Grace Design Studios, a Baton Rouge-based architecture firm, has emerged as a major player in the global design industry through an ambitious expansion strategy that has transformed it from a regional practice into an international powerhouse. The firm's diverse portfolio now spans continents, with projects ranging from a luxury resort community in Saudi Arabia to the highly anticipated Epic Universe park at Universal Orlando, and even local infrastructure projects like a police station in Zachary, Louisiana.
The company's remarkable transformation began in earnest following a significant capital investment from Bernhard Capital Partners, a private equity management firm, in 2022. This financial backing enabled what was then known as Grace Hebert Curtis Architecture to embark on an aggressive acquisition spree that would fundamentally reshape the organization's scope and capabilities.
The strategic expansion culminated in a comprehensive rebranding effort completed in May of this year. Grace now operates as a fully integrated architecture, engineering, and consulting (AEC) firm with an impressive footprint of 22 regional offices spread across 12 states. This geographic diversification allows the company to serve clients across multiple market sectors, including healthcare, education, civic infrastructure, hospitality, and numerous other specialized areas.
The financial results of this expansion strategy have been nothing short of spectacular. Grace's aggressive growth trajectory earned it the No. 5 position on Zweig Group's prestigious 2025 Hot Firm List, which recognizes the fastest-growing AEC firms throughout the United States and Canada. The company reported gross revenue of $137 million in fiscal year 2024, representing a staggering 242.5% increase over its 2021 gross revenue of $40 million.
"We felt that if we could be market sector diverse and regionally diverse, we would create a company that could live forever," explains Grace CEO Jerry Hebert. "We really had to rethink how this company lives for the long haul, and how we could take and grow it to a point where we would have more opportunity for our staff to be able to do different types of work throughout the world."
The success of Grace's model has not gone unnoticed within the architecture industry. The firm's innovative approach to growth through private equity partnership is now inspiring other architecture firms across the country to explore similar strategic alliances. This trend suggests a potential shift in how traditional design firms approach expansion and capital investment in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Grace's transformation represents more than just numerical growth; it exemplifies a fundamental reimagining of what an architecture firm can become in the modern global economy. By diversifying both geographically and across market sectors, the company has positioned itself to weather economic fluctuations while providing its staff with unprecedented opportunities to work on internationally significant projects.
