Ashley McGraw expands into Boston area with acquisition

SYRACUSE — Syracuse–based Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C. has expanded its footprint into the New England region, acquiring studioMLA Architects of Brookline, Massachusetts, near Boston. Founded in 2006, studioMLA Architects — a 15-person architecture and landscape design firm — focuses on the design of early-education facilities along with nature-inspired playscapes for young children. The acquisition closed on July 1, Derek Goodroe, director of marketing at Ashley McGraw, tells CNYBJ in an email. The firm didn’t include any financial details of the acquisition agreement in its announcement. As part of the acquisition, studioMLA Architects will become the early-childhood education studio within Ashley McGraw Architects. In addition, Mike Lindstrom, studioMLA founder, will become the seventh partner of Ashley McGraw. “As we emerged from the challenges of COVID, a vital component of our strategic plan was to build a more resilient business by diversifying our markets,” Matthew Broderick, president and CEO of Ashley McGraw Architects, said in a statement. “We aimed to build one of the best community-focused design practice in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, expanding our capacity to make an impact and creating more opportunities for staff. This strategic acquisition provides Ashley McGraw a Boston–based office and a national practice centered on early childhood education, expanding our demographic diversity to include a much younger age group and anchoring our geographic diversity in New England.” “To acknowledge studioMLA’s national reputation and longstanding partnerships,” the firm will use a dual logo during the transition, Goodroe tells CNYBJ. As the integration progresses, the studioMLA name will “gradually phase out, culminating in full alignment” under the Ashley McGraw Architects brand and logo, he adds. As the founding principal of studioMLA Architects, Lindstrom has more than 30 years of experience and specializes in the design of play and learning environments for children. He has been a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and regularly presents at the group’s annual conferences nationwide. “We are excited about the new opportunities and resources that this strategic partnership provides to our clients and to the studioMLA team,” Lindstrom said in reaction to the acquisition. “Given the similarities in cultures and shared focus on high-quality design, I anticipate a seamless transition and look forward to a host of new possibilities.” The acquisition furthers Ashley McGraw Architects’ geographic footprint in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the firm said. The new Boston–area office joins the firm’s headquarters in Syracuse and its office in Washington, D.C. to bring Ashley McGraw Architects’ total employee count to 79.