Happy New Year from All of Us at SCHRADERGROUP!
2024 marked SCHRADERGROUP’s (SG) twentieth anniversary, and with that, we look back on the year with gratitude for achieving major milestones. This past year, SG expanded our project portfolio, received awards for our achievements, stayed active in our community, and grew our team, which now exceeds fifty dedicated professionals. We are humbled by our progress and look forward to what lies ahead. We recognize that the support of our clients, colleagues, friends, and family, has contributed to our success in creating state-of-the-art, sustainable projects for future generations.
We at SG would like to express our appreciation to everyone involved with our team this past year. We are thrilled to recap our year below and we look forward to what 2025 holds!
SG’s current projects continue to progress from groundbreaking events to ribbon cutting ceremonies.
SG has been constructing buildings for twenty years. Current new construction projects include Keith Valley Middle School, Hares Hill Elementary School, and the Reading STEM Academy. Current addition and renovation projects are underway in many school districts including Council Rock, Coatesville Area, and North Hills School Districts. As for new construction in Higher Education, we are thrilled to see the Penn State Harrisburg Academic Learning Center begin its construction process in early 2025.
In the municipal market, the Public Works Facility in West Whiteland Township is rapidly approaching completion, with a targeted end date of January 2025. Public safety projects under construction include the Aldan Borough Admin/Police facility which is progressing smoothly and construction for Knightdale’s Police Department will begin in January 2025.
Great Valley School District officials hosted a dedication ceremony when the new 5/6 Center opened its doors this fall. The local community had the opportunity to tour the facility for the first time and to see the advancements in facility design offered by the new school. Additionally, Willistown Township hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of its renovated Administration Building.
Chatham County Emergency Management and 911 Communications Center celebrated its first anniversary of operations. The new facility provides additional space, upgraded systems and technology, accessible features, and effective workstations necessary for the growing County.
The people we design for are the driving force behind our inspiration, and as a result, we stay involved in the communities with which we collaborate. Over this past year, our team attended conferences, dinners, career fairs, fundraisers, and other social events.
SG had the opportunity to attend several career fairs in 2024. Several of our Penn State alumni returned to their alma mater for the annual Stuckeman Career Day, which specifically caters to students in architecture, landscape architecture, and graphic design fields. Additionally, the SG team attended career fairs for Penn College of Technology, Thomas Jefferson University, and Kent State University to inform students about our projects, internship opportunities, and the industry at large.
In addition to promoting our mentorship program at career fairs, the SG team attended many conferences this year. We traveled to several regional PA conferences: PASA PSBA in the Poconos, ERAPPA in Valley Forge, SCUP in Philadelphia, and PASBO in Hershey. But it doesn’t stop there; we also attended IACP in Boston, A4LE’s LearningSCAPES in Portland, OR, NENA/APCO and NCACP in North Carolina, and SCUP Mid-Atlantic in Arlington.
Beyond conferences, our team attended various fundraising events, including Community Design Collaborative’s Leverage Event and additional DVASBO-sponsored golf outings that benefit students in local districts.
SG has not only experienced growth in projects and the community, but we have expanded internally in several ways too. April kicked off our firm’s twentieth anniversary which coincided with our Philadelphia office move. The move was bittersweet, as we said goodbye to the Manayunk office that had been the home base for two decades and relocated to Conshohocken. This change provided an inviting and spacious office to accommodate our growing team and projects. Later in the year, we hosted an Open House for our friends, colleagues, and clients to tour the new space and to catch up. Additionally, this year, we established a new office in State College, PA.
Our team expanded and we’ve now surpassed fifty employees. Our summer interns included Alissa Kinney, Isaac Buxton, and Shubh Savani, who all contributed immensely during one of our busiest seasons. Additionally, Colleen Deluca, part of our Interiors department, was promoted to Senior Interior Designer/Project Manager. We’ve hired the following people this year and are pleased with their contributions already:
- Allison Mason – Project Manager
- Allyson Everlof – Architectural Designer
- Carlyssa Pierre – Office Administrative Team
- Craig Schulz – Mission Critical Facility Expert
- Eleni Katsas – Architectural Designer
- Gianna DeLorenzo – Jr. Interior Designer
- John Evans – Project Manager
- Omar Abdulrahman – Architectural Designer
- Pat McFeely – Public Safety Market Segment Leader
We are proud of the team’s growth and look forward to furthering our expansion in the future.
The SG team is honored to have received numerous accolades and awards in 2024. Learning by Design magazine showcased the Community College of Philadelphia’s Career and Advanced Technology Center on the cover of its Fall 2024 issue and recognized the project with a Citation of Excellence. Additionally, the Career and Advanced Technology Center earned a Specialized Facility Citation in American School & University magazine’s 2024 Architectural Portfolio issue.
The American Council of Engineering Companies’ Pennsylvania sect awarded PennDOT District 6-0’s Regional Traffic Management Center a Diamond Award in the Building/Technology Systems category. The team consisted of Heim Construction, Jacobs, and Bala Consulting Engineers. AIA Pennsylvania’s Emerging Professionals Committee recognized SG as an EPiC firm as we continue our commitment to emerging professionals’ development.
As for rankings, Building Design + Construction ranked SG #51 in their Top K12 Firms list and #161 in the Higher Education Firms list. SG also placed in the Top 150 Local Government Buildings Sector, and Engineering News-Record’s Mid-Atlantic region ranked SG as a Top Design Firm, placed us at #83 on a list of Outstanding Firms, and recognized Hatboro Horsham School District’s Keith Valley Middle School as our largest project to break ground in 2023.
This summer, Learning by Design magazine launched a new ICON in Education Award, honoring leaders in design who go above and beyond to improve educational spaces. Managing Partner David Schrader was one of the first five recipients of this honor. We have long known of his skills, talents, and creativity in the K12 market and appreciate that he and his efforts are being recognized by others as well.
At SG, we are incredibly humbled by these accolades and use this recognition to stay motivated.
This past year was a time of tremendous growth, opportunity, and achievement. As we close out our twentieth year, we reflect on how far we’ve come with gratitude. We could not be more appreciative of our supportive clients, colleagues, friends, and families who remind us daily of why we do what we do.
We are excited about the opportunities and connections the new year will hold. We wish you and your families a terrific holiday and a fantastic 2025!
From all of us at:
