gkkworks, an architecture, construction, and construction management firm headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., announced last week that it signed a merger agreement with Glendale, Calif.,-based architecture firm Leidenfrost/Horowitz & Associates, Inc.
The merger will broaden the range of integrated architectural design, construction management, and construction services available to both firms’ clients. The combined staff of 240 employees in 10 offices will service local, national, and international clients with projected total billings of over $50 million annually.
The decision to merge increases benefits for both firms. For gkkworks, the merger creates the opportunity to diversify into the commercial retail market and expand its work within the K-12 and higher education sectors.
“With added employees, architects, and offices, we will be able to reach broader and more diversified markets,” says Praful Kulkarni, president and CEO of gkkworks. “Merging with LHA allows us to put forth combined services that will enhance our commitment to excellence and quality for our clients.”
For LHA, the merger presents the opportunity to integrate into gkkworks’ unique blend of design and construction services and build on strengths already inherent in both firms.
Oscar Leidenfrost, co-founder of LHA says, “gkkworks and LHA are merging two successful firms with similar corporate values and a shared dedication to our clients and employees. Together we will create an even stronger commitment.”
gkkworks will retain its current name, and LHA will be referred to as LHA, a division of gkkworks. Both firms will maintain separate office locations. gkkworks’ headquarters, currently located in Newport Beach, Calif., will move to a new location in Irvine, Calif., later this year to accommodate recent internal growth. The LHA division headquarters will remain in Glendale, Calif.
The merger takes place in conjunction with gkkworks’ 15-year anniversary, when the firm is celebrating 15 years of growth. Currently, gkkworks is ranked 36th as one of the top 100 fastest growing architecture firms in the country by Zweig White, the nationwide consulting firm. Current clients include Kaiser Permanente, Harbor UCLA Medical Center, the County of Los Angeles, the County of Orange, the Los Angeles and Oakland Unified School Districts, and Loma Linda University Medical Center.
