Inside the blueprint

Building on the Brand: AVID Architects’ Fairlawn HQ reflects a refreshed identity built on decades of trust

Story by Scott Esterly | Photos by Jason Julian Smalcer (Liza Sue Productions) & Scott Esterly

When AVID Architects opened the doors to its new 15,000-square-foot headquarters in Fairlawn in September 2025, it marked much more than a change of address. The building, along with the new name on the sign, represents a deliberate evolution for the firm formerly known as MPG Architects. After more than five decades of steady growth, the leadership team saw an opportunity to create a space and a brand that reflected who they had become and where they were headed.

The decision to design and build their own facility was both practical and symbolic. “We took a leap of faith to build our own building and create what we want, knowing it was the right decision to catapult this firm forward,” says President Randy Parsons. “It’s an investment in our people and in the future.”

That investment began in 2019, when the firm started searching for land that could support a purpose-built office to accommodate its expanding team, now totaling 34 employees. The site they found was unconventional: a 2.75-acre parcel that had once been a city-owned stormwater retention pond. Working closely with the City of Fairlawn, the team partnered on the pond’s relocation and development of an engineered site capable of supporting the new headquarters.

With an overall project cost of about $5.25 million, the headquarters was built to evolve, shaped by the needs of a collaborative team and a vision for steady, lasting growth. For Parsons and his colleagues, the building and the brand change are two sides of the same story. Both speak to continuity and collective ownership, a move away from individual names toward a shared identity that could endure for generations.

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