RVi President Chris Crawford and Senior Vice President of Operations Ryan Binkowski have led the firm through a series of strategic, intentional goals and milestones in 2024, positioning RVi for an exciting and rewarding 2025. In this Q & A, the leaders discuss what went well in 2024, how they plan to continue supporting their employees and clients, what’s in store for 2025, and how they’ve maintained a passion for their work.

RVi has experienced a number of exciting developments in 2024. What were some of the firm’s biggest wins this year?

Ryan: One of our goals this year was to expand our market share in different offices, and we’ve accomplished that through organic growth as well as mergers and acquisitions. We’ve at least doubled our public work projects, we’ve grown by about 30% this year, and we’ve been strategic about pursuing projects in sectors where we can continue growing and building momentum.

Chris: With our acquisitions, I’m proud of our integration of Anderson Design and Russell + Mills.  The merger and acquisition process can be lengthy and complex—you have to identify a company, make sure there’s a cultural fit, close the deal, and get them fully integrated. It can be difficult, but the process has been very seamless with Anderson Design and Russell + Mills. It’s like they’ve been part of the team for years; it’s been a very good fit.

We’re also establishing an office in Southern California, which is something that was a year in the making. It’s a major achievement and it’s a testament to how our leadership and talent across the board have leveled up this year.

Ryan: Overall, it’s exciting to see everyone so excited about the groundwork we laid this year and what’s in store for next year. We’re creating more opportunities with a variety of ways for people to grow.

How has this growth and renewed vigor for RVi’s culture and work translated into our employees continuing to support our clients in a greater capacity?

Chris: It puts us on a larger platform and allows us to work for the same clients over multiple geographic regions. This eliminates the guesswork for them needing to find a different consultant for work they need across the country. We can be their trusted advisor and go wherever they want to go.

Ryan: In our aim to diversify, we wanted to focus on what we already have instead of pivoting different teams in different directions; for example, adding more talent around the great clients we already have, giving us more resources to apply to these projects.

Chris: Right. We don’t want to take away pieces of the pie to do something different; we want to make a bigger pie, maintaining the integrity of the core vision and the bigger picture.

We know that the team is excited about 2025. Can you share a few specific goals you’re looking forward to fulfilling?

Ryan: We’re looking forward to opening our office in Southern California, expanding in Texas and North Carolina, and overall geographic expansion.

Chris: We’re also going to continue our rapid expansion in our established market sectors while also penetrating other markets with growth opportunities, such as urban town centers.

Are there any industry challenges or market changes you foresee in 2025? How does RVi plan to push through them?

Chris: We’re seeing some developers, especially national home builders, lean toward higher density projects. They want diversification and at certain budget goals and multiple segments from entry level to luxury. It’s a sign that master planned communities, an area we are strong in, is not going away. I think MPCs have seen increased success in the past few years, especially after COVID, because now people can live anywhere and work without commuting to an office.

Ryan: I think our industry is facing a unique challenge right now in terms of the demand in the home buyer market leaning toward affordability, but also a demand for lifestyle curation. People want to be in an affordable location but still be part of a dynamic community, which historically trends towards a higher price point. I think the key to success in that is figuring out how to bring those things together, maybe via amenities or a broader diversity of home products. It’ll be an opportunity for us to support our clients in communities of all sizes and social standings, from wealthy to underserved, metro to suburban.

Between the two of you, you have more than 50 years of experience in landscape architecture, planning, and leadership. What keeps you inspired?

Chris: I love the notion of meeting a complete stranger, then building this relationship with them where we get to provide a service that we are passionate about, provide great added value, connect over a shared goal, and build this relationship that blossoms over the course of six months or 10 years into a lifelong friendship. There are so many colleagues and clients that started off as just a regular meeting one afternoon, and then it turns into attending their wedding and meeting each other’s kids. It’s really cool to see that happen.

Ryan: I agree. Another thing that’s great about our work is that moment when you’re walking through a project you started 10 or 20 years ago, all of the homes have been sold, and now you see families playing with their kids in the park and people walking their dogs or conversing in their yards, and you see people living a certain quality of life that you were able to create and provide. That’s a lot of fun to experience. That keeps me going.

Chris: I’m truly blessed to do something I enjoy each day, and I love that I get to do something different at work every day. Not everyone is wired to enjoy that kind of variety, but I like providing different kinds of guidance and growth opportunities to our staff so that they can continue excelling.

Ryan: It’s a pretty great job. It’s just really easy to come to work when work doesn’t feel like a chore.

What is a memorable project you worked on that still resonates with you today?

Chris: It’s hard to pick favorites or pinpoint just one; they’ve all been meaningful in some way. One that comes to mind is the Belterra community. It was 1,600 acres of raw land in Dripping Springs, Texas, and to see what it is today is amazing. We worked on it from inception, creating its Park and Open Space Master Plan in 2003, and providing landscape architecture design, parks and open space design, transportation aesthetics, and many other services over the course of more than 10 years. I still see it as a showcase project that I’d be proud to drive though and show people today; it’s stunning.

Ryan: Honestly, every project we work on has that element of being memorable and having an aspect we’re really proud of. Every project provides a valuable learning experience, a meaningful relationship built, or an inventive discovery that comes about through the planning, build out, or successful outcome. Projects that seem mundane really aren’t because you still walk away with a newfound respect for something you experienced in the process or the relationship with the client.

I think that’s probably the silver lining in every situation and the key to success: If you’re engaged in the work you do, and you’re excited about the work you do, approaching it with an attitude of “Let’s make the most out of this” will make the experience valuable every time.