A Colorado Springs architecture firm with more than half a century of history in the region has united with a national practice, gaining broader resources while pledging to maintain its community roots.
The merger with Connecticut-based SLAM Collaborative was announced on Aug. 4. RTA's 45-person staff will join SLAM's workforce of roughly 280, a firm with offices in cities such as Denver, Atlanta, Orlando, and Los Angeles, among other locations.
Among RTA's most recognizable contributions to the local built environment are the Pikes Peak Visitors Center and a sports medicine and performance facility bearing the Hybl name at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The firm's portfolio also encompasses a renovation of the Space Foundation's Discovery Center, upgrades at Ridgeway Elementary School, a hospice and palliative care facility, and a tower expansion at St. Francis Hospital. RTA is currently engaged in design work related to the Douglass Valley Elementary School rebuild as well.
Doug Abernathy, a former RTA president and one of nine owners, said both organizations recognized an opportunity to share assets in ways that would benefit each side. "We have very similar goals and a very similar approach to practicing architecture and supporting a community … We're still very connected to Colorado and Colorado Springs," Abernathy said, noting that SLAM viewed that local connection as a strength. According to a SLAM press release, Abernathy and his fellow owners will carry on in local leadership roles while also contributing to the firm's national direction and strategy.
Abernathy said RTA expects to continue shaping the region's built environment, now with the added support of a national network, and that the relationship creates an avenue for bringing new professional practices and expertise into Colorado. "By having more resources and more expertise that we can draw on and share, we have more to offer our community," he said.
The deal stands apart from many corporate consolidations in that no layoffs occurred; rather, RTA added a new employee immediately after the merger closed. Although the firm already employs six interior designers, Abernathy said bringing on an additional designer who could be mentored and developed over time stood to produce long-term benefits for both the local office and SLAM's broader organization. The combined structure is also expected to strengthen connections among offices nationwide, making it easier to draw skilled professionals to Colorado Springs.
How the two firms integrate their operations in practice, and what new work may follow from access to SLAM's wider network, will become clearer in the months ahead.