Lunge forward

Eight years ago, Brad Lunz was diagnosed with cancer, and it changed his perspective on how he wanted his architectural firm to grow.

How could the two be intertwined?

When receiving his cancer treatments, he felt the physical space around him wasn't what it should be. He didn't want it to feel sterile or scary for someone who is on a difficult journey health wise.

“It's interesting how the environment played a role in how I was feeling,” says Lunz, president of Lunz Prebor Fowler Architects in Lakeland. “Design can help influence and has a role in our well-being.”

That led to an epiphany — to get into medical facility design. That addition took a big step recently, when his firm acquired Graham Design Associates in Dunedin. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

“Graham Design Associates is an expert in the field,” Lunz says, adding that Graham Design, with 35 years of public and private experience, has designed several facilities in the Lakeland area. The list includes Watson Clinic Medical Center, Clark & Daughtrey Medical Group and Clark & Daughtrey Cancer Center. It's currently working on projects for the Lakeland Regional Health Main Campus and other Watson Clinic locations. “We blend well and have the same philosophies,” Graham Design Associates founder Jim Graham says.

It took two years to find the right firm to acquire, says Lunz. The time was OK with Lunz, whose cancer is in remission, because he wanted to make sure he had the right match. “It's like a marriage,” he says. “If you don't have similar values, the partnership will not work.”

The next challenge for Lunz is to integrate Graham Design into the company. Lunz has 21 employees, while Graham Design has six. Neither firm disclosed annual revenues, though Lunz says the acquisition, initially, will add 30% to the firm's annual gross revenues.

Lunz, who graduated from the Savannah College of Art & Design, also says the firm wants to make sure its values don't change as it grows. “You always design for your user groups,” he says. “In health care, you are designing for patients, nurses and doctors. How are you doing that so all can get the greatest benefit out of the space?”

Graham says designs for medical facilities have changed over the years. Many buildings have more light, gardens and a living room-type atmosphere. “They are now more patient-friendly,” says Graham, with a portfolio that includes more than 200 cancer centers. “Working in medical gives me more freedom sometimes, and the most important thing is the patient experience.”

Lunz's father, Edward Lunz, founded Lunz Prebor Fowler in Lakeland in 1987. It had two employees back then. “This company is like my dad's fifth child,” says Brad Lunz, adding that his father now works part-time. “There is so much value in someone with 40 years' experience.”

Lunz Prebor Fowler has mostly focused on higher education design, with projects at St. Leo University and Florida Southern College. The firm has also been involved in distribution warehousing, aviation, public safety, government, recreation areas and corporate offices, doing work in 28 states and Washington, D.C. Lunz doesn't rule out future acquisitions to fuel more growth.

“The construction industry ebbs and flows,” says Lunz. “By diversifying our market shares it allows us to have consistent and sustained growth.”