Hoffmann Architects appoints Hargrove and Kamrat to executive leadership

 

 

Manhattan, NY Hoffmann Architects + Engineers has appointed Craig Hargrove, AIA and Avi Kamrat as co-presidents of the boutique architectural and engineering practice, which specializes in the rehabilitation of building exteriors.

Hargrove, AIA has been appointed co-president of Hoffmann after serving as director, architecture and manager of the firm’s New York City office for more than 20 years. In that time, he oversaw the firm’s busiest location and expanded Hoffmann’s reputation and influence throughout the city and beyond. Under his leadership, Hoffmann has developed longstanding relationships with noteworthy clients, including Columbia University, the State University Construction Fund, the Ford Foundation, Pfizer, and Scholastic. As a technical professional with specialized expertise in building enclosures, Hargrove is often called upon to share his knowledge with the industry through guest lecturer positions, publications, seminars, and appearances in the media. While managing a substantial project roster and overseeing the work of the New York technical team, he makes time to mentor junior staff, build and sustain client relationships, and facilitate collaboration across Hoffmann’s three offices. Committed to educating rising professionals, he taught high school students through the ACE Mentor Program and designed the firm’s summer internship program for recipients of the Hoffmann Scholarship.

Since 2020, Hargrove has served on Hoffmann’s board of directors, and he was among the first to become a shareholder in 2011, when founder John Hoffmann, FAIA offered joint ownership to key leadership personnel. He joined the firm in 2002. A graduate of the New York Institute of Technology, Hargrove holds the Registered Roof Consultant (RRC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Advanced Professional (LEED AP) credentials, and he is a certified Construction Documents Technologist (CDT).

Avi Kamrat has been selected to serve as co-president of Hoffmann, having served for more than 20 years as the firm’s director, administration and chief financial officer. In this capacity, he oversaw the firm’s administrative apparatus, which encompasses finance, information technology, human resources, administrative assistance, communications, business development, and marketing. Kamrat’s agile leadership enabled the firm not just to weather the pandemic, but thrive, rapidly adjusting workforce and financial models to retain and elevate talent and anticipate evolving client needs. Always ready to challenge the status quo, Kamrat affords his team the flexibility and autonomy to improve systems and outcomes. He shepherded the firm through implementation of a bespoke client relationship management system to deliver ever more customized and responsive client services, and the improvements. 

Kamrat spearheaded to financial software and file management enabled intuitive yet powerful data capabilities to drive firm growth. With employee well-being ever top of mind, Kamrat works closely with the human resources manager on everything from benefit packages to company culture initiatives, with a focus on empowering and celebrating staff success.

A graduate of Brandeis University, Kamrat has served on Hoffmann’s board of directors since 2018. As CFO, he joined the executive committee in 2011, contributing to key decisions about the direction of the company. He was also among the first selected for joint ownership of Hoffmann in 2011. Kamrat has been with the firm since 1998.

As co-presidents, Hargrove and Kamrat share a vision for Hoffmann’s growth that builds on the firm’s foundation of nearly fifty years of building enclosure expertise. Pairing Hargrove’s technical leadership with Kamrat’s operational acumen, the new executive team plans to evolve the practice to reach new markets, build on existing client relationships, and expand the firm’s talent to drive innovation. From preserving historic landmarks to developing high-performance envelope systems, Kamrat and Hargrove envision a future for Hoffmann that provides smart, sustainable solutions to elevate the built environment.

 

 

Russell Sanders, AIA, outgoing president of Hoffmann, will stay on as president emeritus and serve as senior advisor until his planned retirement later this year. Since joining the firm in 1978, Sanders has advanced a reputation for building enclosure knowledge and project management that not only set the standard for Hoffmann projects but also made him a sought-after expert for insurance claims, litigation and mediation, specialist peer review, and professional mentorship. His unerring eye for detail has provided quality assurance on Hoffmann projects for more than forty-five years.

John Hoffmann, FAIA, founder of Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, will continue as executive chairman and plans to retire after seeing the firm to its 50^th anniversary in 2027. With Sanders, Hoffmann will serve in an advisory capacity to the new leadership, offering guidance and support that draws on his long experience as a groundbreaking building envelope specialist. When Hoffmann established the firm in 1977, he saw the need for design professionals to attend to details that were often overlooked – details that could make the difference between structural integrity and premature failure. Today, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers sustains the legacy of his pioneering approach to building exterior design and rehabilitation.

Asked about the new executive team, Sanders said: “I have worked with Craig and Avi for many years, and I am confident in their capacity for forward-thinking leadership. Their influence has shaped the reputation and success of the firm, and, with them at the helm, I know the practice will continue to evolve.”

“Avi Kamrat and Craig Hargrove are deeply invested in the future of Hoffmann Architects + Engineers,” said Hoffmann. “Their outside-the- box thinking and grit will take the firm into its next phase of growth, while their long tenure here promises that the traditions of attention to detail and expertise in construction technology will continue to underpin every Hoffmann project. Knowing that the practice I worked hard to build is in good hands is enormously gratifying.”