Gresham, Smith and Partners

What Gresham, Smith and Partners does

Gresham, Smith and Partners (Gresham Smith) is a privately held, Nashville-headquartered architecture, engineering, interior design, and consultancy firm founded in 1964. The firm operates across 27 US offices with 501-1,000 employees and reported $355 million in annual gross revenue. It serves both public-sector clients (federal, state, and municipal agencies including TDOT, GDOT, City of Memphis, and airports) and private-sector clients (healthcare systems, industrial manufacturers, airports, and developers) through eight core practice areas - Aviation, Building Engineering & Commissioning, Civil Engineering & Landscape Architecture, Healthcare, Industrial & Advanced Manufacturing, Life & Work Places, Transportation, and Water & Environment - supplemented by six specialized solutions such as Energy & Utility Infrastructure, Consultancy Services, Experiential Design & Wayfinding, Sustainability & Resiliency, Community Development & Planning, and the MPATH: Empathic Insights human-centered research offering.

The firm delivers integrated, project-based professional services spanning planning, architecture, engineering, commissioning, and advisory work. Its technology stack centers on the Design Lab of the Future, a connected ecosystem of five platforms that supports client collaboration and design outcomes, together with Building Energy Modeling, a Digital Behavior Mapping tool for evidence-based healthcare design, AI-driven visualization and simulation tools, predictive analytics for transportation systems management and operations (TSMO), and post-occupancy evaluation processes. Strategic research partnerships with Vanderbilt University, Carnegie Mellon University, Savannah College of Art and Design, and the University of Louisville's Envirome Institute feed its evidence-based design pipeline.

Gresham Smith generates revenue through professional services fees tied to project scope and complexity, under direct client engagement and long-term program management relationships (e.g., City of Memphis SARP10 since 2013). Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by thought-leadership content, industry awards, conference presence, and university partnerships, reaching marquee clients such as UF Health, Kaiser Permanente, Cleveland Clinic, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Ultium Cells, NextStar Energy, Ford, LG Chem, Stellantis, and Dominion Energy. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the firm remains self-funded with no disclosed institutional investors or M&A activity.

Name

Gresham, Smith and Partners

Legal name

Gresham Smith

Website

http://www.greshamsmith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Gresham, Smith and Partners is a Nashville-based architecture, engineering, and consultancy firm operating across 27 US offices with $355 million in annual gross revenue, serving public-sector agencies, healthcare systems, airports, and industrial manufacturers through eight integrated practice areas plus specialized solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (BPAEAPAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Managed Services (BPAEADAJ), ESG, Sustainability Reporting & Compliance (BPAEAPAM), Privacy, Consent & Data Protection Management (BPAEAPAF)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Engineering consulting services
• Healthcare facility design
• Transportation infrastructure design
• Aviation terminal design

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Engineering Services: Gresham Smith generates revenue through providing comprehensive architecture, engineering, and consultancy services to public and private sector clients. Services span multiple markets including aviation, healthcare, transportation, industrial, water/environment, and life/work places. Revenue is project-based with long-term client relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gresham, Smith and Partners is a multidisciplinary architecture, engineering and consultancy firm that delivers integrated planning, design and engineering services across eight core practice areas: Aviation, Healthcare, Transportation, Industrial & Advanced Manufacturing, Water & Environment, Building Engineering & Commissioning, Civil Engineering & Landscape Architecture, and Life & Work Places. Services span airport terminal architecture, hospital and medical facility design, EV battery and advanced manufacturing plant engineering, transportation infrastructure, water/wastewater program management, and commercial/civic/residential architecture, with supplemental offerings in consultancy, wayfinding, sustainability, and empathic-insights research.

