CHARLOTTE, NC (September 17, 2007) - Nationally recognized designer Steve Starr has joined Tobin Dudley, a leading architecture, planning and design firm. Starr is best known for orchestrating high-profile retail and restaurant design for clients including Dean and DeLuca, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Planet Hollywood and Hue.

A respected speaker and author in the industry, Starr began his career with renowned designer David Rockwell. His design influence touched projects including Planet Hollywood, The Monkey Bar and Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.

"Steve has an impeccable sense of design paired with the ability take strategic objectives and translate them into a flawless customer experience," said David Tobin, partner at Tobin Dudley. "His knowledge of how retail really works is invaluable for creating spaces that people are drawn to, whether it's a night club or a library."

Starr was most recently studio principal of store design for Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, where he founded the studio and managed all phases of retail, restaurant and entertainment projects. Award-winning projects under his leadership include Cosi Restaurant & Bar, Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill, The Biltmore Winery remodel and expansion in Asheville, N.C., and the Dean & Deluca Wine Room. A native of New Jersey, Starr earned his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis and his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Using a problem solving approach that is strategic, creative, responsible, and informed through experience, Tobin Dudley provides a broad range of professional services in architecture, planning and design. The firm's philosophy of practice stresses aesthetic and technical rigor in a global context of social and environmental responsibility. Tobin Dudley serves cultural, commercial, residential, hospitality, retail and educational clients.