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Pazdan-Smith Group of Greenville and McMillan Smith & Partners of Spartanburg said they will join forces under the name McMillan Pazdan Smith on Sept. 30.
GSA Daily Staff Report
Published Aug. 19, 2009
Two of the Upstate’s leading architectural firms are merging.
Pazdan-Smith Group of Greenville and McMillan Smith & Partners of Spartanburg said they will be joining forces under the name McMillan Pazdan Smith on Sept. 30.
Talks about merging have been going on for several years, the firms said.
"This was the right time to combine the depth and expertise of two prominent South Carolina architectural firms, strengthening our position as a regional firm with experience in diverse market segments," said Ron Smith, principal at McMillan Smith & Partners, pictured at left.
“Our combined skills in project management, our talents in the design process and expertise in core markets will provide greater value, service and knowledge in all areas of planning and design," Smith added.
Joe Pazdan, principal at Pazdan-Smith, pictured at left, said: "We see this as an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the future growing economy to create a stronger firm and to grow our market share and reach throughout the region. We are probably known more as a Greenville firm, while McMillan Smith has its roots in Spartanburg and Charleston, when in fact, we collectively have projects reaching from Virginia to Georgia. Together we will be poised to further expand our reach and better compete on a regional and even national level."
McMillan Pazdan Smith will keep the Spartanburg and Charleston offices open and integrate McMillan Smith’s Greenville office into Pazdan-Smith Group’s current office by Sept. 30, the firms said.
"We are not expecting to lose any employee positions during the transition, and in fact, we feel that once the current economic climate turns around, we will be poised for growth within the company," said Brad Smith, principal at Pazdan-Smith Group, pictured at left. “We believe that McMillan Pazdan Smith will be more competitive on a regional and national basis, which should also help us to recruit even more top-level talent to the Upstate.”
“When you decide to grow your company through a merger, it’s important that the companies involved have common goals and values,” he added. “When Joe and I started Pazdan-Smith Group 16 years ago, giving back to the community was very important to us, both personally and collectively as a company. Ron and his group are extremely active in their communities and encourage all of their employees to be equally engaged. We feel there will be great synergy with the new McMillan Pazdan Smith, and we will continue to work toward a better quality of life for all of us in South Carolina.”
McMillan Smith & Partners has been in business since 1955. Local projects include Hubbell Lighting, Palmetto Bank Corporate Headquarters, Dorman High School and the Milliken Science Building at Wofford College.
Established in 1993 by Joe Pazdan and Brad Smith, Pazdan-Smith Group is a studio-based design firm with special focus in urban, campus/community, retail and healthcare design.
In 2003, Pazdan-Smith Group acquired a 40-plus year-old local architectural firm, JHM Architects, whose main client is AnMed Health in Anderson. Local projects include CU ICAR - Collaboration 3 – Timken Building, the Children’s Museum of the Upstate and the Upcountry History Museum.
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