What Weston & Sampson does

Weston & Sampson is a 100% employee-owned, interdisciplinary engineering and environmental consulting firm founded in 1899 and headquartered in Reading, Massachusetts. The firm employs more than 1,100 professionals across offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida, and offers end-to-end services spanning planning, design, engineering, construction oversight, and operations & maintenance. Its work concentrates on climate resilience, water and wastewater treatment, stormwater management, environmental remediation (including PFAS and Brownfields), parks and recreation design, transportation infrastructure, and EV charging deployment, with technical differentiators in nature-based solutions, PFAS analysis and treatment, and adaptive reuse of decommissioned wind turbine blades.

The firm’s go-to-market is entirely enterprise-field-sales driven: revenue is generated through fee-based professional services contracts procured via competitive bidding, qualifications-based selection, and negotiated agreements with municipal, state, and federal government clients. Weston & Sampson serves as both prime consultant and subconsultant on large infrastructure programs, and actively captures federal and state grant funding (NEVI, FEMA BRIC, Massachusetts MVP Action Grants, EPA State Revolving Fund). Marketing relies on thought-leadership articles, industry awards (including the 2025 Holcim Foundation Grand Prize for North America), professional society engagement, ESG reporting, and project case studies rather than traditional advertising.

The company is privately held under an Employee Stock Ownership Plan with no external parent, no venture backing, and no public ticker. Revenue and financial performance are not publicly disclosed; independent industry rankings place it among the top U.S. design firms (ENR Top 500 Design Firms, #117 in 2026) and the largest private companies in Massachusetts (#57 in 2025). Operational complexity is high: project-based revenue cycles, multi-year municipal master plans, and ongoing operations & maintenance contracts create revenue lumpiness tied to government budget and grant-disbursement timelines, while the 100% ESOP structure aligns long-tenured employee incentives with client outcomes and retention.

Name

Weston & Sampson

Legal name

Weston & Sampson

Website

https://westonandsampson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Weston & Sampson is a 100% employee-owned engineering and environmental consulting firm with 1,100+ professionals providing planning, design, engineering, and operations services primarily to municipal and state government clients across the Northeast and Southeast United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Environmental consulting services
• Water and wastewater engineering
• Climate resilience planning
• Transportation infrastructure design

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering and Consulting Services: Weston & Sampson generates revenue by providing fee-based professional consulting services including planning, design, engineering, construction oversight, and operations & maintenance. Projects are typically bid or negotiated with government clients (municipalities, state agencies) and occasionally as a subconsultant to larger engineering firms on major infrastructure projects. Revenue is project-based and varies by scope, complexity, and contract type.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Weston & Sampson is an interdisciplinary engineering and environmental consulting firm that provides planning, design, engineering, construction oversight, and operations and maintenance services to municipal, state, and federal government clients. Core service areas span climate resilience planning, water and wastewater treatment engineering, stormwater management, environmental remediation (PFAS and Brownfields), transportation infrastructure, parks and recreation design, landscape architecture, and EV charging infrastructure deployment under programs such as NEVI.

