Double Digits: RAI Celebrates 10 Years in Business

We have a special announcement to make – Rossmann Architecture Inc. (RAI) has reached a major milestone. Today, our company celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its establishment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for being a fundamental part of RAI.

RAI has come a long way since its inception in 2012. From what started off as a shared vision and a means of survival to today, designing some of Canada’s largest retirement centres as well as national award-winning workspaces. In this time, we have cemented our place in the region as a firm dedicated to providing services focused around return on investment. 

In our 10 years we have transitioned from being a small team with a handful of projects to being a team of 40 with an extensive and diverse work portfolio. With our team now including technologists, designers and support staff, we’ve expanded our work to multiple areas across the National Capital Region and established ourselves as a leader in the architecture industry. Over the past decade, we’ve had the pleasure of designing new buildings in the city as well as working on many notable existing buildings and helping our clients bring their vision to life. It’s been an incredible journey, and we couldn’t have done it without our talented team and loyal clients.

Founders Erik and Sara Rossmann have worked incredibly hard to achieve their collective goals for the company, making reflective decisions and restructuring as necessary. Sara attributes a large part of this success to humility, specifically the importance of not allowing ego to interfere with goals and knowing when to ask for help. Chief operations officer Shane Balcom also commented saying that “without the Rossmann’s effort, will and dedication, RAI would not be as prosperous as it has become.”

Recently, our leadership team has implemented shifts in organisation that allow everyone to hone in on their craft and focus on providing quality work. For Sara, this means she can focus on giving back to the community and create a domino effect of positive change, and for Erik, he is able to do what he loves most – dream and strategize for the future.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ideas to build a work environment that is different from other architecture firms, which has been a key factor to RAI’s success and its growth.” – Andrew Alajouri

Throughout our 10 years of operation, RAI has been established as a firm that values every employee and has built a culture based on accountability, learning and passion. Our director of operations, Andrew Alajouri, has been with RAI nearly as long as our founders. While discussing this anniversary and the changes that have occurred in his time here, he commented that through embracing diversity with every hire we got unique individuals with different skills and experiences whose dedication brought new ideas and perspectives to our team. We are grateful to have such a talented and passionate group of individuals who are committed to creating forward-thinking and captivating designs.

“I’m always proud to say I’m working at Rossmann Architecture. I feel like I belong.”  – Andrew Alajouri

This year has been one filled with challenges but even greater successes with the Ottawa Business Journal naming us one of the Best Places to Work for 2022 and recognizing Erik Rossmann as one of this year’s Forty Under 40 recipients.

As we celebrate this milestone, we also look forward to what the future holds. We have many exciting projects in the works and are excited to continue pushing the boundaries of architecture. We are committed to staying at the forefront of our industry and providing our clients with high quality design services.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey over the past 10 years, we are incredibly grateful for your support. Here’s to the next 10 years!