What Trace Associates does

Trace Associates Inc. is a Canadian, employee-owned professional services firm founded in 2006 by Darrell Haight and Rhonda Smith in Calgary, Alberta. The firm provides environmental science, engineering, and management consulting across the full project lifecycle, from planning and permitting through construction, operation, decommissioning, and redevelopment. Its practice is organized into three core areas: Environmental Science (inspection and monitoring, hydrogeology, ecology, reclamation, regulatory, remediation and risk, and restoration), Engineering (earth engineering and solid waste management), and Management Consulting (emergency management and business continuity, health and safety, Indigenous advisory, IT disaster recovery, and sustainability).

Trace generates revenue primarily through fee-for-service, project-based consulting engagements delivered by registered professionals (P.Ag., P.Geo., P.Biol., P.Eng.). Pricing is quote-based and engagement-specific rather than published on a tiered schedule. Distribution is direct through nine offices across Alberta (Calgary, Edmonton/St. Albert, Lethbridge, Didsbury), Saskatchewan (Regina, Saskatoon), British Columbia (Kamloops), and Ontario (Kitchener, Kingston), supplemented by an Indigenous-owned partnership, Airea Consulting LP. The firm serves seven primary verticals: oil and gas, mining, government, industrial, real estate and development, agriculture, and power and utilities.

The firm has invested in proprietary IP including a Project Sustainability Tool for comparing remediation strategies and an annual Disaster Forum conference, and operates structured training programs (Sustainability Workshops in ROI, Standard, and Fast-Track formats). It remains private and 100% employee-owned with no external funding rounds disclosed, and in 2025 transitioned leadership by appointing Jason Breakey as President and COO while the co-founders remained in their roles.

Name

Trace Associates

Legal name

Trace Associates Inc.

Website

https://traceassociates.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Trace Associates is a Canadian employee-owned professional services firm providing environmental science, engineering, and management consulting to oil and gas, mining, government, industrial, real estate, agriculture, and power and utilities clients across Western and Northern Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental and Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Support Activities for Mining (2131)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Waste Management & Hazardous Waste Compliance (RCRA, Universal Waste, Waste Characterization/Manifests) (EUAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Waste & Hazardous Materials Management (incl. HazMat) (BPAHAJAK), Hazardous Waste Compliance, Profiling & Brokerage (Waste Characterization, Vendor Management) (BPALAFAN), Hazardous Waste Handling, Transport & Disposal (RCRA/TSDF) (IMAIAGAC)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• Remediiation and reclamation
• Engineering advisory services
• Emergency management consulting
• Sustainability and ESG advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices9 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 Consulting Services: Trace Associates generates revenue through the delivery of fee-for-service professional consulting engagements across environmental science, engineering, health and safety, emergency management, business continuity, sustainability, and related advisory services. Revenue is project-based, with engagements spanning all stages of the project lifecycle from planning through decommissioning and redevelopment. The firm serves clients across multiple industry sectors including energy, mining, industrial, forestry, real estate, agriculture, and government.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trace Associates is a 100% employee-owned Canadian professional services firm delivering environmental science, engineering, and management consulting across all project lifecycle stages. Services include environmental inspection and monitoring, hydrogeology, ecology, reclamation, regulatory compliance, remediation and risk assessment, restoration, earth engineering, solid waste management, emergency management and business continuity, health and safety, indigenous advisory, IT disaster recovery, and sustainability advisory. The firm serves enterprise clients in oil and gas, mining, industrial, government, agriculture, real estate, and power/utilities sectors across Western and Northern Canada.