Product overview

Weston & Sampson is a 100% employee-owned interdisciplinary consulting firm offering planning, design, engineering, construction, and operations & maintenance services. The firm provides environmental consulting, climate resiliency, water/wastewater treatment, transportation infrastructure, parks and recreation design, brownfields remediation, and EV charging infrastructure services. The company does not offer a discrete software product or platform but rather delivers professional consulting services across these disciplines. The firm has over 1,100 professionals and operates offices across the northeastern United States and South Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Services Comprehensive planning services including climate resilience and vulnerability assessments, climate action planning, urban and environmental planning, master plans, regulatory permitting support, zoning and land development services, and grant program administration (Massachusetts MVP, FEMA BRIC).
• Design Services Professional design services covering landscape architecture, site/civil design, parks and recreation design, water/wastewater treatment facility design, transportation infrastructure design, and climate-resilient design incorporating nature-based solutions (bioretention, bioswales, permeable pavements, green roofs, constructed wetlands).
• Engineering Services Multidisciplinary engineering services including water and wastewater treatment engineering, stormwater management and flood modeling, transportation and bridge engineering, structural engineering, mechanical and HVAC engineering, environmental engineering, and hydraulic and hydrologic modeling for municipal and state clients.
• Construction Services Construction administration, oversight, and resident engineering services for water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation, parks, and public works facility projects, including trenchless technology installation and dam rehabilitation construction oversight.
• Operations and Maintenance Services Contract operations and maintenance services for municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities, pump stations, and pool/parks facilities, including certified operator staffing and facility management for towns such as Chatham, Peabody, Newton, and Worcester, MA.
• Climate Resilience and Adaptation Services Climate resilience services encompassing sea level rise adaptation planning, coastal storm flood protection, stormwater flood modeling, integrated flood barrier design (engineered and nature-based), and resilience program implementation funded through Massachusetts MVP, FEMA BRIC, and Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management grants.
• PFAS and Emerging Contaminants Services PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) sampling, analysis, fate and transport modeling, and treatment design for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), drinking water utilities, and environmental remediation projects, including state-level PFAS sampling studies for Vermont DEC and MassDEP.
• Brownfields and Environmental Remediation Services Brownfields site assessment and remediation, PCB regulatory compliance, soil/sediment/groundwater remediation, and contaminated property redevelopment consulting, including award-winning projects such as Bartlett Station, Ryan Park/Soundview Landing, and the Modern Electroplating Facility (Boston's first LEED-certified police station).
• EV Charging Infrastructure Services Site assessment, design, and deployment support services for electric vehicle charging stations along state highway corridors under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, including procurement, permitting, and electrical grid coordination for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Clean Energy and Solar Project Services Engineering and project development services for clean energy and solar installations, supporting municipal and institutional clients with site assessment, design, and implementation of solar projects; in 2024 supported clean energy installations capable of generating more than 9 MW across 100+ new solar projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported clean energy installations capable of generating more than 9 megawatts (MW) of solar power in 2024 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Stoss Landscape UrbanismcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Weston & Sampson served as subconsultant to Stoss Landscape Urbanism on the Boston Parks and Recreation Department Moakley Park Master Plan project. The collaboration involved climate-resilient transformation of a 60-acre waterfront park, with Weston & Sampson developing design storm projections and 2-D stormwater flood modeling.
• AECOMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAECOM is listed as a partner firm on the Island End River flood resilience program for Chelsea and Everett, MA. The collaborative project involves coastal storm flood protection infrastructure design.
• Tetra TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTetra Tech and its planning subsidiary Fort Point Associates participated in the Island End River flood resilience program as consulting partners alongside Weston & Sampson.
• DewberrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDewberry participated as a consulting partner in the Island End River flood resilience program for coastal storm protection.
• Woods Hole GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWoods Hole Group participated as a consulting partner in the Island End River flood resilience program.
• One ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Architecture participated as a consulting partner in the Island End River flood resilience program.
• Elko Coastal ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElko Coastal Consulting partnered with Weston & Sampson and McCormick Taylor on Sullivan’s Island Sea Level Adaptation & Resilience Plan, providing coastal engineering expertise.
• McCormick TaylorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcCormick Taylor partnered with Weston & Sampson and Elko Coastal Consulting on the Sullivan’s Island resilience planning project.
• Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Grant ProgramcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeston & Sampson supports clients in securing MVP Action Grants and implementing projects funded through the Massachusetts MVP Grant Program for climate resilience and adaptation.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeston & Sampson partners with EPA through the Massachusetts State Revolving Fund for water infrastructure projects, including the $33 million Middleborough water treatment facility designed to remove PFAS compounds.
• Massachusetts Coastal Zone ManagementcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Island End River flood resilience program was supported by Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management’s Coastal Resilience Grant program.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWeston & Sampson assists clients in pursuing FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants for flood resilience projects.
• Nitsch EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNitsch Engineering collaborated with Weston & Sampson on the Moakley Park project, providing civil engineering support alongside BWSC and MWRA.
• BWSC (Boston Water and Sewer Commission)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBWSC collaborated with Weston & Sampson on the Moakley Park Master Plan project.
• MWRA (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMWRA collaborated with Weston & Sampson on the Moakley Park Master Plan project.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with deep environmental, water, and climate resilience practices. Highly comparable to Weston & Sampson in PFAS, water/wastewater, and climate resilience work, but operates at vastly larger scale ($5B+ revenue) and competes as both partner and competitor on major programs like Island End River.
• AECOM: One of the world's largest engineering and environmental services firms with strong water, climate resilience, and transportation practices. Direct overlap with Weston & Sampson in municipal infrastructure and coastal resilience; frequently a co-partner on marquee projects but also a competitor on mega-programs.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global engineering and consulting firm with significant water, environmental, and infrastructure practices. Highly comparable service portfolio (water treatment, climate adaptation, environmental remediation) but at materially larger scale than Weston & Sampson, with stronger international footprint.
• Stantec: Major North American engineering, environmental, and architecture firm. Overlaps directly with Weston & Sampson in water/wastewater, environmental services, landscape architecture, and municipal infrastructure across similar geographies in the Northeast and Southeast.
• GHD: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with strong water and infrastructure practices. Overlaps with Weston & Sampson in water/wastewater treatment, environmental remediation, and municipal infrastructure consulting.
• Arcadis: Global design, engineering, and management consulting firm with environmental and water practices. Comparable to Weston & Sampson in environmental remediation, water infrastructure, and climate resilience consulting, though larger and more globally diversified.
• Wood PLC: Global engineering and consulting firm with environmental, water, and infrastructure services. Overlaps with Weston & Sampson in water, environmental, and infrastructure consulting for government and industrial clients, though operates at significantly larger international scale.

Direct peers

• CDM Smith: Privately held employee-owned engineering and environmental consulting firm closely comparable in size, structure, and service mix to Weston & Sampson. Strong overlap in water, wastewater, environmental remediation, and municipal infrastructure consulting — likely the most direct North American peer.
• Brown and Caldwell: Employee-owned environmental engineering firm focused on water and wastewater infrastructure for municipal clients. Highly comparable service portfolio and ownership structure to Weston & Sampson, though with deeper specialization in water utility work.
• Haley & Aldrich: Environmental and geotechnical engineering consulting firm with strong Northeast presence. Comparable in size, employee ownership culture, and brownfield/environmental remediation expertise to Weston & Sampson, though more specialized in geotechnical and site work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@weston-sampson
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weston-sampson
• Xx.com/westonsampson
• Facebookfacebook.com/westonandsampson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 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 Weston & Sampson