<h3>Lawrence Group, Austin Tao Associates Announce Merger</h3>
<p>Lawrence Group and Austin Tao Associates (ATA) have announced a merger of their two companies. The Lawrence Group board of directors approved the acquisition as a move to expand services both nationally and internationally.</p>
<p>The merger combines two successful, well-respected St. Louis design practices that have teamed on national and international projects for many years. The integration of the two businesses is underway, and the headquarters will remain in downtown St. Louis. Both companies are celebrating 25th anniversaries in 2008.</p>
<p>"Austin Tao has a tremendous reputation in the St. Louis community, both for his civic contributions as well as his significant talent and quality landscape architecture," said Steve Smith, CEO of Lawrence Group. "He has built a high-quality design practice with a very creative and talented staff. We are thrilled to have them join the Lawrence Group team to help us expand the services that we can provide to our clients."</p>
<p>Austin Tao Associates will retain its name for the time being and will operate as a subsidiary of the Lawrence Group, responsible for landscape architecture. Austin Tao will join the Lawrence Group as a principal. Tao will continue as principal designer on ATA's projects. In addition to leading the landscape architectural practice, Tao will be responsible for the Lawrence Group's growing international work.</p>
<p>"We will be picking up Austin's Beijing, China, office as part of this acquisition," said Smith. "The combination of our practices will allow us to more effectively grow our international business, where we both already have significant design assignments."</p>
<p>"ATA will continue to provide the high design standards in our work for our clients," said Austin Tao. "They can continue to expect the same high level of services they have always received from us. We are excited to offer new and expanded resources as a result of the merger and anticipate that our clients will benefit from the added value of this partnership."</p>
<p>ATA was founded in 1981 by Austin P. Tao, FASLA.</p>
<p>ATA's annual gross revenues have averaged $700,000 for the past three years.</p>
<p>The firm has designed more than a thousand projects throughout metro St. Louis, Illinois, and most recently in China. ATA has been a leader in sustainable design principles for two decades: long before its current popular acceptance. ATA's project designs have included the use of native plant materials, prairie landscape, constructed wetlands, bio-swale, roof-top gardens, water-sensitive design and LEED certified projects.</p>
<p>Major St. Louis projects include a pedestrian mall and plaza at Saint Louis University; projects at the St. Louis History Museum, the Planetarium and Steinberg Skating Rink in Forest Park; Probstein Golf Course in Forest Park; stations and rights-of-way for MetroLink; and landscape design for the new Interstate 64/40 improvements.</p>
<p>Austin Tao Associates, Inc. (ATA) is a landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm founded in 1981 by Austin P. Tao, FASLA, president. ATA is headquartered in St. Louis with a professional design staff of eight landscape designers, including two licensed landscape architects, offering planning and design of outdoor spaces for both public and private projects. A network office in Beijing, China, established in 2004 offers planning, architectural, and landscape architectural services, as well as a cutting-edge graphic rendering studio with a staff of 12. Austin Tao is a distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA). ATA is certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), by the Bi-State Development Agency (BSDA), East West Gateway Coordinating Council (EWGCC), Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and St. Louis Airport Authority (SLAA), St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) - MBE#146/City of St. Louis.</p>
<p>The Lawrence Group is one of the largest building design, planning, and project delivery firms in St. Louis with 200 employees in five states, including network offices in Austin, Texas; New York, New York; Denver, Colorado; and Davidson, North Carolina. Named in the "Top 100 Giants" by Interior Design magazine, the Lawrence Group offers architecture, interior design, a retail furniture showroom, graphic design, town planning, construction management, and real estate development services to health care, commercial and housing clients. Lawrence Group is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Urban Land Institute.</p>