WD Partners

What WD Partners does

WD Partners is a private, integrated design, operations, and construction professional services firm serving multi-unit retail and restaurant brands globally. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, the firm has operated since 1967 and employs 501-1,000 people, delivering 49+ million square feet in 2025 across 95 countries and over 55,000 lifetime projects. The company organizes its services around three pillars — Brand Solutions (strategy, insights, experience design), Ops Solutions (operations engineering, labor optimization, sales optimization), and Build Solutions (architecture, engineering, construction management) — with an additional Digital Solutions layer spanning BIM, 3D renderings, VR capture, field services, and a growing Spatial Digital Twin offering. Revenue is generated through project-based, multi-year enterprise contracts sourced via direct consultative field sales and supported by thought-leadership content (Wayfind blog, gated POV research) and an active industry event presence (NRF, NRA Show, ICSC, EuroShop). Customer base is exclusively enterprise-tier, spanning QSR (Shake Shack, White Castle, Jollibee), mass and specialty retail (Walmart, Nike, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Buc-ee's, Meijer), pet care (Purina), and automotive retail (EchoPark). The company is privately held, with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity, and is led by CEO Chris Doerschlag.

Name

WD Partners

Legal name

WD Partners, Inc.

Website

https://wdpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

WD Partners is a private, integrated design, operations, and construction firm serving multi-unit retail and restaurant brands, offering Brand, Ops, and Build services plus digital twin capabilities to enterprise clients globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

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 - Brand Solutions: Strategy, design, and brand experience design services for retailers and restaurant brands. Revenue generated through project-based consulting and design fees.
2. Professional Services - Operations Engineering: Operations engineering, labor optimization, and process improvement consulting. Project-based fees for assessment, implementation, and validation services.
3. Professional Services - Architecture and Construction: Integrated architectural, engineering, and construction solutions delivered at scale globally. Revenue from project management and construction oversight services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WD Partners is an integrated design, architecture, engineering, and construction firm that delivers brand, operations, and build solutions for multi-unit retail and restaurant brands. The company provides strategy and consumer insights, brand and experience design, operations engineering, sales optimization, architecture, and construction services under a single delivery model, leveraging BIM, 3D renderings, digital twins, and proprietary industrial engineering tools. Services are sold on a project basis to enterprise clients, with engagements spanning single sites to global multi-thousand-store portfolios.

Product overview

WD Partners is an integrated design, build, and operations firm offering a comprehensive suite of services under three main pillars: Brand Solutions, Ops Solutions, and Build Solutions. The company's approach combines strategy, design, operations, and construction execution under one roof. Key offerings include Brand Strategy & Insights, Brand & Experience Design, Operations Engineering Solutions, Sales Optimization, Architecture & Engineering, and Construction Solutions. Their digital capabilities encompass 3D renderings, Building Information Modeling (BIM), field services, and spatial scanning including digital twin services. Their Wayfind platform serves as a thought leadership blog covering retail and restaurant industry insights. The firm also provides specialized labor standards and staffing optimization solutions using proprietary industrial engineering methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wayfind: WD's blog and thought leadership platform providing insights on retail, restaurant, and design trends.

Products and services

• Brand Solutions Strategy, consumer insights, and brand and experience design services for retailers and restaurant brands. Sold to enterprise clients seeking brand-right design that creates meaningful brand connections with consumers.
• Ops Solutions Operations engineering, labor optimization, sales optimization, and process improvement consulting for restaurant and retail clients. Project-based fees for assessment, implementation, and validation services.
• Build Solutions Integrated architectural, engineering, and construction solutions delivered at scale globally. Revenue from project management and construction oversight services for multi-unit retail and restaurant brands.
• Back-of-House (BOH) Design Scalable back-of-house model built for innovation and integration, optimizing footprint and labor deployment for restaurant and retail operations.
• Digital Twin Services Capturing accurate, standardized as-built asset data and creating unified data environments for connected digital twins that support proactive decision-making throughout building lifecycles.
• Labor Standards & Staffing Solutions Proprietary industrial engineering practices and tools for developing comprehensive labor efficiency and staffing solutions that improve efficiency across operating systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95 countries served with consistent brand execution
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chute Gerdeman: Cincinnati-based retail brand experience design firm that competes directly with WD Partners' Brand Solutions and experience design work for multi-unit retailers and restaurants. Highly comparable in target customer, design-led delivery model, and category focus.
• Shook Kelley: Brand experience and design firm with deep specialization in retail and restaurant chains. Directly comparable to WD Partners' integrated brand, operations, and design offering for multi-unit brand clients.
• FRCH Design Worldwide: Retail-focused architecture and design firm (now part of Cushman & Wakefield) that designs store environments for major multi-unit retail and restaurant brands. Closely mirrors WD Partners' retail design and brand experience practice.
• CallisonRTKL (Arcadis): Global architecture and design firm with one of the largest dedicated retail practices. Competes with WD Partners for multi-unit retail and restaurant design, architecture, and brand experience mandates worldwide.
• MG2: Architecture and design firm serving retail, restaurant, and commercial clients with an integrated design + engineering model. Comparable scale and customer profile to WD Partners.
• Ware Malcomb: Commercial architecture firm with strong retail practice providing design, architecture, and brand experience services for multi-unit operators. Directly comparable customer base and service mix.
• Little Diversified Architectural Consulting: Multi-disciplinary architecture and design firm serving retail, restaurant, and commercial clients nationally. Comparable in scale and integrated design + engineering delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Gensler: One of the largest global architecture and design firms with a substantial retail and consumer experience practice. Overlaps with WD Partners on multi-unit brand experience projects but operates at materially greater scale and broader portfolio.
• HOK: Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with a dedicated retail and hospitality practice. Competes with WD Partners for large multi-unit retail and restaurant rollouts but with a much broader sector footprint.
• JLL (Retail Services): Global real estate services firm with a sizable retail advisory, design, and project management practice. Competes with WD Partners for enterprise multi-unit mandates, especially where real estate strategy overlaps with design and construction.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wd_partners
• Facebookfacebook.com/wdpartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wd-partners
• Instagraminstagram.com/wdpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 WD Partners