Product overview

Trace Associates is a Canadian employee-owned professional services firm offering environmental science, engineering, and management consulting across Canada. The company operates as a unified consulting practice organized into three core service divisions: Environmental Science Consulting (including inspection/monitoring, hydrogeology, ecology, reclamation, regulatory, remediation/risk, and restoration), Engineering Consulting (earth engineering and solid waste management), and Management Consulting (emergency management, health & safety, indigenous advisory, IT disaster recovery, and sustainability). Supporting these core services, Trace offers proprietary tools such as the Project Sustainability Tool for comparing remediation strategies, training programs including Sustainability Workshops (ROI Workshop, Standard Track, Fast-Tracked options) and specialized training in emergency management and indigenous reconciliation, and hosts the annual Disaster Forum conference for the emergency management community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Inspection and Monitoring Field inspection and environmental monitoring services to support operating permits, approvals, and ongoing regulatory compliance for clients in oil and gas, mining, industrial, real estate, agriculture, and government sectors.
• Hydrogeology and Water Services Hydrogeology and water management consulting services for clients across oil and gas, mining, industrial, and government sectors, including water resource assessment and climate resiliency advisory.
• Ecology Services Ecological consulting services for clients needing environmental impact and habitat assessment as part of their project lifecycle.
• Reclamation Services Reclamation and vegetation management services for upstream oil and gas, mining, and other industrial clients to support site closure and regulatory certification.
• Regulatory Advisory Services Regulatory advisory and approvals support for environmental permitting and compliance across oil and gas, mining, industrial, and government clients.
• Remediation and Risk Assessment Contaminated site remediation and environmental risk assessment services for industrial, oil and gas, mining, real estate, and agriculture clients.
• Restoration Services Environmental restoration services supporting land rehabilitation and redevelopment outcomes for industrial and resource sector clients.
• Earth Engineering Earth engineering services for industrial, mining, and commercial clients requiring geotechnical and earthworks advisory support.
• Solid Waste Management Solid waste management consulting for industrial, mining, and commercial clients.
• Emergency Management and Business Continuity
• Health & Safety Consulting Health and safety advisory and program management services for clients in industrial, oil and gas, mining, and government sectors.
• Indigenous Advisory Indigenous engagement, reconciliation, and inclusion advisory services delivered through the Indigenous-owned Airea Consulting LP partnership.
• IT Disaster Recovery IT disaster recovery planning and advisory services for business continuity.
• Sustainability Advisory Services ESG advisory including corporate GHG inventories and reporting, GHG reduction targeting, ESG reporting, DEI advisory, corporate governance, renewables regulatory advisory, environmental emergency planning, community resiliency planning, and brownfield development advisory.
• Sustainability Workshops Training program for leaders to develop sustainability programs covering sustainability 101, gap assessments, governance, stakeholder information gathering, vision setting, road map building, and reporting. Offered in person or online.
• Sustainability Concierge Services Customized training and support service for businesses requiring specific expert access or temporary support for in-house sustainability staff.
• Emergency Management and Incident Command Training Emergency management and incident command training developed and facilitated by senior technical advisors with 20+ years of experience.
• Indigenous Reconciliation and Learning Training Indigenous inclusion and education training for local and national audiences on reconciliation and engagement.
• Disaster Forum Conference Canada's premier event for emergency/crisis management and business continuity professionals to discuss and analyze best practices, tools, and support for the community of practice.
• Project Sustainability Tool Proprietary comparison tool for remediation strategies that communicates the benefits of sustainable approaches such as in-situ remediation, landfarming, and risk assessment relative to excavating and landfilling impacted soil. Summary report includes financial, environmental, social, and safety metrics and an infographic for communications.

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Baleen International Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2017Trace signed a memorandum of understanding with Baleen International Inc. in September 2017 to distribute Baleen's patented water filtration and separation technology. Baleen Filter has patented international filter technology designed for micro-screening suspended matter from water, with manufacturing facilities in Australia and Canada. Trace identified an instant fit with key clients and began implementing the first system with an industrial client to help reduce emissions and improve bottom line.
• Airea Consulting LPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirea Consulting LP is an Indigenous-owned partnership through which Trace offers all of its services including sustainability, environmental science, engineering, and management consulting. This partnership enables Trace to deliver services with a focus on indigenous inclusion and reconciliation, and extends Trace's reach into indigenous communities and clients requiring specific indigenous engagement and advisory services. The partnership is presented as a key channel for Trace's service delivery, particularly for sustainability and indigenous advisory services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GHD: GHD is a large Australian-headquartered engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with established Canadian operations. It is a direct competitor to Trace in environmental assessment, remediation, and water resources, with comparable mid-market positioning in Western Canada and overlapping mining, municipal, and industrial client segments.
• Stantec: Stantec is a major Canadian-headquartered global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm. It directly overlaps with Trace's environmental science, remediation, hydrogeology, and reclamation practices, and serves the same Western Canadian oil & gas, mining, and government clients, but at materially larger scale.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with significant Canadian environmental services practice. It competes with Trace across environmental remediation, regulatory compliance, and ESG advisory, though AECOM's portfolio extends far beyond Trace's scope into design, construction, and program management.
• WSP Global: WSP Global is one of the world's largest engineering and environmental professional services firms with deep Canadian operations. It competes broadly with Trace across environmental site assessment, remediation, and earth sciences, though WSP operates at much greater scale with global delivery capability and broader service portfolio.
• Parsons Corporation: Parsons is a large infrastructure and environmental services firm with growing Canadian environmental practice. It competes with Trace in environmental remediation, regulatory compliance, and emergency management services, though Parsons is materially larger with broader defense and infrastructure capabilities beyond Trace's niche.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): ERM is a global pure-play environmental, health, safety, and sustainability consultancy. It overlaps with Trace's environmental science, regulatory, and sustainability practices, with substantially larger scale and global reach; ERM is also the firm whose former Disaster Forum (1998-2018) Trace now hosts.

Direct peers

• Montrose Environmental Group: Montrose Environmental is a North American environmental services company focused on environmental testing, site assessment, and remediation. It is comparable to Trace in environmental due diligence, contaminated site work, and air/water services, though Montrose is publicly listed and operates at broader geographic scale.
• SLR Consulting: SLR Consulting is an international environmental and advisory firm specializing in environmental impact assessment, remediation, and ESG advisory. It is a closely comparable peer to Trace given similar service mix in contaminated site work, mining and O&G environmental services, and ESG/sustainability advisory, with comparable mid-market scale in North America.
• Matrix Solutions Inc. Matrix Solutions is a Canadian environmental and engineering consulting firm specializing in site assessment, remediation, reclamation, and regulatory services for the oil & gas, mining, and industrial sectors. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Trace, sharing Western Canadian roots, similar service mix, and overlapping O&G/mine closure client base.
• Hemmera Envirochem Inc. Hemmera is a Canadian environmental consulting firm providing environmental impact assessment, permitting, contaminated site work, and sustainability advisory. As a subsidiary of Ausenco, it operates at comparable scale to Trace and competes directly for Western Canadian resource-sector environmental mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TraceAssociates
• Xx.com/TraceAssociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Trace Associates