Dear Jo Anne:

Now that we are in sight of the finish line on the Phillips Building project, I want to express my personal gratitude to you and all of the Torchio team for shepherding us through this vital extension to our ministry campus.

I was pleased that from the beginning of our relationship, you took the necessary hours to listen to our congregation’s vision for ministry and to ask the questions that helped to focus and clarify that vision. You did not come to the project with a pre-conceived plan for what a new building might look like. Instead, you spent weeks meeting with our building committee and with anyone else in the congregation who needed to talk about a ministry need that could possibly require space. Long before any drawings were on paper, you took data from our members and developed a five-year projection of space requirements. Only after general agreement that you had “nailed” our space requirements did you go to work on conceptual drawings.

Your patience with our committee was exceptional. I cannot number the times that you brought in carefully crafted floor plans, only to have a long list of additional needs and fresh thoughts added to our building requirements. Then it was (literally) “back to the drawing board.”

Any building project inevitably requires the involvement of local government. Your extensive network of contacts within the county office building, along with your familiarity with local codes and ordinances added professionalism to our presentations that otherwise might not have been there.

Finally, no matter how well-designed, a building requires the right general contractor. We might have made some serious mistakes had you not guided us through an interview and selection process with several local construction firms. You and members of your staff were in almost daily contact with the contractor, our committee, church staff and our site representative. Consequently, I was able to keep our congregation fully and accurately informed at every stage of the construction process.

While not essential to your professional performance, your personal faith commitment and familiarity with the values and dynamics of local churches facilitated communication because we did not have to translate faith language into secular words.

Sincere Regards,

Ken E. Brown FCBA
Church Administrator
Kent Island United Methodist Church
Chester, MD

To Whom It May Concern,

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Torchio Architects and particularly Jo Anne Baker, for any architectural work.

Torchio Architects (under Jo Anne’s guidance as project manager) revised, oversaw and managed the rebuilding of a 4,200 foot contemporary residential structure that was laden with structural and aesthetic problems. This was done while meeting all zoning requirements. Jo Anne very efficiently devised a 1st rate plan agreed upon and monitored its execution with the General Contractor.

I personally had been a manufacturer (retired after 20 years) with my primary customers being architects and interior designers throughout the U.S. and I can attest that I experienced an absolutely exemplary result.

Frankly, it is a pleasure to write such a well deserved testimonial.

Very truly yours,

Harvey L. and Lorraine Waxman
Centreville, MD

To Whom It May Concern:

We are a growing parish dating back to 1692 and we realized that this was the right time for us to restore, renovate, and expand our historic building. It has been a pleasure to work with Torchio Architects during this project for many reasons. They have been nothing but courteous and professional to the members of our Construction Committee, the Parish Vestry, and the construction company. All questions and concerns have been handled in a timely manner and I personally appreciate their sensitivity to providing us with a first class project that could be built within our budget. I would not hesitate to recommend this wonderful firm to others who are contemplating a building project.

Fr. Chris Jubinski, Rector of St. Paul’s
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Centreville, MD

To Whom It May Concern:

We have used Torchio Architects on three occasions in designing new buildings and additions to our funeral homes. We have also used two other architects before Torchio. The difference has been that Greg Torchio and Jo Anne Baker would always listen to what you were trying to accomplish. They also took the necessary steps to assure us that the builder did what they had designed. We look forward to working with them on our next project.

Tom Helfenbein, President, CEO
Fellows Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A.