News
11.05.11 Randy Seitz Works on Health Center in Ghana
God-Given Gifts: Local Architect Lends Skills To Ghana Medical Building
by NATE DELESLINE, Daily News-Record
A women's health center building in Ghana now has a touch of Harrisonburg, thanks to the faith and hard work of a local architect.
Randy Seitz visited the city of Accra for 10 days last month to lend his technical expertise to the medical building design project as part of Engineering Ministries International. The faith-based group sends teams around the world to improve communities by designing civil engineering projects.
Seitz, President of Blue Ridge Architects and is a member of Ridgeway Mennonite Church, has been an architect for more than 20 years. As the project's lead designer, he was part of a team of about six people from the U.S. and Canada that assisted with the project, which was in La, a suburb of Accra.
Seitz said EMI offers a unique way for people to demonstrate their skills and share their faith. The visit, he said, was not about doing the work for the community, but forging a partnership.
"At the end of the day, they know how to actually construct something, it was more [about] programming and organization," he said.
The goal of the project was to expand a small clinic into a full-service maternity hospital. When completed early next year, the building's space and services will rival what's available at the capital city's main hospital.
Its first phase will have about 9,000 square feet and the remainder of the building will add about another 6,000 square feet.
The EMI organization began about 40 years ago by clearing city dumps and installing public toilets. They've since shifted their focus to helping design and build civil engineering projects such as health clinics, schools and utility infrastructure. The organization has offices in Colorado, Canada, the United Kingdom, Asia, Central America and Africa. Nearly all of the projects are referred to the organization by word of mouth.
Jason McCool of Little Rock, Ark., joined the team last month. He served as a structural engineer.
"It was a great experience, the people of Ghana were wonderful and it was great to be able to help them realize this dream they'd had for a while," he said.
McCool said he was glad to be involved because people in the engineering field don't often get a tangible way to share their gifts in faith.
"If you play guitar or piano, you can use that gift in church. Gifts like that are a little easier to use," he said. "[In] engineering, you design a building, and [then] nobody needs your services for that building for 10 years or 20 years. It's nice to be able to use a gift especially when you feel it was something God called you to do."
Kevin Wiens, an EMI staffer based in Calgary, also said his faith drives his passion for building. He's been in the building and design field for eight years.
"I believe ... God has called me to give back to my community to use [my skills] where needed and where they have a huge impact," he said.
"I have no doubt that God led me into the engineering field," McCool added. "I think it's a great combination to get your career into your faith."
11.04.11 Local Architects Join Forces to Help HARTS
Seasonal Shelter Working With City To Add More Beds
by JEREMY HUNT, Daily News-Record
Organizers of a seasonal homeless shelter hope they won't have to turn away as many people who seek their services in the coming weeks and months as they did last year.
Known as HARTS, the Harrisonburg and Rockingham Thermal Shelter is a nonprofit organization that pools resources with local religious organizations and other groups to provide shelter during the coldest months.
HARTS takes in people who, for one reason or another, can't get into another homeless shelter. The coalition that runs it includes local churches, a temple and a mosque.
For the past four years, HARTS has provided shelter for up to 22 homeless people per night at various locations in the central Valley that rotate every week.
But last winter, as many as 41 people sought refuge from the season's unusually bitter cold, said Brooke Rodgers, the organization's executive director.
HARTS is working with Harrisonburg building inspectors with the hopes of getting approval for up to 40 beds when it opens for the season Nov. 14 at Otterbein United Methodist Church in downtown.
To be able to do that, the organization decided to pare down the number of locations to only the largest facilities, officials say, and it must get approval to increase capacity.
"First of all, it will be based on what we would consider to be the safety of the people in the facility," city building official Wayne Lilly said. "Having a facility for sleeping is entirely different than having a facility for any other purpose."
Lilly said he would inspect the first two churches in the rotation today and may decide next week how many beds they can safely have.
"Our intent here is to try to increase those numbers if we can," he said, adding that it may be less than HARTS officials would like but still more than 22.
One element that goes into determining a safe limit is a document called a life-safety plan.
"It's a common component of a building code permit application," Lilly said. "It's a look at how do you get people out of the building safely [in an emergency]."
Fortunately for HARTS, nine groups of local architects came together to develop those plans, saving the organization about $4,500, said Sarah Morton, president of the nonprofit's board of directors.
That kind of community support is crucial for the organization, which has an annual budget of about $98,000 and relies heavily on volunteers from area congregations, Rodgers said.
HARTS is always seeking both monetary donations and volunteers, she added.
"[The budget is] going to have to grow significantly. The budget isn't growing as fast as the problem," Rodgers said. "I would say that we're being strained in terms of operating the organization and having an extremely small budget."
10.26.11 Architectural Intern Krystal Reid Joins the Staff
Blue Ridge Architects welcomes Krystal Reid as a part-time architectural intern. Krystal is a 2011 Bachelor of Architecture graduate from Virginia Tech. She has worked with APR Associates, Nielsen Builders, and Riddleberger Brothers. She assisted in the Blue Ridge offices before attending Virginia Tech and we are happy to have her back!
