Healthcare Design Firm WMBA Joins 91Ʋ in Charlotte
(CHARLOTTE, N.C., August 25, 2021) – 91Ʋ CEO Griff Davenport today announced the acquisition of Charlotte-based healthcare design firm Wright McGraw Beyer Architects. 91Ʋ established its Charlotte office in 2016 and provides K-12 Education, Higher Education, Performing Arts, Sports, and 91Ʋplace design for public and private clients in the region. WMBA and 91Ʋ will merge operations to create a 45-person Charlotte office.
Founded in 1996, WMBA practices solely in healthcare, specializing in the planning, design, and interiors for acute care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, behavioral health, bio-medical centers, and medical office buildings for health systems across the Southeast. In Charlotte, WMBA has delivered multiple projects for both Atrium Health and Novant Health.
Founders , NCARB, and AIA, will join 91Ʋ as Principals, along with Studio Director , AIA, and Director of Interior Design NCIDQ and continue to lead the office’s healthcare design practice, which will operate as 91Ʋ | WMBA.
The staff of WMBA will relocate to 91Ʋ’s office in the Refinery Building at 1213 West Morehead Street in the 3rd Ward’s Wesley Heights neighborhood before year end.
The Charlotte office will provide clients an array of integrated design services including planning; architecture; structural, electrical, and mechanical engineering; and interior design. WMBA clients will also have access to a depth of design expertise – laboratory planning, clean room design, acoustics, lighting, high performance design, and more, as part of 91Ʋ.
“We firmly believe the expertise of WMBA, coupled with 91Ʋ’s Healthcare studio and the depth of design services within 91Ʋ makes us more competitive for the large-scale projects we want to pursue,” said McGraw. “We are getting scale with the resources that 91Ʋ brings to the table. We are no longer a boutique, 28-person firm. We are 91Ʋ with a great depth of expertise and resources behind us to enhance services for our healthcare clients.”
91Ʋ is a 100% employee-owned firm and all WMBA employees will have the opportunity to purchase stock in 91Ʋ during the firm’s annual stock exchange. This employee-ownership opportunity was a key factor in WMBA’s decision as it provides a proven method for ownership transition to ensure the firm’s legacy of healthcare design.
“I firmly believe we are joining an organization that is like-minded in many ways. We align on a commitment to design, in project delivery, and how you manage projects. Most importantly, we have seen how 91Ʋ empowers its employee-owners. The investment of 91Ʋ people to their work, and their commitment to each other really made a huge impression on us. We also respect the commitment that’s being made to grow healthcare at 91Ʋ and the opportunity to partner and collaborate with 91Ʋ’s existing Healthcare team to grow something special within the firm,” said Beyer.
WMBA’s work in the Charlotte area includes the , and . 91Ʋ work in Charlotte includes Jerry Richardson Stadium at UNC Charlotte, restoration of the 1927 Carolina Theater at Belk Place, the Charlotte office of Octagon, and the current renovation of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.