
• Interior Design Services

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered regular.

• Eider ConstructionregularChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneral contractor for Lower 5th Street townhomes and Prospect Street projects. Ongoing collaboration on multi-family residential developments in the Wenatchee area.
• Phil Van HeyningenregularTechnology or IntegrationStructural engineer collaborating on Lower 5th Street townhomes and Horan Estates projects.
• Coughlen Porter LundeenregularTechnology or IntegrationStructural engineering firm for Prospect Street single-family residential development.
• Goldstar ConstructionregularChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneral contractor for Sunset Marina Condominiums 24-unit development.
• Pacific EngineeringregularTechnology or IntegrationStructural and civil engineering firm for Sunset Marina Condos and Clubhouse projects.
• BTL EngineeringregularTechnology or IntegrationStructural engineering for Peterson Place 42-unit townhome development.
• Rimmer & Roeter ConstructionregularChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneral contractor for Chapel of the Valley funeral home project and Sunset Marina Clubhouse.
• Tyler Burns ConstructionregularChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneral contractor for Watermill Winery adaptive reuse tasting room project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Integrus Architecture: Mid-sized Pacific Northwest architecture firm with offices in Wenatchee and Seattle covering K-12 education, healthcare, civic, and commercial work — the closest-size in-region competitor to Forte's full-service model and project mix.
• BCRA: Puget Sound-based architecture and planning practice with Pacific Northwest reach across civic, education, and recreation sectors — comparable mid-sized regional competitor Forte would compete against on larger Washington RFPs.
• LSW Architects: Pacific Northwest architecture and planning firm with similar practice size and mixed-use/multi-family, civic, and commercial work — comparable client type and project scale to Forte's portfolio.
• NAC Architecture: Spokane-headquartered architecture firm with strong K-12, healthcare, and civic practices across the Inland Northwest; comparable in scale, regional orientation, and Forte's education/specialty-services positioning.
• Rice Fergus Miller: Bremerton, WA architecture and planning firm of similar scale serving municipal, K-12, parks, and community clients across Western Washington — a comparable small/medium Pacific Northwest practice to Forte.
• Bassetti Architects: Seattle-based architecture firm specializing in K-12 public schools, similar in scale and educational-design credibility to Forte's Ed Specs/Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol positioning.
• BLRB Architects: Pacific Northwest full-service architecture firm of similar size serving public, K-12, civic, and commercial clients — a near-direct benchmark for Forte's project mix and regional business model.

Broad incumbents

• Olson Kundig: Seattle-based high-end residential, hospitality, and cultural architecture firm — overlaps with Forte's Lake Chelan resort and adaptive-reuse hospitality work but operates at a much higher design and fee tier.
• DLR Group: Large global integrated design firm with a Pacific Northwest presence covering education, civic, commercial, and hospitality — a broader incumbent that competes with Forte on the same regional RFPs but at materially larger scale.
• Cushing Terrell: Pacific Northwest-headquartered multidisciplinary design firm with architecture, engineering, and interiors — competes with Forte's full-service positioning in WA municipal and commercial work but at substantially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forte-architects-inc-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Forte Architects