Product overview

Gresham Smith is a Nashville-based architecture and engineering firm with $355 million in annual gross revenue and 27 offices across the United States. The company operates as a unified platform offering eight core practice areas (Aviation, Building Engineering & Commissioning, Civil Engineering & Landscape Architecture, Healthcare, Industrial & Advanced Manufacturing, Life & Work Places, Transportation, and Water & Environment) supplemented by six specialized solutions (Energy & Utility Infrastructure, Consultancy Services, Community Development & Planning, Experiential Design & Wayfinding, Sustainability & Resiliency, and MPATH: Empathic Insights). This architecture allows the firm to deliver integrated, multidisciplinary projects where expertise across multiple practice areas can be combined for complex client needs. The company has been recognized for innovation, notably named to Fast Company's list of World's Most Innovative Companies for its Design Lab of the Future initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aviation Airport planning, terminal architecture and design services including terminal architecture and design, advisory services, automated people mover (APM) systems and guideways, baggage handling systems, branding and wayfinding, customs and border protection facilities, deicer management, landside/curbside access, parking/rental car facilities, security screening, and sustainability and resiliency planning for airport authorities.
• Building Engineering & Commissioning Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural engineering services plus post-construction commissioning and technology systems design for high-performing buildings across the firm's projects.
• Civil Engineering & Landscape Architecture Site planning, streetscape design and sustainable landscape architecture services including campus design and planning, industrial developments, commercial programs, mixed-use and residential developments, parks/trails/greenways, urban design and planning, streetscapes and plazas, and surveying.
• Healthcare Research-based healthcare architecture and consulting solutions for health systems, care providers and patients including architecture and interior design, engineering and commissioning, advisory and consultancy services, experiential design and wayfinding, federal healthcare, and research and insights.
• Industrial & Advanced Manufacturing Specialized solutions for the food & beverage, advanced manufacturing, mobility and energy sectors including advanced manufacturing and process design, data centers, energy projects, and food & beverage facilities, with a particular focus on EV battery manufacturing plant design.
• Life & Work Places Design of spaces where life, commerce and community intersect including adaptive reuse, civic and cultural, education and research, hospitality, mixed-use, residential, workplace, and experiential design and wayfinding.
• Transportation Infrastructure planning, design and engineering services including construction engineering and inspection, consulting, planning, transportation design, traffic engineering, TSMO (Transportation Systems Management and Operations), and utility coordination and design.
• Water & Environment Essential infrastructure services for clean drinking water, wastewater treatment and stormwater management including wastewater collection/treatment/reuse, water treatment and distribution, stormwater management, industrial water and wastewater management, construction services, and program management.
• Energy & Utility Infrastructure Multidisciplinary practice launched in February 2026 providing integrated power, gas, broadband and mission-critical solutions for public- and private-sector clients across seven disciplines: electrical engineering, natural gas, broadband, data center services, DOE services, on-site generation, and utility coordination.
• Consultancy Services Strategic advisory and consultancy services complementing core design and engineering capabilities to meet evolving client needs.
• Community Development & Planning Planning services supporting community development initiatives and strategic planning for public and private sector clients.
• Experiential Design & Wayfinding Environmental graphic design and wayfinding solutions that create intuitive, branded experiences across physical spaces.
• Sustainability & Resiliency Sustainability planning and resiliency services helping clients achieve environmental goals and prepare for climate challenges.
• MPATH: Empathic Insights Human-centered research methodology combining technology with empathy to understand user needs and experiences in designed environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carbon Neutral achieved
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers32 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Genesys Works NashvillecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Gresham Smith is one of four founding corporate partners for Genesys Works Nashville's inaugural paid high school internship program launching August 2026. The program targets underserved high school seniors who complete eight weeks of training before working 20 hours per week in entry-level roles across IT, operations, HR, marketing, and finance throughout their senior year.
• University of Louisville Christina Lee Brown Envirome InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Five-year memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the Greenprint Initiative, aiming to develop healthier, greener public and private spaces in downtown Louisville. Partnership leverages scientific research and design to enhance urban environmental resilience and community health.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025Formal partnership for design and engineering collaboration. Includes a hackathon in Nashville during early 2026 focusing on engineering challenges such as data center sustainability and energy delivery.
• Vanderbilt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration to explore the future of design. Partnership focuses on innovation initiatives and research collaboration as part of Design Lab of the Future ecosystem.
• Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership as part of Design Lab of the Future innovation ecosystem, contributing to expanded strategic collaborations with university partners.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Public global infrastructure consulting firm with transportation, water, buildings, and environment practices. Overlaps with Gresham Smith's transportation, water/environment, and industrial markets, though at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• WSP Global: Public global engineering and professional services consultancy with strong transportation, buildings, and environment practices. Overlaps directly in transportation design, water/environment, and building engineering services, though at significantly larger scale.
• Stantec: Public global design and engineering firm with water, transportation, buildings, and environmental practices. Comparable in vertical market overlap (water, transportation, buildings) though larger scale and international footprint provide more geographic diversification.
• Jacobs Solutions: Public global professional services firm with critical infrastructure consulting including water, transportation, and advanced manufacturing. Comparable in industrial, water, and transportation practice areas though significantly larger and more diversified globally.

Direct peers

• HOK: Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with deep healthcare, aviation, and workplace practices. Closely comparable to Gresham Smith in multidisciplinary design delivery, scale, and vertical market overlap including healthcare facility design and corporate workplace strategy.
• Kimley-Horn: Privately held planning, engineering, and design consulting firm with significant transportation, water, and land development practices. Comparable in employee ownership model, US footprint, and focus on infrastructure and public-sector clients.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Architecture and engineering firm with healthcare, aviation, and higher education practices. Comparable in scale, US footprint, and vertical market overlap particularly in healthcare architecture and aviation facility design.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture and design firm with strong healthcare, higher education, and civic practices. Comparable in healthcare design research orientation, evidence-based design methodology, and project-based service delivery for institutional clients.
• HDR Inc. Employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with strong transportation, water, and healthcare practices. Comparable in privately-held structure, US footprint, vertical specialization, and multidisciplinary project delivery model.
• Burns & McDonnell: Employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction firm with strong aviation, industrial, and water practices. Comparable in privately-held structure, vertical market breadth across infrastructure end-markets, and project-based delivery for both public and private clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gresham_smith
• Facebookfacebook.com/greshamsmithpartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/15460

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Gresham, Smith and Partners