Our History

Brilliant Past

In 1956, Clifford G. Foreman founded Foreman Architects with the ideals of passion, creativity, discipline, loyalty and integrity. During the past sixty years, these same principles define the core of the Foreman Group’s consistent delivery of inspired solutions with unmatched professionalism. With a dedicated team of enthusiastic and imaginative employees, the Foreman Group companies specialize in innovative concepts. This was the catalyst which helped Phillip G. Foreman, our president and CEO of The Foreman Group Companies and owner of Foreman Architects and Engineers since 1986, grow a small architectural firm into a diverse group of eight companies. These companies provide specialized services within the fields of design, construction and philanthropy. These companies include:

Foreman Architects and Engineers (FAE) est. 1956:

Designing high performance buildings in the educational, commercial, healthcare, religious and residential sectors.

Foreman Program and Construction Managers (FPCM) est. 1991

Building high-performance buildings, as an agency construction manager, in the educational, commercial, healthcare, religious and residential sectors.

Foreman Foundation (FF) est. 1996

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed for the research and cure of melanoma. Since 1996, the FF has donated $1,200,000 to the Foreman Foundation Melanoma Research Laboratory in the new Hershey Medical Center’s Cancer Institute.

Reviewing and Proofing of Specifications and Plans (RAPOSAP) est. 2003

Creation of a change order reduction process.

Foreman Design Build (FDB) est. 2003:

Single source design and construction of high performance green buildings.

Foreman Building Commissioning (FBC) est. 2005:

Ensuring building systems operate with maximum efficiency while saving thousands of dollars in energy costs.

PerFOREMANce Roofing Specialists (PRS) est. 2006:

Assuring asset protection through roof evaluation and design.

Foreman Construction Claims Services (FCCS) est. 2008:

Our architects, engineers and construction experts represent our clients as expert witnesses in any litigation process. This includes mediation, arbitration or a jury trial.

A brief timeline of the growth of the Foreman Group Companies follows:

1956: Clifford G. Foreman opens a one man office in Zelienople, PA. The firm name is Clifford G. Foreman Registered Architect
1957: Clifford G. Foreman partners with Anthony G. Dorsch. The firm name changes to Foreman Dorsch Architects.
1964: James R. Bashford joins Foreman Dorsch Architects as a partner. The name changes to Foreman Dorsch Bashford Architects.
1972: Clark C. Wallace joins Foreman Dorsch Bashford as a partner. The firm name changes to Foreman Dorsch Bashford and Wallace Architects.
1983: The firm name changes to Foreman Bashford Architects and Engineers.
1986: Foreman Bashford Architects and Engineers becomes incorporated. Phillip G. Foreman becomes an owner.
1987: Phillip G. Foreman opens an eastern Pennsylvania office for Foreman Bashford Architects and Engineers in Manheim, Pa.
1991: Phillip G. Foreman starts and incorporates Foreman Program and Construction Managers (FPCM).
1991: The eastern Pennsylvania office continues to grow and a building is purchased and renovated in Manheim, Pa. to house Foreman Bashford Architects and Engineers and FPCM.
1993: James R. Bashford retires and the firm name changes to Foreman Architects Engineers (FAE) Inc.
1996: Phillip G. Foreman starts a 501(c)(3) charitable organization called The Foreman Foundation. The quest of The Foreman Foundation is to find the cure for melanoma cancer in memory of John Bruno Jr.
1998: Phillip G. Foreman becomes president of FAE and Clifford G. Foreman retires.
2000: Michael J. Arnold becomes Vice President of FPCM.
2003: A change order reduction process is created called Reviewing and Proofing of Specifications and Plans (RAPOSAP).
2004: Phillip G. Foreman becomes CEO of Foreman Architects and Engineers.
2004: Foreman Building Commissioning (FBC) is created by Phillip G. Foreman.
2005: PerFOREMANce Roofing Specialists (PRS) is incorporated in the Foreman Group Companies.
2007: Clifford G. Foreman passes away.
2007: Foreman Design Build (FDB) is incorporated in the Foreman Group Companies.
2008: Foreman Construction Claims Services (FCCS) is incorporated in the Foreman Group Companies.
2014: The eastern office is moved from Manheim, Pa. to Akron, Pa.

Brighter Future

Despite the worst economy in the history of the United States, the Foreman Group Companies have continually responded to shifts in the building industry with progressive innovation. The Foreman Group Companies continue to enhance and improve our staff, operations and marketing.

Staff

All of our employees understand this famous quote credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “What lies behind us and what lies in front of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

As per Jim Collins, a well-known business author, operating a company is similar to driving a bus. That is, you must get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and the right people in the right seats. When these three goals are achieved, then synergy occurs. Putting the right people in the right seats requires everyone to discover the principles that anchor their lives personally and professionally. This includes:

Discovery Phase

What matters most to you? What would you like to do? Who would you like to be?

Planning Phase

Organizing the values that are most important to you in an orderly fashion. This will allow you to reconcile the actions of your life. This part of the planning phase will include developing each of our core values and the creation of our personal and professional mission statements.

Action Phase

Acting on the mission statement you have created. Remember ideas are meaningless without action.