Press: Challenges & Opportunities
AEL was recently approached to participate in an article for BusinessWest. Thank you to the team for the opportunity.
“Area Architects Face Challenges, but Remain Busy”
By George O’Brien, BusinessWest | October 9, 2025
Here is an excerpt:
Kevin Rothschild, principal with East Longmeadow-based Architecture Environment Life (AEL), agreed, but noted there are some forces that will make 2026 somewhat more challenging. These include the end of several pandemic-related programs to fuel the economy, cutbacks to some public sector programs, and other factors.
“Things are a little harder, a little slower,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re seeing the tail end of funding programs like ARPA and ESSER [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief] as well as municipal or federal grants that were out there for schools and cities and Green Communities,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of those programs reach their conclusion. The work that we’re exposed to on those projects has had a good run, and we’re seeing a lot of that closing out.”