ALLEVATO and HFA Join

Apr 20, 2016

Fayetteville, AR – April 20, 2016 — Zweig Group provided consulting over the recent HFA Architectural and Engineering firm acquisition of ALLEVATO Architects. The Northwest Arkansas based HFA is consistently ranked nationally in the top five retail architectural firms. The acquisition gives ALLEVATO, a Franklin, Massachusetts firm, an opportunity to spread its quality design experience in retail architecture to other geographic regions and clients while adding value to the engineering services already provided to their existing client base.

The HFA| ALLEVATO firm will have enhanced design capability, greater expertise and knowledge of retail design, new resources and staffing to compete with larger firms within the retail community. The acquisition will expand HFA’s reach to the Northeast Region by establishing an office in that location to better serve clients in that area of the country. The expansion will also spread the reach for design knowledge and capabilities of the firm within the retail market.

“One of the driving forces behind every consulting job that Zweig Group takes on is our mission to make our clients more successful - as individuals and as companies. Nowhere is that more apparent to me than when we provide consulting on mergers and acquisitions,” said Jamie Claire Kiser, Director of Merger & Acquisition Services from Zweig Group. “We take great pride when we can join together two companies that will both be better off as a result of the transaction. It was our pleasure to help Lou and the ALLEVATO team join the HFA family and we look forward to the success that they will enjoy through this union.”

Over the past fourteen years, ALLEVATO, currently with over 20 people on staff, has been involved in over 20 million square feet of retail development and has worked nationally with some of the top retail developers. The firm is well known nationally for quality architectural design of mixed-used developments, open-air shopping centers and outlet malls. In addition to their retail design practice, ALLEVATO brings high impact design for brand driven restaurant tenants such as Joey Kramer’s Rockin’ & Roastin’ Café and convenience stores such as the New England based Cumberland Farms.

“We are excited about merging our practice with HFA, and see this new venture as an ideal match of personalities, values and skills,” said Lou Allevato, AIA, Principal and Founder of ALLEVATO Architects. “The collaboration of HFA and ALLEVATO…grants us the opportunity to work with the best talent in the industry to advance the strong and longtime personal relationships we have built with our clients.” Mr. Allevato will continue his leadership role as a principal within the HFA organization.

HFA, founded in 1990 as Harrison French & Associates, LTD., has over 180 employees with offices in Bentonville, Arkansas and Fort Worth, Texas. The multi-disciplinary design firm provides Architecture, Interior Design, MEP Engineering, Fire Protection, Refrigeration Engineering, Fueling Design, Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Landscape Architecture services to the education, retail, commercial and assisted living markets throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

About Zweig Group

Zweig Group, three times on the Inc. 500/5000 list, is the industry leader and premiere authority in AEC firm management and marketing, the go-to source for data and research, and the leading provider of customized learning and training. Zweig Group exists to help AEC firms succeed in a complicated and challenging marketplace through services that include: Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic Planning, Valuation, Executive Search, Board of Director Services, Ownership Transition, Marketing & Branding, and Business Development Training. The firm has offices in Dallas and Fayetteville, Arkansas.