Clark Nexsen

What Clark Nexsen does

Clark Nexsen is a fully integrated architecture and engineering firm founded in 1920 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The firm employs nearly 400 professionals across 9 offices spanning Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, and operates as a transdisciplinary practice combining architecture with civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, fire protection, process engineering, automation/controls, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning, lighting, and transportation engineering. Its service portfolio spans higher education, K-12, federal government, state and local government, infrastructure (including bridge design and inspection with 2,800+ bridges inspected for the Federal Highway Administration), science and technology laboratories (over 3.5 million square feet designed since 2010), public safety facilities (nearly 200 training facilities designed over 40 years), community/cultural, parking structures, and commercial/corporate interiors.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services fees on architecture and engineering engagements, with pricing quoted per project based on scope, complexity, and client requirements, and typical billing occurring over multi-year contract cycles. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to federal agencies (DoD, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, FBI, Army Corps of Engineers, DHS, VA, GSA, CIA, NASA), state and local governments, higher education institutions (NC State, Duke, UVA, Clemson, Wake Tech), K-12 systems, and commercial clients, with a strong emphasis on long-term relationships, repeat business, and federal contracting frameworks.

In 2025, Clark Nexsen joined Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT), an employee-owned engineering, architecture, and consulting firm, operating under the brand "Clark Nexsen, A JMT Company." The firm holds industry recognition including ENR MidAtlantic Design Firm of the Year (2020), AIA North Carolina Firm of the Year (2017), a top 25 ranking for university architecture, and a top 10 ranking for military design by Building Design + Construction, supported by a sustained cadence of AIA, ACEC, and APWA awards across multiple state chapters.

Name

Clark Nexsen

Legal name

Clark Nexsen

Website

https://clarknexsen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Clark Nexsen is a fully integrated architecture and engineering firm with nearly 400 employees across 9 offices in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, serving federal and state government, higher education, K-12, and commercial clients with multidisciplinary design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture & Engineering Design Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (541330), Interior Design Services (54141), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Architecture engineering services
• Higher education design
• Federal facility design
• Bridge engineering inspection
• Science technology lab design

Headquarters

HQ city

Virginia Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 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 Design Services: Professional services revenue from providing integrated architecture, engineering, and design solutions across multiple market sectors including higher education, K-12, government, infrastructure, and commercial. Projects range from small renovations to large-scale new construction, typically billed on a project fee basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clark Nexsen is a fully integrated architecture and engineering firm providing professional design services across disciplines—architecture, civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, fire protection, and process engineering—combined with interior design, landscape architecture, planning, lighting, and energy/sustainability services. Projects span higher education, K-12, federal/state/local government, infrastructure (bridges, roads, civil), science and technology, public safety, community/cultural facilities, parking structures, and commercial clients. Revenue is earned through project-based professional service fees quoted per scope and complexity.

Product overview

Clark Nexsen is a fully integrated architecture and engineering firm offering comprehensive design services across multiple market sectors. The firm operates as a transdisciplinary practice combining architectural design with engineering disciplines including civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, fire protection, and process engineering. The company provides specialized services across sectors including higher education, K-12 education, federal government, state/local government, infrastructure (bridges and transportation), science and technology facilities, community/cultural projects, sustainability, interior design, and public safety facilities. The portfolio also includes specialized offerings such as bridge engineering and inspection services, lighting design, urban planning, and energy management services. Founded in 1920, the firm employs approximately 400 people across 9 offices and serves clients throughout the United States and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clark Nexsen Industrial: Industrial-focused division of Clark Nexsen serving industrial market sector clients.

