Bradley Lunz, CEO, The Lunz Group

July 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Bradley Lunz, CEO of The Lunz Group, discussed how the firm is navigating growth, construction costs, technology, and talent development across Tampa Bay. “We understood that data is where the world we live in sits,” Lunz said.

What key changes over the past year have impacted The Lunz Group?

Tampa Bay continues to be blessed with tremendous growth, and people want to move here. That has created high demand across the region. External factors have made full, unbridled growth more difficult to achieve. Tariff concerns, construction costs, and the cost of capital have all shaped the way clients are thinking about projects.

We saw private investment decline earlier in the year, while public-sector investment, especially on the infrastructure side, became more of a catalyst for growth. With so many people coming into the region, recruitment and retention of quality personnel also became more challenging.

The question became how to manage growth correctly and sustainably, both for the organization and for the individuals within it. For us, the past year was about balancing our portfolio in a way that allowed us to grow with a sustainable mindset.

What recent projects, partnerships, or initiatives have been particularly significant for the firm?

Over the past two to three years, we saw the cost of capital rise, the commoditization of certain private investments such as multifamily housing, and private development beginning to wane. Tariffs reinforced the importance of understanding the true cost of construction.

Internally, we looked closely at the major hurdles and concerns our clients face. Two stood out: speed of execution and cost certainty. Over the past year, we developed an internal program that functions as real-time estimation software rooted in our building information modeling system. It allows us to evaluate construction costs using current data from sources such as RSMeans, along with our own historical project data.

That gives us a running view of where costs sit within a range. Early in the process, that range may be broader, but as the project develops, we can narrow it with greater detail. It moves us beyond using a rough per-square-foot number and helps us right-size projects more accurately.

We understood that data is where the world we live in sits. Cost is one of those critical areas because our industry is rooted in economics. We need to make sure we are providing projects that align with budgets established one or two years earlier while still meeting the intended program.

Speed to market has also been important. If a project traditionally takes eight months to deliver, but we can shorten that timeline, we can help clients get ahead of market conditions and potential escalations. We have looked closely at our production methodology and embraced different techniques to support faster delivery.

That has also meant putting more decision-making authority in the hands of our project managers. We created a team structure that pairs senior and junior professionals together so they can make decisions concurrently and share institutional knowledge. That has helped us deliver projects more quickly and with greater economic certainty.

What trends are shaping architecture and design in Tampa Bay?

The use of data is one of the biggest trends. The industry is looking at how to incorporate agentic AI and other tools without losing the design authority that architects are trained to provide. The question is what can be automated or supported by technology, and where human judgment, expertise, and creativity remain essential.

AI can be assistive and additive, but it needs to be balanced with the professional judgment that shapes good design. That balance is becoming a major conversation in the industry.

Externally, we are also seeing changes in subcontractor markets. Labor rates in Tampa are influencing costs across Central Florida, including less urbanized areas. That means the cost of construction in tertiary or secondary markets can look more like an urbanized market. Designing within reduced budgets in the center of the state, while still accounting for those cost pressures, has become an important challenge.

How are you approaching talent attraction and workforce development?

Talent development starts with earlier identification. You cannot say you are going to develop someone and expect that to be complete in six months. It is cultural. You have to set the foundation so people can scaffold appropriately and grow.

Internally, that starts with who we are as an organization. We are motivated by genuine curiosity, and each person’s curiosity is slightly different. We want team members to move forward in areas that interest them while aligning their growth with the firm’s business interests.

If someone is becoming a corrections specialist, we grow those markets with them. If someone is interested in public safety, we grow those markets with them. We allow team members to lay out a professional development path, then support them with internal or external resources.

We also give people stretch opportunities. They can take on new responsibilities while still having the support and safety net they need. My role is often to sit behind them, encourage them, and allow them to grow.

I tell our team that internal struggle is not failure. Failure is when we do not deliver for the client or meet expectations. Internally, people need the space to try, learn, and grow. We can vet the work and make sure it is right before it becomes client-facing, but that internal learning process is essential.

How does The Lunz Group engage with the Tampa Bay community?

Our vision as an organization is cultivating communities. That idea of cultivation is important because it brings in stewardship. Stewardship is moving the rock out of the field so the next person can plow it. It is about making small, incremental changes that support long-term growth.

Community engagement depends on the communities each team member touches. That may be a professional community, a school community, a nonprofit community, or a church community. Every person on our team impacts multiple communities, so we try to align our values with those communities and support them with time, talent, or resources.

This is not a public relations effort. These are the communities we live in and affect every day. Sometimes that means pro bono work for a food pantry. Other times, it means supporting programs that expose young people to career opportunities.

We have also started hosting open houses for small groups, beginning as early as middle school. Many people cannot picture what an architect actually does, so we invite them in to understand the profession. The goal is not necessarily to push them toward architecture, but to expose them to it as an option.

Other initiatives come from within the organization. A team member may be passionate about Toys for Tots or Movers for Moms, and they take ownership of it. They run it, promote it, and build participation. Every year, we see that engagement grow.

What are your key goals and priorities for The Lunz Group over the next three to five years?

The next three to five years are focused on growing the next leader and leadership team. We are developing that internally and looking at who will take my spot in 10 years. Within the next three years, we want to have that path clearly identified.

We are looking at transitions across the organization, from designers upward. It is about mapping people, understanding their growth patterns, and seeing where they can go.

My biggest initiatives are personnel-focused. What makes the most sense for our team? What will help the team grow? How will that growth happen in a sustainable way? We certainly have revenue goals and financial metrics, but we cannot achieve them without the people.

Growing everyone in a way that aligns with them individually, supports the organization, and promotes a shared desire to remain genuinely curious is what we are trying to accomplish.