Three Oaks Engineering
Three Oaks Engineering is a woman-owned consulting firm founded in 2014 in Durham, NC, delivering environmental services, permitting, transportation planning, and engineering design to federal, state, and municipal government clients across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Three Oaks Engineering does
Three Oaks Engineering is a privately held, woman-owned engineering and planning consulting firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with offices in Raleigh, North Carolina and Cayce, South Carolina. The firm operates four integrated service lines: Environmental Services (aquatic surveys including freshwater mussels and fish, threatened and endangered species surveys including federally permitted bat surveys, wetland and stream assessments, mitigation, biological inventories, and biodiversity assessments); Environmental Permitting and Compliance (Clean Water Act Section 404/401, USCG Bridge Permits, TVA permits, CAMA permits, biological assessments, and Section 7 ESA consultations); Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering (NEPA/SEPA document preparation, public involvement including Spanish translation, complete streets, transit planning, traffic engineering with simulation tools including TransModeler, Synchro, and StreetLight Data analytics); and Engineering Design (transportation engineering plus hydraulic engineering following the May 2026 integration of Tomo Engineering). The firm serves federal agencies including US Fish and Wildlife Service, state departments of transportation (NCDOT, SCDOT, VDOT), municipal governments (City of Durham, City of Raleigh, CATS), and private-sector developers across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic United States.
The company generates revenue through project-based professional services fees on multi-year contracts, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers or standard rates. Business development relies on direct client engagement, reputation-driven referrals, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and related certifications (NC, SC, VA, City of Durham, SBA EDWOSB) that provide preferential access to government procurement pipelines. The firm has pursued an inorganic growth strategy through two acquisitions: The Catena Group in 2015, which added T&E species and ecological capabilities, and Tomo Engineering in May 2026, which added hydrologic and hydraulic engineering. The firm is also transitioning to an employee-ownership trust structure as articulated by President Suzanne Unger Young. Technology is grounded in domain expertise and specialized software tools rather than proprietary platforms, with the firm claiming the largest aquatic survey staff in the Southeast and holding federal permits for surveying Indiana bats, Northern long-eared bats, Gray bats, and Virginia big-eared bats.
Three Oaks Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Three Oaks Engineering
- Legal name
- Three Oaks Engineering
- Website
- https://threeoaksengineering.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Three Oaks Engineering is a woman-owned consulting firm founded in 2014 in Durham, NC, delivering environmental services, permitting, transportation planning, and engineering design to federal, state, and municipal government clients across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Three Oaks Engineering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental & Transportation Engineering Consulting
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Due Diligence (BPAHAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF)
Keywords
Where Three Oaks Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Three Oaks Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Environmental Consulting Services: Professional consulting services including environmental surveys (aquatic, threatened and endangered species, wetland/stream assessments), biological assessments, biodiversity assessments, and mitigation services. Billed on a project basis to government and private clients.
- Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering: Planning, engineering, and design services for transportation infrastructure including NEPA/SEPA document preparation, public involvement, complete streets planning, transit planning, and traffic engineering analysis. Project-based professional service fees.
- Engineering Design Services: Design engineering services including transportation engineering and design, hydraulic engineering, roadway design, multimodal design, drainage design, and floodplain modeling. Billed on a project basis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Three Oaks Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Three Oaks Engineering is a woman-owned consulting engineering firm that provides environmental surveys (aquatic, threatened and endangered species, wetland/stream assessments), environmental permitting and compliance, transportation planning and traffic engineering, and engineering design services to federal, state, and municipal government agencies and private developers across the Southeast US. The firm delivers multidisciplinary project-based services spanning feasibility studies, NEPA/SEPA documentation, public involvement, conceptual through final design, and post-permitting monitoring, with federal permits for endangered species (e.g., Indiana bat, Northern long-eared bat, Gray bat, Virginia big-eared bat) and T&E freshwater mussels.
Product overview
Three Oaks Engineering is a consulting firm offering four integrated service lines: Environmental Services (aquatic surveys, threatened & endangered species surveys, wetland/stream assessments, mitigation, biological inventories, biodiversity assessments), Environmental Permitting and Compliance (permitting, biological assessments, compliance monitoring), Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering (NEPA/SEPA documentation, public engagement, complete streets, transit planning, traffic analysis), and Engineering Design (transportation engineering, hydraulic engineering). These services are delivered by multidisciplinary teams of biologists, engineers, and planners working together on infrastructure projects across the Southeast, with recent expansion of hydraulic capabilities following the integration of Tomo Engineering in 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Environmental Services Comprehensive environmental survey and assessment services — including aquatic surveys (freshwater mussel, freshwater fish, benthic macroinvertebrate, water quality), threatened and endangered species surveys (bat, plant, fish), wetland and stream assessments, mitigation, biological inventories, and biodiversity assessments — delivered to federal, state, and municipal clients and private developers across the Southeastern US.
