Kimmerle Group Continues Designing for Success

By Anthony Birritteri, Editor-in-Chief On Dec 10, 2024

The success of The Kimmerle GROUP (KG), the Harding Township-based architectural firm that is celebrating its 35th anniversary, is not solely based on design talent (though it does boast an impressive list of industry accolades, including numerous NJBIA New Good Neighbor Awards). The 30-staff firm has additionally survived and thrived because it has kept an eye on market trends. 

One outgrowth of this modus operandi has seen the firm develop from a single architectural practice – Kimmerle Newman Architects – to an organization with six additional divisions serving the continuum of the real estate industry.

“Our model represents a shift in what professional practices in architecture can become, and that is offering a library of services so clients have a menu of sorts to help them in any area of need,” says founder George Kimmerle.

In addition to flagship Kimmerle Newman Architects, KG now offers Kimmerle Urban Studios, with a focus on the redevelopment of stranded assets, open space planning, transit-oriented design, and more; Kimmerle Branding Studio, which incorporates a company’s brand and culture into its physical environment; KG Real Estate Services, which helps clients with site selection and development processes; Kimmerle Project Management, in which, from early planning stages to final walkthroughs, a team of professionals can review plans, coordinate contractors and anticipate challenges; Kimmerle Workspace, which, through long-standing industry relationships, secures furniture from top manufacturers at competitive prices; and Community Design Workshop in Eastern Connecticut, which helps not-for-profits and faith-based groups with the design of facilities and neighborhood plans.

George Kimmerle explains that the real estate development industry has changed dramatically over the last 35 years. “What was once a series of family-owned interests around the state, that controlled most of the real estate investment landscape, has now become international with major funding coming from Wall Street. … It has become competitive because the investment community [is looking at] other opportunities. Real estate developers have then had to rachet up their act to compete. … We are part of that transition,” he says.

Paul Newman, KG’s senior partner who has also been with the firm for the past 35 years, says the change to larger investors has stepped up the firm’s game. “National firms expect a lot more from us. So, we have to be better, faster, and smarter. … We have seen [firms] fall by the wayside who haven’t managed that,” Newman says, adding that technology has been a way to compete in this scenario.

Bill Kimmerle, KG partner, vice president and George’s son, says the real estate market has evolved in sophistication and complexity. “We have to stay on the cutting-edge of that,” he says, commenting that important sectors for the firm today include healthcare, industrial/logistics/warehousing, and pharmaceuticals. He sees the defense industry, specialized manufacturing, and long-term care as future growth avenues for the firm.

Meanwhile, both Newman and KG Managing Director Patrick Luzzi see the office market making a comeback, starting with the Hudson County Gold Coast.

Because of this resurgence, KG recently opened a Hoboken location, which replaced a Manhattan office that closed during the pandemic. “We are confident that the office market will come back, and it will start in Jersey City and Hoboken,” Luzzi says.

Overall, George Kimmerle finds it gratifying that the firm “has continued with many clients throughout generations of their own family legacies, whose names represent some of the most iconic family-based real estate concerns across the tri-state region, as well as coast-to-coast.” 

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