GRI

What GRI does

GRI (Geotechnical Resources, Inc.) is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm founded in 1984 by Dave Driscoll, John Creveling, and H. Stanley Kelsay, headquartered in Tigard, Oregon. The firm provides geotechnical engineering, seismic engineering, pavement engineering, geologic hazard analysis, hazmat/environmental services, in-house soil and materials laboratory testing, construction support, and alternative-delivery consulting (design-build, progressive design-build, CM/GC). It serves federal, state, and local government agencies as well as private developers across the Pacific Northwest, with notable clients including the Port of Portland, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Aviation, Bonneville Power Administration, Portland General Electric, the Port of Newport, the Port of Vancouver USA, the Federal Highway Administration Western Federal Lands, and Oregon State University. GRI operates from six offices in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho with 65+ technical and administrative staff and has delivered more than 8,000 projects since founding.

The firm's technical capabilities are anchored by specialized in-house equipment and laboratory testing that materially differentiate it from typical regional geotechnical consultants. The in-house soil mechanics laboratory runs Cyclic Direct Simple Shear (CDSS) tests — measuring soil behavior under earthquake loading to calibrate seismic design parameters directly rather than relying on conservative empirical correlations — alongside Direct Simple Shear, Triaxial Shear, Consolidation, and California Bearing Ratio testing. Its KUAB 2m Model 150 Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) generates ASTM D 4694 and FAA AC 150/5370-11A compliant impulse loads from 6,000 to 32,000 pounds for pavement evaluation across airports, roadways, and heavy-industrial facilities. GRI additionally performs advanced seismic analyses (site-specific hazard evaluations, ground motion studies, soil-structure interaction, liquefaction studies, performance-based design) using FLAC software and multi-modal standards, and operates supplementary field equipment including GPR, sUAS drones, and DCP. The technical bench includes multiple PhD-credentialed engineers and a high density of advanced certifications (PE, GE, BC.PE, CEG, RG, LEG, LHG, GIT, EIT).

GRI's business model is project-based professional services revenue earned through (1) competitive procurements (RFQs and proposals) and (2) multi-year on-call contracts with government agencies. Recurring anchor engagements include the Oregon Department of Aviation statewide Airport Pavement Management System covering 97 public-use airports, the Port of Portland pavement inspection program covering approximately 66 million square feet across 27 task orders, and recurring energy-sector work for BPA and PGE on transmission-line and substation projects. Customer acquisition is enterprise, direct, and field-driven — leveraging the firm's 40-year reputation, ACEC Oregon Engineering Excellence Awards, and active participation in ASCE technical committees. Pricing is per-project and per-contract, with no public price list; work spans pre-design investigation through construction-phase support, and the firm has explicitly cited $8 million in ground-improvement cost savings on the Wilsonville Raw Water Facilities Project as a marquee value-engineering outcome while maintaining seismic-resilience performance targets.

Name

GRI

Legal name

Geotechnical Resources, Inc.

Website

https://gri.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GRI is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm founded in 1984, providing geotechnical, seismic, pavement, geologic-hazard, and environmental engineering services to federal, state, local, and private clients across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tigard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering Consulting Services: Project-based professional services revenue generated through geotechnical engineering, geologic hazard analysis, pavement engineering, hazmat services, laboratory testing, seismic engineering, and construction support engagements. Revenue is earned through direct project contracts with government agencies (federal, state, local), private entities, and on-call service agreements. Services are delivered from pre-design through construction phases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GRI provides full-service geotechnical, geologic, pavement, and seismic engineering consulting services from pre-design through construction. Services include foundation and pavement design, soil/rock mechanics, geologic hazard evaluation, site-specific seismic studies, hazardous materials assessments, in-house laboratory testing, and construction-phase engineering support delivered to public agencies and private clients primarily across the Pacific Northwest.

Product overview

GRI is a geotechnical engineering consulting firm providing a unified portfolio of engineering services rather than a software product platform. The company offers eight core service lines: Geotechnical Engineering, Geologic Hazards, Seismic Engineering, Pavement Engineering, Hazmat, Laboratory Services, Construction Support, and Alternative Delivery. These services are delivered to seven client market sectors: Aviation, Development, Energy, Federal, Ports & Waterfront, Transportation, and Water & Environment. GRI operates as a single integrated practice with multidisciplinary teams that combine expertise across these service areas for each project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Geotechnical Engineering

Quantifiable outcome

• $8 million reduction in ground improvement costs through CMGC delivery and value engineering on Wilsonville Raw Water Facilities Project while maintaining performance standards
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• New Albion Geotechnical, Inc.supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with GRI on Port of Portland seismic risk assessment project, providing specialized expertise in seismic design and earthquake engineering for liquefaction site-specific hazards and ground response evaluation at key port assets including marine terminals and aviation facilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Terracon: Large national geotechnical, environmental, and facilities consulting firm. Competes with GRI on federal, transportation, and energy projects with a significantly larger bench and national footprint, particularly in alternative-delivery work.
• GHD: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm that acquired Hart Crowser (a long-standing Seattle geotechnical firm). Operates as a broad incumbent in PNW geotechnical, water, and environmental markets overlapping with GRI.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental firm with significant geotechnical, water, and transportation practices. Overlaps with GRI on Pacific Northwest water infrastructure, transportation, and federal work at much larger scale.
• Kleinfelder: National engineering, architecture, and science firm with strong geotechnical and environmental practices. Competes with GRI on larger federal, transportation, and water programs as a scaled incumbent with broader geographic reach.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with deep geotechnical, water, transportation, and federal practices. Largest-scale incumbent that competes with GRI for federal, port, and large alternative-delivery transportation/water programs.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with major earth and environment practice (formerly WSP | Golder). Competes with GRI on large transportation, water, and federal projects as a top-tier incumbent.

Direct peers

• Haley & Aldrich: National geotechnical and environmental engineering consulting firm. Comparable to GRI in geotechnical core, environmental site characterization, and infrastructure client mix, with similar mid-to-large firm positioning.
• Shannon & Wilson: Seattle-headquartered geotechnical and environmental engineering consulting firm with deep Pacific Northwest roots and a national footprint. Most directly comparable peer to GRI in service mix, client base (WSDOT, ports, federal), and seismic/geotechnical specialty.
• GeoEngineers: Redmond, Washington-based geotechnical, environmental, and earth science consulting firm serving the Pacific Northwest. Closely comparable to GRI in geotechnical/geologic core services, mid-market scale, and transportation/water/energy client mix.

Regional players

• KPFF Consulting Engineers: Seattle-headquartered civil/structural engineering firm with strong PNW presence. Collaborated with GRI on the Port of Newport International Terminal ACEC award; comparable Pacific Northwest infrastructure client base though structurally rather than geotechnically focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 GRI