J.L. Richards & Associates Limited

An important distinction that sets JLR apart is our organizational structure: We are a completely Canadian company and are entirely owned and operated by our employees. This structure empowers all of our employees to share in ensuring exceptional quality control at every stage of our projects and allows our entire team to fully understand what clients want and how to deliver designs and built projects that meet their needs.

The founders of JLR—Les Richards, Art Fee, and Noel Kirby in 1955—recognized the value of providing integrated, multidisciplinary service across the public and private sectors. What began as an engineering company on MacLaren Street in Ottawa has become a fully integrated team of engineers, architects, and planners across a wide array of business markets and geographies.

JLR was incorporated in 1956; the firm’s continued growth in scope and size, coupled with the need for adequate parking facilities, led to the construction of the office building at 864 Lady Ellen Place in 1960. In 2022, the Ottawa staff moved to a redesigned Class A modern, activity-based office space nearby, keeping with the longstanding tradition of being a strong, visible presence on a major artery running through the heart of Ottawa.