Hooker DeJong

What Hooker DeJong does

Hooker DeJong (HDJ) is a privately held, full-service architectural, engineering, and interior design firm founded in 1936 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The firm provides integrated architecture, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) engineering, interior design, and construction administration services under a single roof, supported by Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows built on Autodesk Revit. HDJ serves six primary market sectors — affordable housing, market-rate multifamily, commercial retail, senior living, healthcare, and government & education — with particular depth in affordable housing financing programs including LIHTC, HUD 221d(4), USDA RA, HOME, CDBG, TIF, and AHP, and in LEED / Enterprise Green Communities sustainable design.

The firm operates from nine U.S. offices spanning the Midwest (Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland), Southeast (Atlanta), Mountain West (Phoenix, Billings), and West Coast (Los Angeles), with a distributed workforce model. HDJ supported more than $1.2 billion in construction value over the last four years, including new construction, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and acquisition-rehabilitation projects. Recurring enterprise clients include Woda Cooper Companies, Magnus Capital Partners, Standard Communities, Community Housing Network, Dwelling Place, General Capital Group, and Sprouts Farmers Market. Leadership is operated by CEO Phil Komar, President David Layman, and COO Rob Gustafson, with a dedicated Graduate of Architecture Program providing a talent pipeline.

HDJ's revenue model is project-based professional services with custom, quote-driven fees on each engagement; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by content marketing (Perspectives blog, case studies), LinkedIn, and earned-media credibility from USGBC, AIA, and affordable housing industry awards. The firm has begun integrating generative and multimodal AI tools into pre-development workflows to accelerate site studies, massing and zoning analysis, and visual concept generation. The company remains independently owned with no disclosed external funding, subsidiaries, or merger activity.

Name

Hooker DeJong

Legal name

Hooker DeJong, Inc.

Website

https://hookerdejong.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hooker DeJong is a privately held, full-service architectural, engineering, and interior design firm founded in 1936, serving affordable housing, multifamily, commercial retail, senior living, healthcare, and government clients nationwide through nine U.S. offices and BIM-based workflows.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

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. Architecture and Engineering Services: HDJ generates revenue through project-based fees for architectural design, engineering (MEP), and interior design services. Projects span affordable housing, market rate multifamily, commercial retail, senior living, healthcare, and government/education sectors.
2. Construction Administration: HDJ provides construction administration services including bid negotiation and construction administration, adding to project revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hooker DeJong (HDJ) is a full-service architectural and engineering firm that provides architecture, mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) engineering, and interior design services for building projects across the United States. The firm delivers services from site selection and pre-project planning through construction administration, using BIM/Revit 3D modeling, and offers specialized expertise in affordable housing financing programs and LEED-certified sustainable design.

