Pictured, left to right, top to bottom: top - Hunter Whisenant (Vega), Kenny Freer (RSA), Mark Schott (RSA), Rick Thompson (Artech), Jay Floyd (RSA), Dr. Greg Harwood (City of Chattanooga), Terry Reynolds (RSA), Allen Ramsey (RSA), Erskine Oglesby (City of Chattanooga), Theresa Dekker (RSA), Colin Johnson (RSA) and Brent McCurdy (Vega); bottom - Todd Duplantis (RSA), Brenden Koon (RSA), Sylvia Panebianco (RSA), Nathan Bird (RSA) and Justin Johnson (RSA)
Initially opened in 2011, the Southside Chattanooga office of Nashville-based Ragan-Smith Associates announced its partnership with neighbor architecture firm, Artech Design Group, to expand and renovate its current location, 1410 Cowart St. The physical expansion will not only double the size of the office, it will also put the company one step closer to its goal of doubling the size of their local team by 2021, officials said.
Ragan-Smith employs 13 engineers, land planners, construction engineering inspectors and engineering interns in Southside.
That team is currently working on both private and public projects throughout the region—from Northwest Georgia to Tellico, Tn. Clients include Tennessee Department of Transportation, City of Chattanooga, Northwest Georgia Regional Commission, Bell Homes, Pratt Home Builders and several local municipalities.
“This is such an exciting time for our growing Chattanooga practice and we see Chattanooga as a great city to attract the highly educated, technical employees needed to succeed in our industry,” said Colin Johnson, vice president and Chattanooga office leader at Ragan-Smith. “The commencement of construction marks the beginning of a major transformation for the company and cements our commitment to having a strong presence in Southeast Tennessee.”
Special guests at the Feb. 15 groundbreaking ceremony included: Allen Ramsey, COO for Ragan-Smith Associates (Nashville); Rick Thompson, principal for Artech, the project architect for the expansion; Erskine Oglesby, District 7 Council vice-chairman for City of Chattanooga; and Dr. Greg Harwood, director of Workforce Development for City of Chattanooga.