08.29.11 Blue Ridge Architects Finds Changes Were Key to Survival, Success
Shenandoah Valley Business Journal article, 8/29/11.
In Hard Times, One Company Remakes Itself
Blue Ridge Architects Finds Changes Were Key to Survival, Success
By Cat Elsby, Byrd Newspapers
At the close of 2008, the then Blue Ridge Design Studio had nine employees and gross receipts of $674,000. Then the economic storm hit.
Twelve months later, the company had dropped to four employees and closed 2009 with $289,000 in revenue, according to Randy Setiz, president of the newly named Blue Ridge Architects.
“Needless to say, it was a brutal 12 months,” said Seitz.
During 2009, Seitz was faced with multiple dilemmas: His business partner left the company, he was forced to lay off two employees, another employee retired and one resigned.
But that’s not all.
“I asked the remianing employees to cut their pay 40 percent for three months, and I went three months without a paycheck,” said Seitz.
It became apparent that extremem measures had to be taken, and Seitz loaned $21,000 from his personal savings to the company to keep it afloat.
He comtemplated giving up and letting the economy get the best of him and his company.
“Going into the fall of 2009, I was tempted to let the remianing employees go, finish what little work there was on my own, and find something else to do,” said Seitz. “But with the debt that the company had, I felt I was more likely to get back on stable ground by keeping the company going than by switching jobs or careers.”
He decided to perservere, and in December 2009 he “scraped together” another $5,000 to hire a strategic planning consultant, and told himself he’d “give it one more year.”
He hired Kathy Moore of Moore Public Relations in Staunton and according to Seitz, she was a “lifesaver.”
Moore looked at the work that the company had done in its first five years and interviewed clients.
Moore’s findings shocked Seitz and gave an explanation as to why the company was hurting: People had heard of the company but couldn’t name its projects, people recognized the name but didn’t kow what they did and some clients had been disappointed with the company’s performance.
The decision was to re-launch the company entirely, said Seitz.
The first step was changing the name. Blue Ridge Design Studio was vague, but the new name, Blue Ridge Architects, got straight to the point.
“There was no doubt about what we did now,” said Seitz.
They also improved marketing materials, narrowed their focus to specific projects, developed an expertise in one or two areas and made better use of social media.
In 2010, the firm’s four professional staff memebers improved relationships with those in the community and reached out to their clients through Facebook, Twitter and blogging, Seitz said.
And sticking it out through tough times had some other benefits, too, says Anna Campbell, vice president and project manager for Blue Ridge.
Though the company downsized, it’s left with a core of people who work very well together, she said.
“I think that the hard times [were] kind of good…because it created more of a sense of family between us,” she said.
And Seitz has certainly been a leader, one the staff looks up to, she said.
Now that leadership is paying off.
In 2011, the reformed company received its biggest project yet: Harrisonburg Community Health Center’s new $3 million clinic.
“We’ve competed aggressively and were fortunate to be selected as the architects for this project which breaks ground in September,” said Seitz. “This is our largest project to date and squarely in line with our goal to serve those who make our community better.”
07.01.11 Harman Construction Awarded Health Center Project
Harman Construction, Harrisonburg, Va., has been awarded the contract for the Harrisonburg Community Health Center project. Blue Ridge Architects designed the 21,000 sq. ft. facility. Construction will begin on July 18, 2011.
05.26.11 Arbor House Opens
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board officially opened its Arbor House facility on May 26, 2011. Blue Ridge Architects designed the 6,000 sq ft. supervised, therapeutic residential facility for adults experiencing mental health crises. It will also serve individuals needing a step-down transition into the community following inpatient psychiatric care at Rockingham Memorial or Western State Hospitals.
02.04.11 Largest Light Commercial EarthCraft Project in Virginia
Our current Harrisonburg Community Health Center project will be the largest light commercial EarthCraft project to date in Virginia.
01.12.11 Blue Ridge Architects Adds a VP and a Director of Business Development
Anna Campbell, AIA, has been named shareholder and Vice President of Blue Ridge Architects and Kirsten Parmer joined the downtown firm as Director of Business Development.
Campbell is a licensed architect in the state of Virginia and has been a project manager at Blue Ridge Architects since 2005. Over the several years, she has provided leadership on projects such Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board Crisis Stabilization Center, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Center’s renovation of Park Place and the Harrison Heights and Franklin Heights projects for Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Currently she is leading the design team for the new Harrisonburg Community Health Center.
President Randy Seitz says, “Clients seek out Anna because she provides timely, accurate and complete information for making building decisions. Her promotion to being an owner and administrator recognizes and reinforces our firm’s commitment to providing the highest standard of professional care for our clients.”
Parmer has been involved in marketing and PR, graphic design, and writing for most of her career. Her responsibilities at the five-person firm include practice management duties, firm promotion, and client relationships.
“Kirsten’s role at Blue Ridge Architects goes beyond promoting the firm. We believe her talents and skills strengthen our commitment to understanding and serving the needs of current and future clients,” said Randy Seitz, president of the firm.
10.13.10 Blue Ridge Architects Selected for Community Health Center Project
The Harrisonburg Community Health Center and the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority selected Blue Ridge Architects to lead the process of rezoning the Health Center’s new site on Port Republic Road. Christopher Nye, Executive Director of the Community Health Center cited the experience and thoroughness of the Blue Ridge team which includes Blackwell Engineering, Pye Interiors and Matt Robertson, Landscape Architect.
The Blue Ridge Architects team is charged with developing a conceptual design for the 20,000 square foot facility, developing a site and landscaping plan and producing renderings of the proposed building which will be used to apply for a zoning change from R3 to B2-conditional.
The project was jump-started when the Community Health Center received a significant federal grant that will allow them to move from their current cramped quarters on Neff Avenue. Their goal is to be in their new facility by the end of 2011.
09.16.10 Blue Ridge Architects is proud to be one of the lead event sponsors for Harrisonburg's First Annual Green Expo
Blue Ridge Architects is proud to be one of the lead event sponsors for Harrisonburg's First Annual Green Expo, held Sept. 25, 2010. This interactive event includes workshops, exhibits from over 70 businesses and demonstrations focused on local food, living greener and sustainable building. Eastern Mennonite University Commons on from 9 am–4 pm. Admission is $2. For more information, visit www.harrisonburggreenexpo.com
04.21.10 Anna Campbell Now Licensed Architect
Blue Ridge Architects is proud to announce Anna Campbell has passed her Architects Registration Exam and is now a licensed architect in the state of Virginia.
Campbell received her Masters Degree in Architecture from Technical University of Szczecin, Poland and has been a project manager at Blue Ridge Architects since 2005. Over the last five years, she has provided leadership on projects such as the Stafford Crossing Community Church (Fredericksburg, Va.), Harrison Heights and Franklin Heights housing renovation for the Harrisonburg Rockingham Redevelopment Authority, and the Strite Conference Center at Eastern Mennonite University.
President Randy Seitz says, “Anna continues to be a key part to the success of Blue Ridge Architects. Her experience with a wide range of project and construction types, her unparalleled knowledge of building codes and her attention to detail allow have been instrumental in establishing our firm’s reputation for high-caliber professional services.”
03.01.10 Blue Ridge Architects Collaborate on New Lifepoint Worship Facility
Randy Seitz, of Blue Ridge Architects in Harrisonburg, Va., and David Dial, of Living Stones Architecture in Charlotte, N.C., are collaborating to create an innovative, new church design for Lifepoint’s first permanent worship facility in Fredericksburg, Va.
Begun in 2005 with only 50 members, Lifepoint has grown to nearly 900 people attending two services in a local school. Executive Pastor Jeremy Pickwell wants the new facility to be a launching point for the church’s ministry, “to spread the love of Christ further and faster.”
The church will repurpose vacant retail space into a 900-seat auditorium with state-of-the-art audio, video and lighting technology. It will also include a 300-seat venue to support training and large group meetings.
“As with many missional churches, Lifepoint will take design cues from retail stores, restaurants and concert venues as a way of drawing people in and capturing their attention. We as architects pull from our experience with commercial spaces as much we do from our years of working with more conventional churches,” says Seitz, president of Blue Ridge Architects.
Key to the outreach of the church is an energized and committed group of volunteers. Pickwell wants their “headquarters” where volunteers gather to get assignments and fellowship between tasks—everything from parking cars and greeting guests, to giving tours and working in the church offices—to be the nicest part of the church.
Pickwell says the mission of the church is to “reach those far from God. We don’t want people to miss out on what God has in store for them.” Children are an important part of this ministry. A Kidspoint area will feature age-appropriate spaces for worship, learning and care giving for infants through grade 5.
Lifepoint hopes to be in their new facility in early 2012, but that is just the beginning. Committed to launching other worship sites and planting new churches, Pastor Daniel Floyd wants to announce their next site during the first service in the new facility.
“This new facility will act as the hub for new campuses yet to be started and a lab for church planters to come and learn how best to launch and operate a young church. We can reach more people through empowering others, teaching them the mistakes and successes we have learned along the way,” says Pickwell.
Cogun, a national design-build contracting firm that specializes in churches, is also part of the project team that will provide a high-powered combination of facility design with high-level customer service, quality control, and on-site supervision. Serving Lifepoint church in this way gives the three firms a chance to demonstrate their commitment to building the right team for each unique client.
For more information, www.visitlifepoint.org.
12.10.09 Blue Ridge Architects To Design Crisis Stabilization Center
The new crisis center, which is owned and operated by the Harrisonburg Rockingham Community Service Board, will be a short stay facility designed to help persons with substance abuse or mental health struggles avoid hospitalization or incarceration.
09.28.09 Common Good Marketplace Campus Completed
Harrisonburg’s newest retail and professional services complex houses the newly renovated and expanded Harrisonburg Gift & Thrift. The sustainable mixed-use project is home to A Bowl of Good restaurant, as well as several retail and business tenants.
08.07.09 Randy Seitz Receives, AIA, LEED Accreditation
Blue Ridge Architects is pleased to announce that Randy Seitz has attained the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED GA).
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