The Collaborative Firm

What The Collaborative Firm does

The Collaborative Firm (TCF) is an Atlanta-based, privately held professional services firm founded in 2001 by Michael Hightower. The firm provides planning, program management, community engagement, and development services to public and private sector clients in the South Metro Atlanta region. Its core service lines are Transportation & Transit Planning (including GIS/data analysis, transit operations, and corridor planning), Community Engagement (built on an Educate/Engage/Inform framework), Land Use Planning (community redevelopment, urban design, planning staff extension), Development (site analysis, conceptualization, entitlement navigation), and Program Management (logistics, budgets, schedules). TCF also hosts the annual South Metro Development Outlook (SMDO) conference, founded in 2002, which convenes elected officials, government leaders, corporate executives, and chambers of commerce and is positioned as the largest conference of its kind in Metropolitan Atlanta.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional consulting engagements, with services quoted on a project-by-project basis rather than via disclosed subscription or product pricing. Its client roster includes major transportation authorities (MARTA, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport), state agencies (Georgia Department of Transportation), counties (DeKalb, Clayton, Fulton, Cobb, Henry, Gwinnett, Douglas), and cities (Atlanta, South Fulton, College Park), alongside private developers and community improvement districts such as Connect Douglas and the Atlanta Beltline. The firm has completed more than 300 projects for over 200 clients since inception. Operations are delivered from a headquarters in East Point, Georgia, and a secondary office in Savannah.

The business model is a relationship-driven professional services GTM centered on direct engagement with government and private clients, supplemented by the SMDO conference as a flagship demand-generation and thought-leadership platform. TCF describes itself as one of the largest minority planning firms in the southeastern United States, with a 24-year operating history. The firm maintains no proprietary technology platform, mobile applications, or AI/ML capabilities; its competitive positioning is built on personnel expertise, established government relationships, and event-based brand visibility rather than productized technology.

Name

The Collaborative Firm

Legal name

The Collaborative Firm LLC

Website

https://thecollaborativefirm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Collaborative Firm is an Atlanta-based professional consulting firm founded in 2001 that provides planning, program management, community engagement, and development services to public and private sector clients across the South Metro Atlanta region, with a focus on transportation and government projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning and Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transportation & Traffic Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAC)

Keywords

• Urban planning services
• Transportation planning
• Community engagement consulting
• Land use planning
• Program management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: The company generates revenue through providing planning, program management, community engagement, and development consulting services to public and private sector clients. Services include Transportation & Transit Planning, Community Engagement, Land Use Planning, Development, and Program Management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Collaborative Firm provides professional planning, program management, community engagement, and development consulting services to public sector clients (state agencies, transportation authorities, counties, cities, community improvement districts) and private sector clients (developers) in the South Metro Atlanta region and southeastern United States. Core offerings span Transportation & Transit Planning, Community Engagement, Land Use Planning, Development, and Program Management delivered through an integrated team from project conception to completion.

Product overview

The Collaborative Firm offers a unified suite of professional consulting services centered on Planning, Program Management, Community Engagement, and Development. The core services include Transportation & Transit Planning (with GIS/Data Analysis, Transit Operations, Corridor Planning), Community Engagement (Educate/Engage/Inform pillars), Land Use Planning (Community Redevelopment, Urban Design, Planning Staff Extension), Development (Site Analysis, Conceptualization, Entitlement Process navigation), and Program Management (Logistics, Budgets, Schedules). The firm also hosts the South Metro Development Outlook (SMDO) Conference, an annual economic development event in Metropolitan Atlanta running since 2002. These offerings serve public sector clients (state agencies, transportation entities, local governments) and private sector clients (developers, community improvement districts, school districts) in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• South Metro Development Outlook (SMDO): An annual conference hosted by The Collaborative Firm since 2002, serving as the largest conference of its kind in Metropolitan Atlanta for economic growth discussions.

