He comes to Ellerbe Becket from Steiner Development Inc. where he was vice president of development and part owner of the Wayzata, Minn. firm. He has 30 years of architecture, construction and real estate development experience.
Richter will supervise Ellerbe Becket’s general buildings offering in Minneapolis as well as the rest of the United States and abroad. The general buildings practice focuses on workplace environments for corporate, developer, government and education clients.
Recent examples of the firm’s general buildings work in Minneapolis include nearly four million sf of redevelopment along Nicollet Mall and renovation of the Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota. On the world stage, the firm is putting finishing touches on the Kingdom Centre, a gleaming elliptical tower and mixed-use development set to open this fall in Saudi Arabia.
The firm has two other business units for which it is known worldwide: sports and recreation, including professional and collegiate sports venues; and health sciences, representing hospitals, clinics and wellness centers.
Ellerbe Becket CEO Rick Lincicome, AIA, worked with Richter during his first tour with the company in the 1970s and 80s. Lincicome believes Richter is the right person for the job. “It’s no secret that the corporate and developer markets have slowed with the rest of the economy,” Lincicome said. “Fred’s relationships within the industry, his track record of delivering successful buildings and his experience owning and running a development business give Ellerbe Becket a competitive advantage.”
“Ellerbe Becket has a significant amount of strengths,” Richter said of the company that was founded in the Twin Cities 94 years ago. “Not only is it one of the largest firms in Minneapolis, but it’s a firm of depth, breadth and history. The staff’s technical knowledge is second to none, and over the years the firm has become a valued advisor to its clients.”
By any measure, Richter says ongoing relationships are a key to long-term success. “That’s where trust and efficiencies are,” he said. “Companies want it, contractors strive for it, developers covet it. Anybody who doesn’t believe in developing relationships isn’t going to be around long.”
Other important ingredients to long-term success, according to Richter, are the ability to adapt to changing client needs, willingness to embrace new and evolving technologies and the commitment to continually improve the design product.
At Steiner Development, Richter was responsible for more than 500,000 sf of office and warehouse development in the Twin Cities. He also was vice president for design-build services, including responsibility for architectural design leadership, and managed between $5-10 million of commercial construction per year. His clients included Minnesota industrial corporations, Cargill Inc., US Bank and Parker Hennifin.
He also continues as president and part owner of Weldon Springs Inc., a land development company in Stockholm, Wis. responsible for large acreage residential developments in Pierce and Pepin Counties in Wisconsin.
Prior to Steiner, Richter was a partner at Ankeny Kell Richter Architects Ltd. of St. Paul. He also spent two years with Lester B. Knight and Associates of Chicago as senior vice president of architecture.
From 1971–1984 he was senior vice president for the corporate governmental division of what was then Ellerbe Associates (in 1988 the firm bought Welton Becket Associates and became Ellerbe Becket). While at Ellerbe he was involved in firm management and the design of medical, corporate office and educational projects.
He holds a master of architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.; and a bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He has served as an associate professor/design instructor at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture.
“I’m captivated by technology,” Richter said. “I’m very impressed with how Ellerbe Becket has utilized technology to integrate expertise throughout its offices around the globe.” An innovator since its founding in 1909, Ellerbe Becket is a worldwide leader in architecture, engineering and the construction industry.
Contact: news@ellerbebecket.com
