Our People
Craig R. Seymour, Managing Principal
Mr. Seymour joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 1987. His primary area of expertise includes economic analysis, financial forecasting, strategic planning, feasibility analysis, real property valuation, and project management. Mr. Seymour has over twenty-five years of extensive experience in economic development, the socioeconomic evaluation of major projects, business and community planning and redevelopment financing. His responsibilities include management of the firm's economic and financial oriented consulting services, including the appraisal and research functions.
Mr. Seymour has an AB in Economics/Civil Engineering from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of New Hampshire.
Russell A. Archambault, Vice President and Principal
Mr. Archambault joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 1994, and has nearly 20 years experience in community and economic development, economic and fiscal impact analysis, real estate market research, and development feasibility analysis. Since joining RKG Associates, Inc., Mr. Archambault has applied his background to managing numerous projects throughout the US in areas of urban and waterfront redevelopment, market and development feasibility, local and regional economic development, military base reuse planning, and transportation economics. Mr. Archambault has also lead the development of RKG Associates’ fiscal planning expertise, which assists local governments in understanding the municipal service impacts of local land use decisions and policies. Mr. Archambault is a national speaker on issues of urban redevelopment and fiscal planning.
Before joining RKG Associates, Mr. Archambault led a Community Development Department for the City of Laconia, New Hampshire and also served as project manager for the Virginia Tech Economic Development Assistance Center in Blacksburg, Virginia. Mr. Archambault is managing partner of RKG Associates’ Alexandria, Virginia office.
Mr. Archambault has a Bachelor of Science in Public Management from Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH, and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA.
Kyle S. Talente, Principal
Mr. Talente has developed and applied a broad range of professional and technical expertise since his hiring as an analyst in 1998. Today, Mr. Talente manages a variety of economic development, real estate and planning projects. During his tenure with RKG Associates, Mr. Talente has become particularly proficient in the areas of real estate market research & feasibility analyses, local and regional housing market analyses, TIF financing feasibility studies, local & regional economic development implementation plans and urban/downtown economic revitalization strategies.
In addition to his project management responsibilities, Mr. Talente oversees the Virginia office’s staffing and technical planning activities as well as geo-spatial analysis (GIS) production. He brings a diversified background in applied and academic training along with a multi-disciplinary perspective on design, real estate and economic development issues. Mr. Talente has worked on projects throughout the New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern and Mid-West regions.
Mr. Talente has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, and a Master of City Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.
Darren J. Mochrie, Principal
His primary area of expertise includes urban, regional and strategic planning and has completed planning projects on many scales ranging from comprehensive/master plans to property site plans. In addition to his planning expertise, Mr. Mochrie has extensive multi-disciplinary experience in airport economic impact analysis, airport feasibility, municipal fiscal impact analysis and has completed an extensive number of retail, and real estate market analyses.
Mr. Mochrie has a Bachelor of Arts (Geography) from Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, and a Master of City Planning from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Damon Cobb, Senior Manager
Damon joined RKG at the end of 2011 and manages the company's Dallas office. Damon specializes in identifying, analyzing, and implementing solutions to diverse operational issues and streamlining organizational effectiveness and resourcefulness via optimal planning; this ensures that entities function in a results oriented fashion utilizing sound business practices. By translating organizational and operational realities into easily understood scenarios and metrics, the effect of market factors and operational alternatives can be studied. This is the impetus for success – using solid data for better decision making. His wide range of consulting assignments is comprised of the relationship between the market, program, and resulting operational outcomes; this valuation has provided numerous projects with the level of confidence required for the planning and resultant implementation of multi-disciplinary projects.
Working hand-in-hand with the client, Damon provides a proactive, strategic direction to ensure consistency and collaboration among internal and external initiatives and actions, continued process improvement, and operational efficiencies resulting in achieving both fiscal and service-based goals and objectives.
Damon’s hands-on experience is centered on providing change agent leadership through factual decision-making platforms by means of implementable, results-driven actions that align with the organizational goals and objectives; these actions and strategies ensure resource effectiveness. Using his broad background in organization-based economic planning and implementation based on sound business management practices and advanced analytical skills, Damon is able to accomplish the client’s objectives of resource management and revenue enhancement.
Prior to RKG, Damon was the only employee invited to join the founding partners of PROS Consulting, LLC. While with PROS (2004 – 2011), Damon’s experience spanned all of PROS core services. He has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Sam Houston State University.
Michael N. Casino, Senior Project Manager
Mr. Casino joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 1989 and is currently a Project Manager with the firm. He has over 20 years of experience in municipal and regional land use planning, the preparation of socioeconomic studies of proposed highways and other large development projects, site analysis and feasibility planning, and redevelopment planning associated with closed military facilities. Mr. Casino is also the Geographic Information System (GIS) manager for RKG Associates and oversees the preparation of project related computerized mapping and analysis. He is well versed in various GIS mapping programs including ArcView and Maptitude, as well as database software systems such as Access and Paradox.
