Pashek + MTR: Looking Back on 35 Years of Practice

Posted on September 2, 2021 by PASHEK + MTR

Flash back to September 1986, upon completing an MBA, Jim Pashek began Pashek Associates as a one-person firm from his home in the Mexican War Streets on Pittsburgh’s Northside. In 1989, with a growing clientele and portfolio of work, Jim hired Nancy Lonnett Roman and John Buerkle as full-time employees. In 1990, Jim and his wife, Mary Weidner, took another leap of faith by purchasing and renovating a historic building at 619 East Ohio Street, not far from their Mexican War street home, to accommodate the growing firm. In 1991 Pashek Associates moved into two of three floors at 619 East Ohio Street.

Over the next 35 years the firm continued to grow, with many talented landscape architects and planners joining Jim, Nancy and John over the years. Eventually the firm expanded to fill our entire building on East Ohio Street.

In 2014 Sara Thompson became a shareholder of the firm.
In 2016 Missy Marshall, FASLA, of MTR Landscape Architects approached the partners of Pashek Associates to discuss merging the two award-winning Pittsburgh-based firms.
In 2017 Pashek Associates merged with MTR , to become Pashek + MTR, and Kara Roggenkamp joined as a shareholder. This brought more talent to the firm and expanded our areas of practice.
In 2021 we adopted the following mission: to improve the environment and the communities we serve by connecting people with the natural world, and each other, through sustainable and equitable planning and design practices.

Our success can be attributed to the talented people who have passed through our doors and to those who currently work with us. And, most importantly to our clients that chose Pashek + MTR for their projects. Our clients can expect a collaborative approach based on communication, respect, knowledge and creativity.

Over 35 years we’ve had the opportunity to implement our clients’ visions for their communities, parks, schools, colleges and universities, public gardens, National Cemeteries and conservation areas, in all sectors: public, private, and non-profit. Today, our firm’s principals, Nancy, John, Sara and Kara, strive to continue the success established over those 35 years. We take pride in seeing people enjoy the spaces we’ve created and in knowing that we left each place better than it was before we started.

Here are some of our statistics from the past 35 years:

Projects in 29 States plus Washington DC and Ontario, Canada.
43 Community Comprehensive Plans completed.
Over 130 early childhood, primary, secondary, and higher education projects completed.
350+ Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) funded projects completed.
50 awards received for our work.

We are proud to have created exceptional landscapes, not only in our own City of Pittsburgh, but also in the western Pennsylvania region, neighboring states, and at public gardens and National Cemeteries throughout the U.S. The community planning studio that Jim Pashek started is one of our fastest growing practice areas in 2021.

For our 35^th anniversary we thank everyone who played a role in our success: clients, past and current employees, interns, and businesses that have supported and provided us with services throughout the years. We look forward to the next 35 years of Pashek + MTR.

Nancy, John, Sara and Kara