High atop 189 S. Orange Avenue in the heart of downtown Orlando is a small, but lively office. Plans laid out, projects in development, clients on the phone–this is the latest outpost of Baskervill’s growing design practice.

The firm has called Richmond, Virginia, home since its founding 120 years ago, and has greatly expanded its footprint over the last decade. Now doing work in 44 states and 4 countries, the firm grew first to DC’s Vermont Avenue before shifting south to sunny Central Florida. It’s no surprise that broader opportunities in hospitality are a contributing factor for the location; the move puts design teams and talent at many of our existing clients’ doorsteps while also providing opportunities to nurture relationships in the expanding Caribbean and Latin American markets. After much thinking and planning, now is the time.

“When we first started talking about this a few years ago, we could already see the advantages of having more direct access to our clients in the southeast and to projects in the Caribbean and beyond,” explains Bob Clark, the firm’s president. Logistics and lining up the right team were critical to making the move successfully, which was made official with the office’s opening in June.

“It’s good to be home,” says Mark Davidson, Baskervill’s animated VP of Hospitality and longtime Orlando resident, gazing out the 15th floor window onto bustling Orlando below. After five years in the firm’s Richmond office, Mark was keen to return to Central Florida and was instrumental in facilitating the transition.

Michelle Lerner-Konopatski, AIA, IIDA, joins Mark in leading the Orlando office as its director. A seasoned project director and project manager primarily focused in workspace and hospitality, Michelle shares with Mark a similar passion for building client relationships and hands-on project development.

“The energy and opportunity here are in direct alignment with what Baskervill is doing and is strategically positioned to do,” Michelle says.

Open invitation
If you happen to be visiting the Sunshine State, do stop by and say hello! In the meantime, join us in celebrating this major milestone for the firm. Congrats to our Orlando team for jumpstarting what we know will be another exciting chapter in our story.