What Hixson does

Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors is a privately held, full-service design firm headquartered at 659 Van Meter Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1948 as a structural engineering practice and now operating for more than 75 years. The firm serves enterprise clients in four primary verticals: food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, workplace/corporate, and laboratory/science and technology. Notable enterprise engagements include the design of a $720M, 640,000 SF Maple Leaf Foods value-added poultry facility in London, Ontario; a $130M greenfield Milo's Tea Company manufacturing and distribution campus in Moore, South Carolina; multi-facility architecture, engineering, and process design services for Abbott Nutrition since 2016; a $40M+ Eurofins Genomics cGMP greenfield in Louisville, Kentucky; a PETNET Solutions radiopharmaceutical facility; a Fortune 50 national client's workplace program since 2017; and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital early education center.

Hixson delivers projects through 20 co-located in-house design and technical disciplines spanning architecture, interior design, structural and civil engineering, mechanical/electrical/plumbing/fire-protection building systems, refrigeration, industrial wastewater, environmental health and safety, project controls, cost estimating, construction administration, and process/manufacturing/automation engineering. The firm is certified or credentialed across industrial automation platforms including Rockwell Automation (Allen-Bradley), AVEVA Wonderware/ArchestrA, and Inductive Automation Ignition, supporting controls and SCADA delivery alongside design. Deep regulated-environment expertise, particularly in GMP food-and-beverage facilities (representing approximately 80% of food-and-beverage work) and cGMP pharmaceutical and biotech spaces, anchors differentiation, complemented by dedicated EH&S compliance and permitting, site selection, master planning, sustainability/LEED consulting, and workplace strategy service lines.

The business model is project-based professional services sold through direct enterprise client engagement, with revenue tied to fee-based architecture and engineering contracts on capital projects ranging from roughly $2M to $720M in total installed value. The firm operates with professional licensure across North America and maintains dedicated client-development leadership across food and beverage, pharma and biotech, and workplace verticals; long-standing multi-decade client relationships (some 30-40 years) and consistent inclusion in regional and national top-design-firm rankings support a relationship-driven, enterprise-field-sales go-to-market motion. Pricing is project-specific and quote-based; revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company is independently owned with no identified parent or institutional sponsor.

Name

Hixson

Legal name

Hixson Holdings Inc.

Website

https://hixson-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hixson is a Cincinnati-based, privately held architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with 20 in-house technical disciplines, serving enterprise clients in food and beverage, pharmaceutical/biotech, workplace, and laboratory projects across North America since 1948.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Engineering Design Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (54141), Interior Design Services (541410)

akta.pro primary industry

Space & Occupancy (MAC, Space Planning, Move Management) (BPABAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workplace/Occupancy Data, Utilization & IWMS Administration (BPABAFAF)

Keywords

• Architecture and engineering design
• Food and beverage facility design
• Pharmaceutical facility design
• Laboratory design services
• Workplace strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Architecture and Engineering: Hixson generates revenue through providing architecture, engineering, interior design, and consulting services for complex facility projects. Services are billed on a project basis, typically for major capital projects including greenfield facilities, expansions, renovations, and interior fit-outs. Revenue is project-based and relationship-driven, with long-standing client relationships spanning decades.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hixson is a full-service architecture, engineering, and interior design firm that partners with major enterprises on complex food and beverage, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, workplace, and laboratory projects across North America. The firm delivers integrated design solutions through 20 in-house technical disciplines covering site selection, architecture, building systems engineering (MEP), process engineering, controls and automation, EH&S compliance, master planning, and commissioning. Services are billed on a project basis for capital projects including greenfield facilities, expansions, renovations, and interior fit-outs.