Before joining RKG Associates, Inc. Mr. Casino worked as the assistant director of a regional planning agency and as a land use planner in Dover, New Hampshire.
Mr. Casino has a Bachelor of Science in Community Planning and Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire, and an Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Arts and Advertising from New York City C.C.
Frederick D. Pulitzer, Senior Project Manager
Mr. Pulitzer joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 1991 and has performed market studies, financial analysis, fiscal impact and development feasibility studies for a wide variety of project types throughout the United States. His assignments have included residential, commercial, office, hotel and industrial projects. Mr. Pulitzer has also appraised over $100 million in real property assets. Prior to joining RKG Associates, Inc. Mr. Pulitzer was a real estate developer/contractor with more than 15 years of experience in acquiring, permitting and building commercial and residential projects.
Mr. Pulitzer has a Bachelor of Arts in Greek and Latin, Cum Laude, from the University of New Hampshire, and Selected Courses and Seminars (320+ hours) from the Appraisal Institute, Illinois
Lawrence E. Cranor Jr., Senior Project Manager
Mr. Cranor joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 1992, with 15 years experience in applied demography, market research, site selection and competition studies for other firms, including national retail chains. Mr. Cranor has applied this background to managing a wide range of assignments with RKG Associates, Inc. These assignments have included a broad variety of retail projects, consumer surveys and spending research, site location research; urban revitalization/marketing strategies; and general economic development.
Mr. Cranor has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing/Management from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Melissa Cohen, Market Analyst/Planner
Ms. Cohen joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 2006 as a market analyst in our Virginia office. She brings with her applied knowledge from the University of Oregon, where she obtained a Master of Community and Regional Planning degree with a specialization in community development. While at the University, Ms. Cohen worked for the Community Planning Workshop and conducted an in-depth report on a local “Weed and Seed” program, which is a community-based strategy and approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and community revitalization. She also researched and developed case studies on the “Economics of Smart Growth” for the Oregon Transportation Growth Management Program. In addition, she helped conduct a feasibility analysis for a potential retreat center, which was owned by the University of Oregon’s School of Architecture.
Prior to her hiring at RKG Associates, Ms. Cohen worked with the City of Eugene, Oregon on a downtown business strategy and with the City of Portland, Oregon on an update to their Central City Plan. Ms. Cohen brings a unique perspective on socioeconomic analysis applying her sociology background to economic development and market related issues. Since starting her position at RKG in 2006, she has helped with a variety of economic development and market research projects.
Ms. Cohen has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a Master of Community and Regional Planning, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.
David Gray, Market Analyst/Planner
Mr. Gray joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 2008 from Strategy Planning Associates (SPA), an urban planning and real estate development consulting firm located in Schaumburg, Illinois. As a senior consultant with SPA, David provided consulting services to private developers and non-profit housing organizations. Prior to joining SPA, Mr. Gray was a planner and entitlement specialist with the Colorado Land Consultants, a land planning and engineering firm located in Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Gray has a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban, Rural and Environmental Planning from Brigham Young University and a Masters in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver.
Rebecca Schenck, Market Analyst/Planner
Ms. Schenck joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 2010 as a market analyst in the company's Alexandria, Virginia office. She attended the University of North Carolina, where she obtained a Master of Regional Planning degree with a concentration in economic development. Ms. Schenck worked as a graduate assistant at the Office of Economic and Business Development and at the Center for Competitive Economies while she was a student at the University. Her Master’s project, entitled “The Risks of Not Diversifying the Regional Economy: A Case Study of Austin, Texas” examined the factors that contributed to the decline of the Austin, Texas economy in early 2000 and the probability of a similar downturn in the future.
Ms. Schenck worked as an Associate at Bay Area Economics before becoming a part of RKG Associates, Inc. While at Bay Area Economics, her projects included real estate pro forma analyses, tax increment financing projections, tax credit market studies, and economic development strategies throughout the State of California. Since starting her position at RKG in 2010, she has worked on an economic analysis chapter of a comprehensive plan, and a daycare market study that examines the need for additional childcare facilities.
Ms. Schenk has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Denison University, Granville, Ohio, and a Master of Regional Planning degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Christopher Chop, Market Analyst/Planner
Mr. Chop joined RKG Associates, Inc. in 2011 as a market analyst in our Virginia office. He incorporates a range of professional interests that he cultivated during his graduate program in Urban and Regional Planning. While pursuing his master’s degree at Virginia Tech, Mr. Chop worked at the Center for Housing Research, where he helped develop housing affordability metrics and consolidated plans. His capstone project, titled “Financial Performance of U.S. Airports: A Study of Revenue Diversification and Economic Development,” views non-aeronautical trends through the lenses of ownership, management and economic development.
Mr. Chop has a Bachelor of Arts in History and International Affairs from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.