Kitchen & Associates has selected Matthew Bartner as its newest managing partner.
By Joshua Burd
Design firm Kitchen & Associates has named a new managing principal to help guide its continued growth across the multifamily sector.
Previously a principal and director of operations, Matthew Bartner succeeds Stephen L. Schoch at the helm of the Collingswood-based practice. As managing principal, Bartner and the executive leadership team will remain focused on the affordable and student housing sectors, where K&A already has a sizable presence, as well as increasing its footprint in other key markets.
Schoch will remain with the firm as a principal and spend more time on client services, projects and fostering relationships with leaders throughout the multifamily development space, according to a news release. K&A also cited the importance of fostering the next generation of executive leadership and providing career growth opportunities throughout the company.
“I’m extremely proud to lead K&A into an exciting new chapter of growth and strategic expansion,” Bartner said. “I look forward to bringing the spirit of our founders, Ben and Beth Kitchen, into the future and building on our success as we continue the firm’s legacy of mission-driven design services.”
Bartner joined K&A in 2009, the firm said, touting his role with institutional clients. He is recognized for designing New Jersey’s first LEED Silver on-campus student residence and was responsible for the successful completion of Pennsylvania’s first project to earn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Multifamily High Rise designation.
The firm, meantime, credited Schoch with expanding K&A into a robust, balanced multifamily design firm, with projects ranging from high-rise market-rate buildings to the revitalization of obsolete public housing. As managing principal, a role he assumed in 2011, he was responsible for increasing revenues by 72 percent and growing staff by 44 percent.
“I’m honored to serve as the bridge from the firm’s founders to the next generation of talented leadership,” Schoch said. “Matt and I have been working closely together for years and I’m confident he’s the perfect candidate to continue our mission of creating places where people and communities thrive.”
Schoch also strengthened the organization’s commitment to affordable housing, with more than 1,000 such projects across 20 states, the news release said. He also helped establish the firm as a leader in supportive and student housing, with more than 1,600 units of supportive housing and 32,000 student housing beds developed in 30 states during his tenure.
He was appointed managing principal after the retirement of Beth Kitchen.
“Transitioning away from executive leadership responsibilities affords me more time to focus on what I do best — working with clients and project stakeholders to make an impact through the built environment,” Schoch said. “The transition will be seamless to our clients and partners, simply enhancing the service we have been providing for many years.”