Products and services

• Transportation & Transit Planning Professional planning services that analyze current transportation states in regions, design for future transportation needs, and combine budgets, goals, and policies. Includes GIS/Data Analysis, Transit Operations, and Corridor Planning for state DOTs, transit authorities, and airport authorities in the Atlanta region.
• Community Engagement Community engagement consulting service built on three pillars — Educate, Engage, and Inform — including client kick-off meetings, stakeholder interviews, and strategy development to align community capacity with client goals for government and private sector clients.
• Land Use Planning Urban planning services for public and private sector clients covering Community Redevelopment, Urban Design, and Planning Staff Extension across the Atlanta metropolitan area.
• Development Development consulting combining knowledge of policy, land use planning, development, and community engagement to assist private developers and government clients with Site Analysis, Conceptualization, and navigating the Entitlement Process.
• Program Management Multi-disciplined program management services developing seamless Integrated Management Plans consisting of Logistics, Budgets, and Schedules to achieve vision success and exceed client expectations for public and private sector clients.
• South Metro Development Outlook (SMDO) Conference Annual conference hosted by The Collaborative Firm since 2002 that convenes elected officials, government leaders, corporate executives, chambers of commerce, and professionals interested in the economic growth of the Southern Crescent. The 2026 edition addresses AI, autonomous vehicles, data centers, and infrastructure, with a special FIFA World Cup luncheon on local procurement and hospitality opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ projects completed since 2001
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DeKalb CountycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 January 2026DeKalb County joins as a new regional partner for SMDO 2026 (23rd annual South Metro Development Outlook Conference). The partnership enables the county to participate in economic development discussions addressing AI, autonomous vehicles, data centers, and infrastructure across South Metro Atlanta. Conference scheduled for February 11 at Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.
• Fulton CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing regional partner for the South Metro Development Outlook conference, participating in economic development discussions across South Metro Atlanta counties including topics on AI, autonomous vehicles, data centers, and infrastructure.
• Clayton CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing regional partner for the South Metro Development Outlook conference, participating in economic development discussions across South Metro Atlanta counties.
• Cobb CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing regional partner for the South Metro Development Outlook conference, participating in economic development discussions across South Metro Atlanta counties.
• Henry CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing regional partner for the South Metro Development Outlook conference, participating in economic development discussions across South Metro Atlanta counties.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kimley-Horn: Large, employee-owned U.S. planning, engineering, and design consultancy with a substantial Atlanta office and deep transportation/transit planning practice serving MARTA, GDOT-adjacent jurisdictions, and other Southeast municipal clients — overlaps directly with TCF's transportation and transit planning services.
• WSP USA: Global professional services firm with a large transportation and urban planning practice that advises state DOTs, transit authorities, and city/county governments on projects similar to TCF's — frequently participates in MARTA and Georgia-region procurements.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with extensive transportation, transit, and urban planning practices serving public-sector clients nationwide, including Southeast municipal and transit clients — competes for larger planning and program management contracts in TCF's territory.
• HNTB Corporation: Major U.S. infrastructure design and planning firm with a national transportation planning practice serving state DOTs, transit authorities, and airports — overlaps with TCF's transit, corridor planning, and transportation advisory work for GDOT, MARTA, and Hartsfield-Jackson.
• VHB: Northeast-rooted engineering, planning, and design firm expanding in the Southeast with transportation, land-use, and community development practices — comparable service mix to TCF for local-government and transportation authority clients.
• Michael Baker International: National engineering and consulting firm with a strong transportation planning, transit, and community development practice serving DOTs, transit authorities, and local governments — directly comparable to TCF's core public-sector planning offerings.
• Arcadis: Global design, engineering, and consulting firm with public-sector mobility, urban planning, and community development practices — competes with TCF for transit authority and municipal planning work in larger procurements.

Direct peers

• Pond & Company: Atlanta-headquartered architecture, engineering, and planning firm offering transportation, community development, and land-use planning to public-sector clients across metro Atlanta and the Southeast — directly competes with TCF for the same Georgia DOT and South Metro municipal contracts.
• Brownstone Group: Minority-owned urban planning, real estate, and economic development consulting firm serving public-sector and private clients — comparable niche positioning and similar target clients to TCF as a minority-focused planning consultancy.
• TSW (Taliaferro & Brown / TSW Design): Atlanta-based planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm serving Georgia municipalities and developers on community redevelopment, land-use, and corridor planning projects — overlaps with TCF's land-use and urban design practice in the South Metro market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCollaborativeFirm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-collaborative-firm-llc
• Xx.com/tcfatl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 The Collaborative Firm