ELEVATING COMMUNITIES.
MRB Group is an engineering, architecture, and municipal planning company passionately serving those who move our communities forward. Creating inspiring places that simply work.
From designing and building the places in which we work, heal, play, and learn, to the infrastructure systems that support it all, the mission of MRB Group is clear: make it work, make it last, and make it match your vision. If you have needs for master planning or facility design, or need consulting services such as economic development or construction administration, we’re here to help fulfill your community’s possibilities.
OUR
PLEDGE TO OUR CLIENTS.
A personal representative.
MRB Group provides each client a personal representative, who serves as a single point of contact and the central source of information and responsibility.
Effective communication.
From day one, we keep our clients updated on all aspects of a project. We provide the information needed – clearly and without jargon – to allow our clients to make informed decisions and respond effectively to stakeholders.
A relationship based on trust.
MRB Group sees each project through the eyes of our client. We believe that trust is earned and comes from MRB Group’s loyalty and commitment to protecting each client’s interests.
OUR DIFFERENCE? OUR PEOPLE.
MRB Group’s people are focused on listening, learning, sharing, and bringing knowledge to our clients. We bring efficiency, perspective, and possibility to engineering, architecture, and municipal services. We are extensions of our clients — deeply involved with their organizations and their communities. Our commitment is unwavering. And our success is based on the stories we enable.
SERVICES
BRINGING A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE TO YOUR COMMUNITY.
Complexity. Budgets. Long-term planning. Requirements and demands. The world of local government is critical to community success, and requires a partner who understands every level of need, and is proactive about what is to come. MRB Group’s local government services are designed to help be an extension of your world.
Strategic Planning & Placemaking
Communitywide or neighborhood focused – our planners assist you in creating foundational plans for future growth.
• Comprehensive and Long-Range Planning
• Focused-Area Planning (Neighborhoods, Corridors, Business Districts)
• Growth Management Planning
• Zoning & Development Regulations
Economic Development & Market Analysis
Attracting investment to your community builds wealth for residents and lightens the burden of local government costs on local taxpayers.
• Economic Development Strategy – Business Recruitment, Retention, & Expansion
• Housing Strategy – Ensuring a Sound Housing Stock for Your Workforce & Beyond
• Project Impact Analysis – Defining Benefits to the Community of New Investment
• Incentive Program Development & Administration
Development & Environmental Services Accelerating project development, while protecting your quality of life.
• Embedded Planning Services (On-Site Assistance for Project Applicants)
• Project Development Review (Site Plan Review, Zoning Compliance)
• Stormwater Management (Techniacal Review & MS4 Compliance)
• State & Federal Environmental Review (NEPA, SEQR, etc.)
• Renewable Energy Reviews & Local Law Assistance (Solar, Battery, & wind)
Resource Development Grants and other funding to advance your goals.
• Identifying External Funding for Your Community’s Highest Priorities
• Funding Needs Assessments & Resource Planning
• Grant Research & Competitiveness Analysis
• Grant Acquisition & Administration
• Funding Campaign Development & Advocacy
GIS
Bringing visual clarity to critical projects and communicating asset needs and opportunities clearly to your community and beyond.
• Mapping & Managing Critical Assets (Water & Sewer Infrastructure, Streets, Buildings)
• Natural Resource Inventory (Wetlands, Viewsheds, Farmland, Urban Forest)
• Infrastructure Workload Planning (Work Order Tracking, Time Allocation)
• Project Visualization (Site / Project Maps, Planning & Zoning Maps, Voting Districts)
Training & Capacity Building
Optimizing your team to better serve the community.
• Organizational Assessments & Strategic Plans
• Performance Management & Professional Development
• Planning / Zoning Board & Commission Training
• Staff Development
Support Services
Looking for organizational support services? Swiftwater Strategies is an affiliate of MRB Group, providing comprehensive help to local governments, non-profits, and other organizations seeking to strengthen themselves and increase their competitive advantage.
Embedded Leadership
• Transitional Leadership
• Compliance
• Executive Search
• Financial Planning
• Project Management
GRANT SERVICES
MRB Group helps identify, pursue, and maximize opportunities. Allow us to take on your grant research, writing, administration, and more in order to embrace your organizational strengths while opening possibilities. Every step of the way.
Grants and other funding to advance your goals. We help with:
• Identifying external funding for your community’s highest priorities
• Funding Needs Assessments & Resource Planning
• Grant Research & Competitiveness Analysis
• Grant Acquisition & Administration
• Funding Campaign Development & Advocacy
WE CREATE SOLUTIONS TO ENABLE THE SUCCESS OF OUR CLIENTS, COLLEAGUES, AND COMMUNITY.
For nearly 100 years, MRB Group has been providing design services focused on improving the lives of the people we serve and the communities we help to build.
As a multi-disciplinary design firm with a growing staff of 200+ dedicated and talented professionals, we serve clients throughout the East Coast and Texas with architectural and engineering design services. Our team addresses the needs of clients from planning and fundraising through all phases of design and construction.
Matt Horn
Strategic Growth & Business Development National Director matt.horn@mrbgroup.com
585.340.3668
Former City Manager and municipal operations expert with a strong background in infrastructure planning, strategic development, and community engagement. Extensive experience in municipal budgeting and finance, collaborative service delivery, comprehensive planning, downtown revitalization and economic development. Municipal consulting background includes internal process auditing, public relations assistance and guidance, and development of local government management capacity, as well as long-term strategic planning for community growth.
Heather Simmons Jones
Principal - Southeast Operations heather.simmonsjones@mrbgroup.com 843.610.0274
Strategic advisor, public administrator, non-profit leader, and economic development practitioner. Heather is a known entity in economic development in the Southeast, having worked primarily in South Carolina over the past two decades. A vast majority of Heather’s experience is in start-up, stand-up, and funding strategies for publicprivate partnerships and community organizations in the economic development and workforce development arenas. The communities Heather has served benefited from her leadership, vision, and energy needed to bring stakeholders together for consensus building and engagement.
Michael N’dolo
Economic Development Services National Director micheal.ndolo@mrbgroup.com 518.650.2182
Strategic advisor, executive, and economic development practitioner. Michael is a nationally-recognized expert on economic development trends and programs, and has supported communities in over half of the states in the U.S., across a range of community typography, from diverse, multi-county regions to individual rural villages. With experience in private sector real estate development, Michael brings a unique insight to our client-communities-providing valuable, actionable advice on how best to diversify the local economy, and facilitating communitywide conversations on development.
Henry Witt
Southwest Businees Development Manager henry.witt@mrbgroup.com 254.677.7452
Henry has extensive experience in managing people, projects, and accounts. He has served as an account manager, mayor, and daily consultant to some of the world’s largest companies, including Dell, Northrup Grumman, and General Electric. Although he has spent most of his career in the private sector, his civic leadership sets him apart from a public perspective. Henry has helped secure millions of dollars for civic infrastructure projects while working cross-functionally to bring together multiple local, state, and federal government agencies to achieve common goals for his clients.
Here where and when you need us.
With offices in New York, South Carolina, and Texas, plus a reach well beyond, MRB Group is ready to help. Learn more about our services and our connected culture by visiting our website.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Albany Rochester
Finger Lakes
Saratoga Springs
Syracuse