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full-service architectural design spanning multiple market sectors including institutional, commercial, government, and public facilities.
• Engineering Services Comprehensive engineering offerings including civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, fire protection, process engineering, and automation/controls.
• Automation & Controls Building automation and control systems engineering services.
• Civil Engineering Civil engineering services including site development, grading, drainage, stormwater management, and utility design.
• Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering services for buildings and facilities.
• Energy Services Energy management, renewable power generation, and energy system reliability solutions including commissioning and retrocommissioning.
• Fire Protection Engineering Fire protection engineering services for buildings and facilities.
• Mechanical Engineering / Plumbing Mechanical engineering and plumbing systems design services.
• Process Engineering Process engineering services for industrial and manufacturing facilities.
• Structural Engineering Structural engineering services for buildings and infrastructure.
• Urban Design + Planning Urban design and planning services including master planning and comprehensive planning.
• Lighting Studio Architectural lighting design services including interior and exterior lighting solutions.
• Transportation Engineering Transportation and traffic engineering services including roadway design and traffic solutions.
• Interior Design Interior design services for commercial, educational, and institutional spaces.
• Community + Cultural Design Design services for community facilities, cultural institutions, museums, recreation centers, and public spaces.
• Higher Education Architecture Architectural and engineering design services for colleges and universities including academic buildings, student life facilities, and STEM facilities.
• K-12 Education Design K-12 school design services including elementary, middle, and high schools with focus on modern learning environments.
• Government Architecture Federal, state, and local government facility design including offices, public safety facilities, and government buildings.
• Federal Architecture/Engineering Architecture and engineering services for federal agencies including DoD, FBI, USACE, and GSA projects worldwide.
• Infrastructure Services Infrastructure engineering including bridge design, civil engineering, landscape architecture, and transportation engineering.
• Bridge Engineering Bridge design and inspection services including rehabilitation, construction administration, load rating, and inventory management. Has inspected over 2,800 bridges for the Federal Highway Administration.
• Public Safety Facilities Design services for public safety facilities including firing ranges, police and fire stations, training facilities, and emergency communications centers.
• Science + Technology Facilities Laboratory and research facility design services for academic and commercial R&D, having designed over 3.5 million square feet of complex research environments since 2010.
• Sustainability Services Sustainable architecture and engineering services including high-performance building design, decarbonization, energy planning, adaptive reuse, and green building consulting.
• Parking Structures Parking structure design services including parking decks and structured parking facilities.
• Clark Nexsen Industrial Industrial-focused design services for manufacturing, process, and industrial clients, operated as a dedicated division/sub-brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Physical activity increased across all demographics following the opening of Watauga Community Recreation Center, with enrollment doubling initial projections
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JMT (Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In 2025, Clark Nexsen joined JMT, an employee-owned engineering, architecture, and consulting firm. This merger combines Clark Nexsen's century of design excellence with JMT's expanded capabilities and opportunities to serve clients across the United States and beyond. Clark Nexsen now operates as Clark Nexsen, A JMT Company, with JMT's ESOP providing employee ownership structure.
• Kimley-HornminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClark Nexsen and Kimley-Horn partnered for the 10th Anniversary of Hops for Hope fundraising campaign for Children's Flight of Hope, raising $12,739. This demonstrates collaborative community engagement between the two AEC firms.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HOK: Global integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm with comparable higher education, science & technology, healthcare, and government sector portfolios. Closely aligned in offering mix and project scale to Clark Nexsen's institutional and federal work.
• SmithGroup: Integrated architecture and engineering firm with deep higher education, science & technology, federal, and workplace practices. Directly comparable multi-disciplinary A&E model and similar institutional client base.
• Perkins&Will: International architecture and design firm with strong higher education, healthcare, science & technology, and civic practices. Comparable integrated design delivery and similar university/R&D client profile.
• CannonDesign: Integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm focused on healthcare, higher education, science & technology, and government markets. Highly comparable in offering mix and integrated A&E delivery.
• DLR Group: Integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, and planning across higher education, K-12, federal, and civic markets. Similar transdisciplinary delivery model and institutional client footprint.
• HKS: Architecture and engineering firm with leading higher education, government, healthcare, and science & technology practices. Comparable in federal credentials and large-scale institutional project pursuit.
• EwingCole: Integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm with deep federal, science & technology, healthcare, and higher education practices. Closely comparable in scale, federal portfolio, and East Coast/Mid-Atlantic geographic overlap.
• Mead & Hunt: Employee-owned architecture and engineering firm with comparable federal, transportation, water, and higher education portfolios. Comparable in size, ESOP structure (post-JMT), and infrastructure engineering capabilities including bridges.

Regional players

• Walter|Moore: Mid-Atlantic architecture and engineering firm with comparable higher education, K-12, federal, and infrastructure practices. Geographic overlap in VA/NC and similar institutional client base, but smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global AEC firm with broad architecture, engineering, and environmental practices including federal, infrastructure, water, and institutional markets. Larger and broader portfolio; competes on many of the same federal and university pursuits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clarknexsen
• Facebookfacebook.com/clarknexsen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/54780

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 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 Clark Nexsen