Bradley Lunz, President, The Lunz Group

In an interview with Invest:, Bradley Lunz, president of The Lunz Group, discussed the unique strengths of Tampa Bay as a business hub, the growth and transition of the Lunz Group, and industry trends shaping architecture, design, and infrastructure.

What makes Tampa Bay an ideal location for the Lunz Group?

Tampa Bay isn’t just a single city that expanded. It’s a large collection of diverse communities, and that diversity has provided a strong foundation for the growth we’ve seen. It’s interesting — people often refer to “Tampa Bay,” but technically, Tampa Bay is a body of water, a region, not a singular city. So, when you listed your comparisons, they were all cities — except for Tampa Bay.

What makes the Tampa Bay region unique is that it isn’t just a single city that has grown. It is created by these communities. Each community has its own rich history and traditions, and we’ve woven them together into this large geographic area. Yet, we still see ourselves as one.

What are your biggest milestones or achievements from the past year?

One of our biggest milestones has been successfully transitioning to the next generation of ownership. Over the past five years, we’ve been preparing for the retirement of three founding partners. Now, all three have officially retired. That transition was the culmination of years of planning to ensure we could sustain the skill sets, perspectives, and continuity for our clients. It wasn’t just about celebrating their careers — it was also about looking forward and reorganizing for the future.

From January through March, we experienced both celebration and a sense of loss. The office dynamic changed without the presence of people who had been there for 20 years. Navigating that change — internally and externally — was a significant milestone for us.

You’ve completed projects in 32 states and continue to explore expansion beyond Florida. Are there specific markets you’re focusing on?

We’re seeing tremendous growth in Florida, so a lot of our efforts have remained within the state. While urbanized areas like Tampa, Orlando, and Miami attract attention, we’re finding a strong need for infrastructure development along the corridor between I-75 and I-95. Balancing growth with ecological preservation is critical.

Although we’ve considered expansion outside Florida, we’ve realized that our expertise and resources are most needed within our home state. So, our primary focus remains on Florida.

You mentioned balancing growth with respect for existing environments and infrastructure needs. How do you strike that balance?

It starts with partnering with clients who share our values — especially when it comes to stewardship. It’s not just about short-term development; it’s about considering the long-term impact. Many of our clients focus on sustainable, forward-thinking growth. They aren’t just planning for today; they’re anticipating future needs — whether in site planning or infrastructure design.

Are you seeing climate-related trends influencing your designs?

Resilience is a term that keeps coming up, but for us, it has been a core value for over a decade. Out of our six core values, resilience is the sixth. It speaks to our ability to respond to challenges and recover without significant disruption.

When we originally adopted resilience as a core value, we thought of it as both a personal and a community trait. But over time, we began incorporating it into our design philosophy. Sustainability was a major trend in the early 2000s, and by 2012 or 2013, we realized that sustainability alone wasn’t enough. Resilience is what ensures sustainability endures over time.

Interestingly, resilience has become so ingrained in our designs that people often ask, “What are your resilient strategies?” And we say, “We’ve been doing it all along.” It’s similar to a chocolate chip cookie — you don’t separate the chocolate chips from the cookie; they’re already part of it.

Are there any market shifts you’re noticing?

One major shift for us is integrating economic considerations earlier in the design process. Traditionally, design has been iterative — you bring in a contractor, they price it out, and then you go back and adjust the design based on budget constraints. This cycle causes delays and inefficiencies.

To address this, we’re emphasizing early integration of supply chain and cost analysis. Rather than waiting until we’re 50-60% through documentation, we’re having those conversations upfront. Historically, architecture has been viewed as design-focused, but in reality, we’re in the data industry. We’re building virtual models with vast amounts of embedded data, and by applying financial metrics early on, we can make more informed decisions.

The era when architects designed a building, put it out for bid and expected everything to be manufactured on schedule is over. We now deal with highly specialized systems, where even a small component — like a spring in an electrical panel — can have an 18-month lead time. Our goal is to shift the mindset and ensure that our designs align with realistic supply chain and timeline expectations from the start.

Since you work across multiple sectors, such as multifamily and mixed-use, where are you seeing the most demand?

With the current cost of capital, we’re seeing more private investment in highly densified areas and increased public sector work, particularly in Central Florida. Public-private partnerships are becoming a bigger focus for us.

Additionally, distribution, logistics, and advanced manufacturing have been growing sectors. The aviation market — not passenger-related, but the operational side of airports — has also been expanding, and we’ve invested in that over the past few years. Moving forward, we’ll continue rebalancing our portfolio across our six sectors based on client needs.

How is technology impacting your industry?

We’ve been heavily investing in technology. We’re no longer just drawing lines on paper to represent walls — we’re building models with real-time data that provide far more insight than ever before.

Do you foresee any changes that could impact your operations, especially with a new administration?

On a federal level, there’s a lot of speculation, but perception often drives economic behavior more than policy itself. Florida remains a business-friendly state, and the current administration has fostered an environment conducive to growth. We’re watching economic shifts closely, but overall, we feel optimistic.

What’s your outlook for the industry over the next two to three years?

The forecast is positive — some fluctuations, but overall sustained growth. Our biggest challenge will be maintaining discipline. Growth can lead to overextension, so our focus is on strategic, measured expansion while staying true to our core competencies.