- Environmental Permitting and Compliance Environmental permitting and compliance services including Clean Water Act Section 404 (Nationwide/Individual) and Section 401 Water Quality Certifications, USCG Bridge Permits, TVA permits, CAMA permits, state riparian buffer authorizations, biological assessments and evaluations for ESA Section 7 consultation, Section 9 compliance, and post-permitting environmental compliance and monitoring (water quality, erosion and sediment control oversight).
- Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering Transportation planning and traffic engineering services for roads, rail corridors, and transit improvements, including NEPA/SEPA documentation, public involvement, complete streets planning, transit planning, travel demand forecasting, traffic analysis and simulation (TransModeler, Synchro, FREEVAL, Sidra, Highway Capacity Software), and big-data transportation analytics using StreetLight Data with cell phone and GPS signals.
- Engineering Design Engineering design services spanning conceptual through construction phases for multimodal transportation projects, including NCDOT express design, urban and rural roadway design, sidewalk and multi-use path design, highway and freeway design, interchange design, new location and widening, pavement marking design, plus hydrologic and hydraulic studies, drainage design, bridge and culvert design, floodplain modeling, and erosion and sediment control plans.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successful execution of $145 million Rodanthe Bridge project with environmental compliance
Companies that use Three Oaks Engineering
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Three Oaks Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Three Oaks Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Three Oaks Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WithersRavenel: Carolinas-based engineering and consulting firm offering civil engineering, environmental, geomatics, and planning services to municipal and private clients. Highly comparable as a regionally anchored, multi-discipline engineering consultancy competing for similar NCDOT/SCDOT and municipal projects.
- VHB: East Coast engineering, planning, and environmental consultancy with deep transportation, environmental, and community engagement practices. Closely comparable on NEPA/SEPA document preparation, complete streets, transit planning, and DOT environmental work in the mid-Atlantic/Southeast.
- Kimley-Horn: US consulting firm with strong transportation planning, traffic engineering, and environmental practices across the Southeast. Comparable in DOT traffic engineering, complete streets, NEPA support, and private developer environmental permitting.
Broad incumbents
- Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with extensive environmental services and transportation planning practices. Direct overlap in NEPA/SEPA documentation, biological assessments, wetland delineation, and DOT project delivery — though at far greater scale.
- Tetra Tech: International consulting and engineering firm specializing in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure. Comparable in environmental impact assessment, aquatic surveys, hydraulic engineering, and transportation-related environmental work for federal/state clients.
- TRC Companies: US environmental consulting and engineering firm with strong environmental permitting, ecological services, and infrastructure practice. Comparable in biological surveys, NEPA support, and DOT-adjacent environmental compliance work.
- WSP USA: One of the largest global engineering consultancies with major US transportation planning, traffic engineering, and environmental practices. Competes for the same NCDOT/SCDOT mega-corridor work where Three Oaks is often a subconsultant.
- AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with full-service transportation, environmental, and engineering design capabilities. Competes directly on large NCDOT/SCDOT/USFWS programs and routinely primes the kinds of corridor projects Three Oaks supports.
Regional players
- SEPI Engineering & Construction: North Carolina-based engineering firm offering transportation, environmental, and surveying services. Comparable regionally as a Carolinas-rooted firm competing on NCDOT work, though more weighted toward CEI/construction services.
- RK&K: Mid-Atlantic engineering firm with transportation planning, traffic engineering, environmental, and water resources practices. Comparable as a regional multi-discipline consultancy serving state DOTs with overlapping environmental and transportation service lines.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Three Oaks Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceThree Oaks Engineering compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Three Oaks Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Three Oaks Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Three Oaks Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Three Oaks Engineering M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Three Oaks Engineering
What does Three Oaks Engineering do?
Three Oaks Engineering is a woman-owned consulting engineering firm that provides environmental surveys (aquatic, threatened and endangered species, wetland/stream assessments), environmental permitting and compliance, transportation planning and traffic engineering, and engineering design services to federal, state, and municipal government agencies and private developers across the Southeast US. The firm delivers multidisciplinary project-based services spanning feasibility studies, NEPA/SEPA documentation, public involvement, conceptual through final design, and post-permitting monitoring, with federal permits for endangered species (e.g., Indiana bat, Northern long-eared bat, Gray bat, Virginia big-eared bat) and T&E freshwater mussels.
Is Three Oaks Engineering a public or private company?
Three Oaks Engineering is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Three Oaks Engineering founded?
Three Oaks Engineering was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Three Oaks Engineering based?
Three Oaks Engineering is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Three Oaks Engineering make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Environmental Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering and engineering Design Services.
Who are Three Oaks Engineering's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WithersRavenel, VHB and Kimley-Horn. Broad incumbents are Stantec, Tetra Tech, TRC Companies, WSP USA and AECOM. Regional players are SEPI Engineering & Construction and RK&K.
Does Three Oaks Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Three Oaks Engineering.
What industry is Three Oaks Engineering in?
Three Oaks Engineering's product category is Environmental & Transportation Engineering Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAJAB, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Due Diligence, with a secondary code of EUAHAHAF, Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream). Its NAICS code is 541620 and its SIC code is 8711.