Product overview

HDJ (Hooker DeJong) is a full-service architectural and engineering firm founded in 1936, offering a unified portfolio of design services across four core capabilities: Architecture Services, Engineering Services (MEP), Interior Design Services, and BIM/Revit. The firm specializes in six market sectors (Affordable Housing, Market Rate Multifamily, Commercial Retail, Senior Living, Healthcare, and Government & Education) and provides Sustainability Services with LEED expertise. HDJ supports projects nationwide through offices in Atlanta, Billings, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Los Angeles, Muskegon, and Phoenix, with a distributed workforce model. The firm also operates a Graduate of Architecture Program for talent development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• HDJ supported more than $1.2 Billion in construction value in the last four years alone
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Magnus Capital PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ partnered with Magnus Capital Partners to develop the HŌM Flats workforce housing brand in West Michigan. Phase one opened with 226 residential units (2021) and phase two with 160 units (2022). The partnership focuses on transforming residential experiences for workforce housing communities.
• Woda Cooper CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ works with Woda Cooper on affordable housing developments including Osborn Commons (65 units, LEED Gold certified) and Parker Glenn II (120 units). Woda Cooper is a fast-paced development, construction, and property management organization dedicated to creating quality affordable housing.
• Community Housing NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ partnered with Community Housing Network for Garfield Landing project - transforming historic Garfield School into 36 mixed-income housing units in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The project won the 2025 Michigan Historic Preservation Network Tax Credit Award.
• Standard CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ collaborated with Standard Communities on Bridgeview Village - a 300-unit affordable housing community rehabilitation in Charleston, South Carolina featuring a newly reopened community center.
• Sprouts Farmers MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ provides architectural services for Sprouts Farmers Market including New Build to Suit (NBTS) and Existing Build to Suit (EBTS) efforts in California, Arizona, and Colorado. The partnership addresses access to healthy, affordable food.
• Hospitality Specialists, Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ served as Architect of Record for Homewood Suites Holland (123-room hotel in Michigan) in collaboration with Hospitality Specialists, Inc. who provided visionary leadership and ensured operational design aligned with guest expectations.
• Visser BrothersmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVisser Brothers served as general contractor for Homewood Suites Holland project, turning HDJ's architectural plans into reality with impeccable craftsmanship.
• BDRmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBDR served as developer and builder for Mitten Kids Dentistry project - a 7,000 sq ft pediatric dental office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. HDJ provided architecture, engineering, and interior design services.
• US Green Building Council (USGBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ is active in the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the parent corporation of LEED. The firm has LEED AP professionals in each discipline and remains engaged in LEED and sustainable design best practices.
• ASHRAEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ engineers are members of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), participating in sustainable design classes. USGBC references ASHRAE minimum energy standards for LEED-certified buildings.
• American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ engineers are members of ASPE and participate in annual training classes on sustainable design.
• Dwelling PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ partnered with Dwelling Place on the Market Avenue development in Grand Rapids - approximately 90 affordable apartments with public amenities including outdoor amphitheater and food truck space.
• P.S. EquitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ collaborated with P.S. Equities alongside Dwelling Place on the Market Avenue SW development in Grand Rapids bringing affordable housing and dynamic public space to the neighborhood.
• General Capital GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHDJ worked with General Capital Group on TEN21 Muskegon project - a 73-unit affordable housing development in downtown Muskegon designed under the city's Form Base Code. General Capital focuses on building exceptional projects in established urban neighborhoods.
• Oakwood ConstructionmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOakwood Construction served as construction manager for Garfield Landing project - transforming historic Garfield School into mixed-income housing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SmithGroup: National integrated design firm with architecture, engineering, and planning capabilities across healthcare, education, workplace, and community development. A larger peer serving many of the same market segments as HDJ.
• DLR Group: Larger, national full-service A/E firm operating across civic, healthcare, education, and housing markets. A scaled incumbent competing in many of HDJ's same sectors but with substantially broader geographic reach and resources.
• HKS: Major national architecture and design firm with strong healthcare, hospitality, and government practices. Competes with HDJ in healthcare, hospitality (Homewood Suites), and government/education sectors, though at significantly larger scale.
• Stantec: Global, multi-disciplinary design and engineering firm with strong practices in buildings, community development, and infrastructure. Overlaps with HDJ in healthcare, education, multifamily, and government sectors but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• EwingCole: Mid-size architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong healthcare, higher education, and government practices. Comparable in scale, integrated offering, and sector mix to HDJ.
• BKV Group: Mid-size, multi-office full-service architecture, engineering, and interior design firm with comparable sector mix including multifamily housing, government, healthcare, and commercial. Directly comparable in scale and integrated A/E model to HDJ.
• Wight & Company: Integrated architecture, engineering, and construction firm headquartered in Illinois serving education, commercial, healthcare, and municipal clients. Closely comparable in offering structure and Midwest base, though it adds self-perform construction.
• Legat Architects: Mid-size architecture and planning firm serving K-12, higher education, government, and community development markets in the Midwest. Comparable in scale, Midwest base, and emphasis on public-sector and community projects.
• Cushing Terrell: Mid-size integrated A/E design firm with comparable sector breadth including multifamily, commercial, healthcare, education, and government. Similar in size, integrated offering, and national ambition as HDJ.

Emerging players

• Ratio Design Studio: Multi-disciplinary design firm with architecture, interior design, and planning capabilities focused on urban, mixed-use, and community-oriented projects. Comparable integrated A/E+I model and emphasis on community impact, though smaller and more urban-focused than HDJ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRbVwsv6eZ6HE8ieHj30GcQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/HDJArchitectsEngineers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hooker-de-jong
• Instagraminstagram.com/hdj_inc
• Pinterestpinterest.com/hookerdejong/_created

Compliance11 records

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 Hooker DeJong