Product overview

Hixson Architecture, Engineering, Interiors is a full-service architecture and engineering firm offering integrated design services through 20 in-house disciplines. The company operates across four primary service areas: Food & Beverage Plant Design, Pharma & Biotech Facility Design, Laboratory Design, and Workplace Design. These core offerings are supported by specialized services including Architecture & Interior Design, Building Systems Engineering (MEP/Civil), Process & Manufacturing Engineering, Controls & Automation, EH&S Compliance & Permitting, Site Selection, Master Planning, Sustainability & LEED Consulting, Workplace Strategy, Industrial Refrigeration, Industrial Wastewater, and Strategic Facility Consulting. The portfolio represents a unified platform of integrated design services where specialized engineering disciplines work collaboratively from site selection through commissioning to deliver complex industrial and commercial facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food & Beverage Plant Design Comprehensive architecture, engineering, and process design services for food and beverage manufacturing facilities serving meat and poultry, dairy, beverages, flavors and ingredients, plant-based proteins, and prepared foods sectors. Engagements include greenfield plants, expansions, packaging line additions, renovations, and master planning with a focus on GMP-compliant, food-safe design.
• Pharma & Biotech Facility Design Design and engineering of pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing facilities, including cGMP spaces, radiopharmaceutical facilities with cyclotrons and ISO-7/ISO-8 cleanrooms, CDMO suites, biotech labs, and commissioning, qualification, and validation (CQV) services spanning User Requirements Specification through construction.
• Laboratory Design Laboratory design solutions combining state-of-the-art science and technology spaces with offices and employee amenities, including R&D facilities, testing labs, microbiology labs, pilot plants, biorepositories, and quality assurance laboratories across multiple life sciences and consumer products sectors.
• Workplace Design Architecture, interior design, and workplace strategy services for corporate offices, including real estate optimization, interior fit-outs, renovations, hybrid-work headquarters, workplace standards development, and multi-site national program rollouts.
• Architecture & Interior Design Site planning, facility layout, building design, sanitary design, conditioned spaces, material flow planning, code compliance, sustainability consulting, and interior design services delivered as a standalone engagement or as part of integrated project delivery.
• Building Systems Engineering (MEP/Civil) Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, structural, and civil engineering services including hydronic systems, HVAC, power distribution, lighting, and site utilities for complex industrial and commercial facilities.
• Process & Manufacturing Engineering Manufacturing process development, equipment specification, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), HAZOP review, and commissioning services for food, beverage, and GMP facility projects.
• Controls & Automation PLC programming, HMI development, SCADA systems, and automation solutions using Rockwell Automation (Allen Bradley), AVEVA Wonderware (ArchestrA), and Inductive Automation Ignition platforms for industrial process control in food, beverage, and manufacturing facilities.
• EH&S Compliance & Permitting Environmental health and safety consulting including air pollution compliance, hazard communication, process safety management, regulatory permitting, industrial wastewater pretreatment, and waste characterization services for industrial and manufacturing facilities.
• Site Selection Site evaluation covering terrain, utilities, road and rail access, environmental assessments, public utility analysis, and permitting requirements to inform greenfield facility location decisions.
• Master Planning Strategic long-term campus planning, manufacturing capacity analysis, greenfield site assessments, and phasing plans for facility expansion across food and beverage, pharmaceutical, laboratory, and workplace clients.
• Sustainability & LEED Consulting LEED certification consulting, greenhouse gas emissions reduction planning, and water reduction and reuse strategy services for industrial and commercial facilities.
• Workplace Strategy Real estate optimization, visioning, programming, workplace standards development, and change management services for corporate environments and multi-site national programs.
• Industrial Refrigeration Design of complex industrial refrigeration systems including ammonia refrigeration, chilled water, glycol systems, and refrigeration capacity analysis for cold storage, food processing, and pharmaceutical facilities.
• Industrial Wastewater Wastewater pretreatment system design including BOD control, DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) systems, pH neutralization, waste characterization, and compliance consulting for industrial facilities.
• Strategic Facility Consulting Plant optimization, performance optimization, product commercialization, sanitary design consulting, health and safety consulting, and facility evaluation services for industrial and commercial facility operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Food safety compliance through GMP facility design with food safety as paramount focus
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)industry associationStrategic or Co-development PartnerHixson maintains membership and partnership with IDFA, a major trade association representing the dairy industry. IDFA membership supports Hixson's dairy processing facility design expertise and provides industry networking opportunities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CRB: CRB is a global architecture, engineering, and construction firm specializing in life sciences, food & beverage, and advanced technology facilities—the closest direct competitor to Hixson's core food, pharma, and biotech verticals, with comparable cGMP and process engineering depth.
• Affiliated Engineers: Affiliated Engineers is a high-end MEP and process engineering firm serving science, healthcare, and industrial clients, closely mirroring Hixson's building systems engineering, industrial refrigeration, and process design capabilities for complex regulated facilities.
• SmithGroup: SmithGroup is an integrated architecture and engineering firm with strong science & technology, workplace, and health practices, competing with Hixson for laboratory design, workplace strategy, and pharma/biotech facility projects across North America.
• Flad Architects: Flad Architects specializes in planning and design for science, technology, and healthcare clients, overlapping directly with Hixson's lab design, pharma/biotech, and research facility practices for institutional and enterprise clients.
• EwingCole: EwingCole is an integrated architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with strong science & technology and healthcare practices, directly comparable to Hixson's lab, pharma/biotech, and workplace design offerings.
• MSB Design: MSB Design Partners is a specialized food and beverage processing facility design firm, competing head-to-head with Hixson on dairy, meat, beverage, and prepared foods plant design with comparable process engineering depth.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Page is an integrated architecture and engineering firm with strong science & technology, healthcare, and workplace practices, directly comparable to Hixson in scale, integrated delivery model, and client mix for complex facility projects.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Stantec is a large global design and engineering firm with food & beverage, water, and buildings practices that compete with Hixson on industrial facility design, though at a much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• HDR Inc. HDR is a large employee-owned A&E firm with architecture, engineering, and sciences practices that overlap with Hixson's workplace, lab, and industrial facility design capabilities, though it operates at significantly greater scale.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs is a global professional services firm with major architecture, engineering, and process design capabilities serving food, pharma, and advanced facilities—competing for the same enterprise clients as Hixson, but with vastly larger scale and global reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HixsonInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/hixsoninc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hixson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hixson