Principal: Robert W. Thorpe
Size of firm: 10
Year founded: 1974
Annual revenues: $900,000
Specialties: Planning and landscape architecture for commercial clients and small cities, real estate permitting, environmental impact statements and land economics, golf courses

R.W. Thorpe has experienced 10 to 20 percent growth for the last five years, according principal Robert Thorpe. Business is growing in the areas of permitting and highest-and-best-use studies for a variety of clients. At the same time, "Landscape architecture is key to everything we do," he said.

The firm has worked with several golf course design clients on permitting and landscape design. Starbucks, McDonalds and Texaco have also been important clients for permitting.

The firm has been helping an association of property owners in the path of the third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to appraise their properties. Thorpe will typically begin with highest-and-best-use studies, craft a "massing plan" and then go on to appraisal. Sometimes, members of the firm serve in an expert witness role for clients.

Projects in the office or recently completed include Trophy Lake Golf Course in Kitsap County and Washington National Golf Course near Auburn, which is the new University of Washington training center. R.W. Thorpe completed a subarea plan and master plan for a high tech office park in Ellensburg, a Port of Centralia master plan for 1000 acres and an 800-acre rural cluster development near Lyons, Colo., the Tukwila Rockpile Office Park for Martin Smith Real Estate and permits and landscape plans for over 100 Starbucks sites. The firm just started a project for CarrAmerica in Redmond.