GROTH Design Group announces new ownership

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The founder of Cedarburg-based architect GROTH Design Group will pass the torch to three partners after starting the company 30 years ago.

Founder Mike Groth will transfer ownership to partners Peter Schneider, Mike McGraw and Peter Damsgaard, company officials announced. Groth started the company in 1994, and the announcement coincides with the firm’s 30th anniversary.

The firm has 38 employees, including 15 licensed architects, with offices in Cedarburg, Milwaukee and Appleton. GDG has designed projects such as the Journey21 Enrichment Center, the Gunderson Tri-County Hospital and the new convent for the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.

GDG started out designing religious projects and over time spread to education, healthcare, senior living, corporate and community projects across Wisconsin, Schneider said. Most of the company’s work is driven by relationships with clients, he added.

“What attracted all three of us to GROTH Design Group was the standard Mike had set and the foundation he laid,” Schneider said. “Mike’s always been about people and making sure we’re taking care of both those who work with our team and our clients, and let the firm grow organically from there. Our ethos of listen, lead and serve is something all four of us believe in and we try and live out that ethos as we move forward,” he added.

For the future, Schneider said there was room for all GDG’s market sectors to grow stronger. He added that GDG wanted to continue to build on the success of the Appleton office which opened two years ago.
“Our backlog is full, and I think that has to do with diversification of markets,” Schneider said. “The markets we serve are resilient and haven’t been too affected by election years or gloomy financial outlooks. We’re still hopeful for the rest of 2024, 2025 and beyond,” he added.

The firm’s recent clients include Marquette University, Children’s Wisconsin, Sixteenth Street Clinic, Journey21, Racine Unified School District, Annex Wealth Management, Lakeland Community Church and more, officials said. GDG has designed projects across the Midwest and in Florida, Arizona and New Mexico.

“Peter, Mike and Peter have been an integral part of the firm’s growth and transformation,” Groth said in a statement. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with a team who truly embodies our mission and am leaving the firm in the hands of exceptional leaders.”