CLEVELAND, OH — SmithGroup, an integrated design firm, has opened its newest office in Cleveland, Ohio. As the company's 20th office, this new location builds upon a legacy of work that the firm has led in Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and along Lake Erie, and strengthens the company’s network of expertise in the Great Lakes region, which includes operations in Ann Arbor, Chicago, Detroit, Madison, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh. It also deepens SmithGroup’s long-standing connections in Ohio, where it has delivered architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, coastal engineering, and waterfront projects for several decades.

SmithGroup’s Cleveland office team includes Principal Landscape Architect Chad Brintnall; Senior Planner and Waterfront Strategist Michelle Johnson; and Landscape Architect, Architect, and Planner Marisa Razi. The team will collaborate closely with Michael Johnson, Urban Design and Planning Studio Leader; and Jason Stangland, SmithGroup’s Waterfront Practice Director who has led several prominent projects in the region.

Recent notable work includes an $8.5 million multi-phase erosion mitigation and public access infrastructure project for the City of Euclid. The firm is also working with Cuyahoga County to deliver a $260 million public access plan to improve transportation networks, increase public access to the waterfront, and stabilize more than 30 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie.

“We’re excited to build on the impact we’ve had in the area and look forward to supporting the growing design needs of this region,” Stangland said.

Additional work in the region includes projects for Cleveland State University, University of Toledo, Toledo Metroparks, and more. The opening of the Cleveland office is the latest milestone in a goal of steady growth for SmithGroup, which recently opened locations in Atlanta, Georgia; Houston, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Sacramento, California.

“One of the key elements of our strategic plan is to enhance our ability to serve clients through an expansion in studios, disciplines, and geography,” said Russ Sykes, Chairman and Managing Partner at SmithGroup. “This new office expands our geographic footprint in the Great Lakes region and enables us to better connect our team with local communities.”