Eckert Wordell

What Eckert Wordell does

Eckert Wordell is a privately held architecture, interior design, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) engineering firm headquartered at 161 East Michigan Ave. Suite 200, Kalamazoo, Michigan, founded in 1984 by Jeffery Eckert and Rick Wordell. The firm employs approximately 30 staff organized across dedicated architecture, interior design, engineering, business development, and administrative functions under current leadership of CEO Jared VanderWeele and CFO Chad Sikkenga. Its work spans master planning through design completion for healthcare facilities (ambulatory surgery centers, clinics, hospitals, medical office buildings), ophthalmology clinics and ASCs, senior living (skilled nursing, memory care, assisted living), commercial developments including adaptive reuse, and higher education buildings.

The firm's core technical offerings are integrated architecture, interior design, and MEP engineering services applied across five vertical markets, with healthcare, ophthalmology, and senior living functioning as primary specializations. Differentiated methods include an on-stage/off-stage healthcare delivery model, biophilic design principles (natural stone, wood tones, abundant natural light, visual connection to surroundings), and cost-effective MEP engineering including HVAC, plumbing, energy conservation, and generator design. The firm operates as a single unified professional services delivery rather than a modular product, scoping each engagement around project requirements, square footage, complexity, and service mix with multi-year contracts.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue generated through direct enterprise engagement, design fees tied to project scope and complexity, and bundled or standalone interior design and engineering services. Distribution is entirely direct — consultative sales, RFP response, and referrals — with go-to-market supported by case-study-driven website content, social media presence on Facebook/LinkedIn/YouTube/Instagram, and active participation in AAO, ASCRS, ASOA, and OOSS industry conferences. Clients include healthcare systems (MidMichigan Health), ophthalmology practices (Key-Whitman Eye Center, Graystone Eye), senior living operators (Thornapple Manor), community health providers (Family Health Center), commercial developers (Treystar), and educational institutions (KVCC), served from a single Kalamazoo office with engagements nationwide and in US territories.

Name

Eckert Wordell

Legal name

Eckert Wordell

Website

https://eckert-wordell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eckert Wordell is a Kalamazoo-based architecture, interior design, and MEP engineering firm founded in 1984 that provides integrated design services for healthcare systems, ophthalmology practices, senior living operators, commercial developers, and higher education institutions nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kalamazoo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Full-service architectural design for healthcare facilities, ophthalmology clinics, senior living communities, commercial buildings, and higher education institutions. Revenue is project-based, generated through design fees tied to project scope and complexity.
2. Interior Design Services: Interior environment design including spatial arrangement, color, light, furniture, and materials selection. Services are bundled with architecture projects or provided as standalone engagements.
3. MEP Engineering Services: Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services encompassing entire facility systems. Provided as integrated services with architecture or as standalone engineering consulting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Eckert Wordell is an architecture, interior design, and engineering firm providing integrated facility programming, planning, design, and MEP engineering services. Projects are delivered across specialized verticals including healthcare facilities, ophthalmology clinics and ASCs, senior living communities, commercial buildings, and higher education institutions. Engagements are project-based, custom-scoped, and executed by an in-house team of architects, interior designers, and mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineers.

Product overview

Eckert Wordell is an architecture, interior design, and engineering firm offering integrated design services. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a modular software product, providing Architecture Services, Interior Design Services, and Engineering Services (MEP) as the core practice areas. These services are applied across specialized market sectors including Healthcare Facility Design, Ophthalmology Facility Design, Senior Living Facility Design, Commercial Facility Design, and Higher Education Facility Design. Projects range from master planning to tenant improvements, with services encompassing the full facility lifecycle from programming through design completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Comprehensive architectural design services including facility programming, planning, and design for healthcare, ophthalmology, senior living, educational, and commercial facilities.
• Interior Design Services Interior environment design encompassing spatial arrangement, color, light, furniture, and materials selection for healthcare, ophthalmology, senior living, and commercial facilities.
• Engineering Services (MEP) Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering solutions including HVAC design, plumbing design, energy conservation systems, and generator design.
• Healthcare Facility Design Design solutions for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), clinics, and hospitals addressing workflow, compliance, and patient experience.
• Ophthalmology Facility Design Specialized design for ophthalmic clinics and ambulatory surgery centers including LASIK centers, improving efficiency and patient/staff comfort.
• Senior Living Facility Design Design for skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care facilities focused on social connectedness, life enrichment, and resident care.
• Commercial Facility Design Commercial architecture including office space, restaurants, and industrial facilities that express corporate identity and create efficient work environments.
• Higher Education Facility Design Design for colleges and universities creating facilities that inspire and represent institutional goals and identity.

Quantifiable outcome

• MyMichigan Health Park Gladwin improved access to care and brand awareness with highly visible, accessible facility along M61 corridor
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MidMichigan HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partnership spanning nearly 20 years. Eckert Wordell serves as a key partner for MidMichigan Health's facilities and construction departments, providing MEP engineering services for existing building maintenance and new building design. Collaborated on multiple healthcare facilities including MyMichigan Health Park Gladwin and Bay City facility.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HDR Architecture: Global AEC firm with healthcare design practice including ambulatory surgery centers and hospitals. Larger scale incumbent competing for similar healthcare design work as Eckert Wordell.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture practice with significant healthcare and higher education portfolios. Competes for healthcare system work but at enterprise scale with broader research and science capabilities.
• SmithGroup: Diversified architecture and engineering firm with deep healthcare, higher education, and workplace practices. Overlaps with Eckert Wordell in healthcare and higher education verticals though operates at much larger scale.
• LEO A DALY: National architecture and engineering firm with healthcare expertise. Comparable service offering (architecture + engineering) and healthcare vertical presence, though at broader national scale.
• HKS: Large national architecture firm with a leading healthcare practice designing hospitals, medical office buildings, and senior living. Competes for the same healthcare clients as Eckert Wordell but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• CannonDesign: Integrated design firm with major healthcare practice spanning acute care, ambulatory, and senior living. Comparable integrated A+E model with specialty healthcare focus.
• HGA Architects and Engineers: Integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong healthcare and senior living practices. Highly comparable in service mix (A+E bundled delivery) and vertical focus.
• EwingCole: Specialty architecture, engineering, and interior design firm focused on healthcare, higher education, and science & technology. Directly comparable to Eckert Wordell's integrated architecture+MEP healthcare delivery model and similar niche vertical focus.
• Array Architects: Healthcare-specialty architecture firm designing hospitals, ambulatory care, and senior living facilities. Closest direct competitor in sub-vertical expertise (ASCs, senior living) and project-based fee structure.
• HuntonBrady Architecture: Mid-size architecture firm with healthcare and senior living specialization. Similar size band and vertical positioning to Eckert Wordell, often competing for the same healthcare system RFPs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwtvvXRMjMCCoj1AKBKcjKA
• Facebookfacebook.com/EckertWordell
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eckert-wordell
• Instagraminstagram.com/eckertwordell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Eckert Wordell