The Wilcox Group

Steve Kinzler, the co-founder who took over management of The Wilcox Group after the death of Jerry Wilcox in 1999, said 2006 was the architecture firm’s best year ever with a 52 percent increase in revenue.

Wilcox has been a pioneer in the state of sustainable “green” architecture and has earned a solid reputation in LEED-certified building. Its Camp Aldersgate project, the first gold-certified LEED building in the state, has been recognized nationally. One of the firm’s architects, Martha Jane Murray, was a driving force in creating the Arkansas chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council with financial backing from the company.

The Wilcox Group has won numerous AIA design awards, including a national VISTA award, as well as interior design awards. It has worked on some of the state’s highest profile construction projects. Its most recent projects include the new Fellowship Bible Church development and, with two other firms, the expansion of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus, including a new hospital. Much of the firm’s business is for health care and higher education, but Kinzler is intent on diversifying its project load.

Last year the firm added eight employees and added to its office space to keep up with an increasing workload. Despite that workload, Wilcox remains family-friendly so employees can strike a balance between work and home. Flexible work schedules are common at the firm.

“Good projects, good staff and good clients” is how Kinzler describes the secret of the company’s success.

Kinzler challenges the younger architects to stay up with the latest technology and design trends by investing in continuing education and sending them to national conferences, both in architecture and in clients’ industries.

One of the biggest challenges is budget management, Kinzler said, brought about by the “sky-high” inflation rate of construction.