Louis Batson jokes that his architectural firm specializes in “paying” clients. He could also say his 12 employees specialize in “praying” clients, too.
“Not many folks can say, ‘Well, yeah, we’ve done 25 or 30 monasteries — there just aren’t that many to do,” he says with a chuckle when he talks about one of the firm’s many standout projects: The Monastery of St. Clare in Travelers Rest, built for the Poor Clares.
Batson Associates, marking its 40th anniversary this year, touts a unique portfolio that showcases designs within the health care, education, and faith-based communities, according to the firm’s website. The last five years have seen annual revenues ranging from $4 million to $5 million, with 30 to 50 projects each year, the company says. Check out October’s milestone.
Quite the accomplishment for a company whose founder struck out on his own when he was only 28. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1975 and his master’s in 1978 from Clemson’s School of Architecture. Then he returned to his native Greenville after just 2½ years with a South Florida firm.
“’Gutsy’ is probably a good word. Maybe not the smartest thing when I left a perfectly good-paying job for a new office with no work,” he says, whimsically recalling how he started his eponymous business in 1981 because he preferred not to work for somebody else.
Ah, but, yes, he does work for others — including customers like the Poor Clares.
Batson’s longtime clients, the sisters, since 2008, have lived in their 25,000-square-foot, $5 million monasteries, which include 18 bedrooms, two courtyards and 250 windows. That’s a far cry from the cramped and dim quarters in the community’s former home on Pleasantburg Drive.
“One of the challenges they gave us was to create an environment where they could spend the rest of their life in prayer within their community,” he says.
When she first entered their new home, says Sister Nancy Shively, the abbess among the 14 nuns there, “It was incredible. It was beyond our wildest imagination.”
She credits their ultimate ‘wow’ — her word — with 30-odd meetings through a yearlong process with Batson. “They really listen to the client so that it’s just what the client wants and needs and not what the architect thinks they want and need.”
That’s a key part of what attracted Cole Johns to join Batson Associates five years ago.
“I personally just love to get involved with the clients and really understand what makes them tick, why they want to do a certain thing and how to get what they actually need,” says Johns, director of interiors.
He appreciates the in-house collaborations, too.
Nicole Lindemer, a project manager and the “newest newly-registered architect on staff here,” echoes Johns’ sentiments.
“Louis and the team here are great about giving you all the responsibility you’re willing to take on,” says Lindemer, who joined the company six years ago. “It’s just really an easy atmosphere to learn and grow.”
CEO Jeff Fogle, the longest-tenured employee with 33 years, and COO Geordan Terry, who has been with Batson for 18 years, agree Batson’s sustained client relationships and culture of immersive teamwork add value to their customers — and to their employees.
“We laugh,” Fogle says, “humor’s involved here, and yet we’re very serious about what we do,” while Batson adds: “I make it a point to hire people smarter than me, but more importantly than that, if you’ve got fire in your belly, you’ll be just fine here.”
As for his firm’s longevity, the chairman says, “It’s been a wild ride. There were times when it’s been extremely rewarding and other times when it’s been extremely difficult, and the good news is we’re still here. One of the greatest accomplishments is just to be here 40 years.”
Batson Associates and its singular designs timeline
1981: Louis P. Batson opens Batson Associates Inc. in Greenville
1982: First project, a masonry retaining wall at the insurance offices of C. Douglas Wilson & Co. on North Spring Street, Greenville
1982: Begins a partnership with The Monastery of St. Clare
1991: Completes St. Francis Women’s Hospital, Greenville, a 100-bed, four-story 126,000-square-foot facility
2007: Completes $40 million Greenville High School masterplan, renovation and expansion
2014: Partners with Greenville’s Triangle Construction Co. for a pro bono design-build of a treehouse for Roper Mountain Science Center, Greenville
2016: Completes $31.5 million Clemson University School of Nursing
2018: Ellie Batson, the studio’s Labrador Retriever, is born
2021: Batson Associates marks 40th year with the completion of Presbyterian Village, a 72-acre “life-plan community” in Athens, Georgia
