Cuhaci & Peterson growing project volume and staff - Orlando Business Journal:

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The Orlando-based, full-service architecture firm is hirinb 10 more employees to keep up with its growinggproject volume. Since Jan. 1, the compant has added more than 75 majornew projects, with $200 millionm in construction, says Jed Downs, vice presidenf at Cuhaci & Peterson. " majority of this work is all withihn the commercialretail sector," he says. So far this year, the companu has 350 projects on the including the 75 new Downs says the firm has hiresdproject architects, production specialists, CADD designers and engineering staff to keep up with the significanf increase in project volume, which he credits to the ongoing expansio n of retail that has followed the area's housingy boom.
The new staff members bring the firm to 77 Cuhaci & Peterson's specialties are new and renovated industrial and office buildings. In fact, Cuhaci & Peterson'w architects design more than 1 millionj square feet of retaikspace annually. Its biggest projecr so far this year is Park Placse at Parkside Mall in Pinellas Park. The 235,000-square-foot shopping center features a superstorand cinema. The architecture firm is designint renovations to update the property for thenew owner, Clearwater developert Boulder Venture South LLC. Most Cuhaci & Peterson designed a 13,000-square-fooft strip center in front of Floridaz Mall for Liberty UniversalManagement Inc.
For the Shoppes at Floridq Mallstrip center, Cuhaci & Peterson designerd parapits, or raised features. Liberty hopesa to break ground on the stri center in the next 30 to 45 Cuhaci & Peterson also was the architect for BJ'es Wholesale Club at Osceola Crossings. To meet Osceola County'es new higher aesthetic standardsfor big-box the architecture firm used upscals features, false columns, decorative medallione and trim work to break up the space, explains Don general partner in Huber Group LLC, a partnedr in the project.
"They came up with the nices t design for a wholesale clubin Orlando," adds Jack Liberty, presidenft of Liberty Universal Management, another project Cuhaci & Peterson also was the architecty of record for the new 54,000-square-foot Publix at Prescop Associates LLC's 160,000-square-foot Citrues Tower Village on U.S. 27. "Inh every case that I've defined what our needw are, they always have been able to produce exactlhy what we talked aboutand needed," says Bob Shakar, presidenty of Presco Associates LLC in Clermont.
Othert retail clients include Albertson's, Bed Bath & Beyond, Gap, Lowe'e Home Improvement, McDonald's, Men's Warehouse, Nike, Office OfficeMax, Publix, Rhodes Furniture, Ross, Walgreen Co. and Downs, meanwhile, sees the upswing from commercial retailk continuingthrough year-end. At its currentf pace, he says the firm expecta to add another 200 projects overallbefores year-end. That will brin the company to 550 projects on the a 22 percent increase over its 2003 totaproject volume. That volume is expected to boost the architecturse firmto $8 million in billingws in 2004, up 6.7 percent over $7.5 milliohn in 2003 billings.
Says "We don't see it slowing down for us whatsoever."