Hoffmann Announces New Executive Leadership

Date March 2025

Category Press Releases

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Hoffmann Architects + Engineers is pleased to announce the appointment of Craig A. Hargrove, AIA and Avi A. Kamrat as co-presidents of the boutique architectural and engineering practice, which specializes in the rehabilitation of building exteriors.

Craig Hargrove, AIA has been appointed Co-President of Hoffmann after serving as Director, Architecture and manager of the firm’s New York City office for more than 20 years. In that time, he oversaw the firm’s busiest location and expanded Hoffmann’s reputation and influence throughout the city and beyond. Under his leadership, Hoffmann has developed longstanding relationships with noteworthy clients, including Columbia University, the State University Construction Fund, the Ford Foundation, Pfizer, and Scholastic. As a technical professional with specialized expertise in building enclosures, Hargrove is often called upon to share his knowledge with the industry through guest lecturer positions, publications, seminars, and appearances in the media. While managing a substantial project roster and overseeing the work of the New York technical team, he makes time to mentor junior staff, build and sustain client relationships, and facilitate collaboration across Hoffmann’s three offices. Committed to educating rising professionals, he taught high school students through the ACE Mentor Program and designed the firm’s summer internship program for recipients of the Hoffmann Scholarship.

Since 2020, Hargrove has served on Hoffmann’s Board of Directors, and he was among the first to become a shareholder in 2011, when founder John J. Hoffmann, FAIA offered joint ownership to key leadership personnel. He joined the firm in 2002. A graduate of the New York Institute of Technology, Hargrove holds the Registered Roof Consultant (RRC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Advanced Professional (LEED AP) credentials, and he is a certified Construction Documents Technologist (CDT).

Avi Kamrat has been selected to serve as Co-President of Hoffmann, having served for more than 20 years as the firm’s Director, Administration and Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity, he oversaw the firm’s administrative apparatus, which encompasses finance, information technology, human resources, administrative assistance, communications, business development, and marketing. Kamrat’s agile leadership enabled the firm not just to weather the pandemic, but thrive, rapidly adjusting workforce and financial models to retain and elevate talent and anticipate evolving client needs.

"I have worked with Craig and Avi for many years, and I am confident in their capacity for forward-thinking leadership."

-- Russ Sanders, AIA, President Emeritus

Always ready to challenge the status quo, Kamrat affords his team the flexibility and autonomy to improve systems and outcomes. He shepherded the firm through implementation of a bespoke client relationship management system to deliver ever more customized and responsive client services, and the improvements he spearheaded to financial software and file management enabled intuitive yet powerful data capabilities to drive firm growth. With employee well-being ever top of mind, Kamrat works closely with the human resources manager on everything from best-in-class benefit packages to company culture initiatives, with a focus on empowering and celebrating staff success.

A graduate of Brandeis University, Kamrat has served on Hoffmann’s Board of Directors since 2018. As CFO, he joined the Executive Committee in 2011, contributing to key decisions about the direction of the company. He was also among the first selected for joint ownership of Hoffmann in 2011. Kamrat has been with the firm since 1998.

As co-presidents, Hargrove and Kamrat share a vision for Hoffmann’s growth that builds on the firm’s foundation of nearly fifty years of building enclosure expertise. Pairing Hargrove’s technical leadership with Kamrat’s operational acumen, the new executive team plans to evolve the practice to reach new markets, build on existing client relationships, and expand the firm’s talent to drive innovation. From preserving historic landmarks to developing high-performance envelope systems, Kamrat and Hargrove envision a future for Hoffmann that provides smart, sustainable solutions to elevate the built environment.

“Knowing that the practice I worked hard to build is in good hands is enormously gratifying.”

— John Hoffmann, FAIA, Executive Chairman and founder of Hoffmann Architects + Engineers

Russell M. Sanders, AIA

Russell M. Sanders, AIA, outgoing President of Hoffmann, will stay on as President Emeritus and serve as senior advisor until his planned retirement later this year. Since joining the firm in 1978, Sanders has advanced a reputation for building enclosure knowledge and rigorous project management that not only set the standard for Hoffmann projects but also made him a sought-after expert for insurance claims, litigation and mediation, specialist peer review, and professional mentorship. His unerring eye for detail has provided meticulous quality assurance on Hoffmann projects for more than forty-five years.

John J. Hoffmann, FAIA

John J. Hoffmann, FAIA, founder of Hoffmann Architects + Engineers, will continue as Executive Chairman and plans to retire after seeing the firm to its 50th anniversary in 2027. With Sanders, Hoffmann will serve in an advisory capacity to the new leadership, offering guidance and support that draws on his long experience as a groundbreaking building envelope specialist. When Hoffmann established the firm in 1977, he saw the need for design professionals to attend to details that were often overlooked – details that could make the difference between structural integrity and premature failure. Today, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers sustains the legacy of his pioneering approach to building exterior design and rehabilitation.

Asked about the new executive team, Sanders reflects: “I have worked with Craig and Avi for many years, and I am confident in their capacity for forward-thinking leadership. Their influence has shaped the reputation and success of the firm, and, with them at the helm, I know the practice will continue to evolve.”

“Avi Kamrat and Craig Hargrove are deeply invested in the future of Hoffmann Architects + Engineers,” observes Hoffmann. “Their outside-the-box thinking and grit will take the firm into its next phase of growth, while their long tenure here promises that the traditions of attention to detail and expertise in construction technology will continue to underpin every Hoffmann project. Knowing that the practice I worked hard to build is in good hands is enormously gratifying.”

About Hoffmann Architects + Engineers

Founded in 1977, Hoffmann Architects + Engineers specializes in the rehabilitation of the building enclosure. The firm’s work focuses on the exteriors of existing structures, diagnosing and resolving deterioration within facades, roofing systems, windows, waterproofing materials, plazas/terraces, parking garages, and historic and landmark structures. We provide consulting services for new building construction, as well as litigation and claim support. Our technical professionals investigate and correct damage resulting from time and weather, substandard or improper construction, design defects, material failures, poor workmanship, structural movement, and stress. To learn more, visit www.hoffarch.com.