What 3J Consulting does

3J Consulting, Inc. is a privately held civil engineering and community planning firm founded in 2009 by John Howorth and headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, with a regional office in University Place (Tacoma), Washington. The firm employs approximately 40 professional staff, including licensed engineers (PE), certified planners (AICP), GIS specialists, FAA-certified UAV pilots, and construction inspectors. 3J delivers integrated multi-disciplinary services across Civil Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, Community Planning, Geospatial/GIS, Renewable Energy civil support, and UAV Photography for projects spanning Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Arizona, and Massachusetts.

The firm's core technical stack centers on GIS spatial analysis, FAA-certified drone operations for aerial photography and inspection, 1D/2D hydraulic and hydrologic modeling (XPSWMM, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS), and a set of internally developed GIS mobile and web applications used for field inspections and public engagement (including an ADA ramp inspection tool that cataloged 400+ assets for the City of North Plains). Revenue is generated primarily through project-based professional service fees billed against scope, complexity, and hourly staff rates across four end markets: municipal and county agencies, K-12 school districts, private developers (residential, commercial, retail), and renewable energy developers. Notable engagements include comprehensive plan updates for the City of Salem ("Our Salem"), the LEED Gold-certified Faubion PK-8 Replacement School for Portland Public Schools, the award-winning E. Crestview Drive improvements for the City of Newberg, and multi-site solar + storage civil engineering for AES in Hawaii.

3J pursues its public-sector work through RFPs, consultant rosters, and direct relationships built via active leadership in industry associations such as APWA Oregon Chapter and AIA, while private-developer work is sourced through referrals and partnership with firms including 29th Street Capital, Swickard Group, and AES. The firm has earned repeated recognition including four consecutive Portland Business Journal PBJ 100 placements (2016-2019), the 2023 Oregon APWA Project of the Year, a 2019 APA Oregon Chapter Award for Public Involvement, and inclusion in Oregon Business' 100 Best Companies to Work For list eight times (most recently in 2026). Ownership is founder-controlled with employee participation; no parent company, private equity sponsor, or institutional investor is identified in available sources.

Name

3J Consulting

Legal name

3J Consulting, Inc

Website

https://3jconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

3J Consulting is a privately held Pacific Northwest civil engineering and community planning firm serving municipal agencies, school districts, private developers, and renewable energy clients with integrated GIS, water resources, and UAV-enabled delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD), Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Land use planning
• Water resources engineering
• Geospatial GIS services
• Transportation engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaverton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering Services: 3J Consulting generates revenue through fees for civil engineering, community planning, water resources engineering, and geospatial services. Projects are typically billed on a per-project basis with fees based on scope, complexity, and hourly rates for professional staff.
2. Government Contract Work: Revenue derived from municipal contracts with cities, counties, and school districts for infrastructure planning, design, and construction administration services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

3J Consulting provides integrated civil engineering, community planning, water resources engineering, geospatial/GIS, and FAA-certified UAV photography services for municipal agencies, school districts, private developers, and renewable energy clients. Project work spans concept through construction administration, including site design, transportation, stormwater, permitting, entitlement, and inspection.

Product overview

3J Consulting is a civil engineering and community planning firm that offers a portfolio of integrated professional services rather than a unified software product. Their core offerings include Civil Engineering, Community Planning, Water Resources Engineering, Geospatial Services/GIS, Renewable Energy, and UAV Photography services. These service lines are designed to work together across the project lifecycle—from initial planning and entitlement through design, permitting, and construction inspection—enabling the firm to deliver multidisciplinary projects for municipal agencies, private developers, school districts, and renewable energy clients throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Engineering Comprehensive civil engineering design services including transportation design, erosion control, feasibility studies, construction support, water and sanitary line infrastructure, pervious paving, and permitting for municipal agencies and private developers.
• Community Planning Land use planning services encompassing long-range planning, comprehensive planning, regional planning, scenario planning, public involvement, current planning, master planning, site planning, entitlement planning, and contract staffing for cities, counties, and private clients.
• Water Resources Engineering Stormwater management, floodplain modeling, watershed analysis, downstream analysis, UIC compliance, and water quality treatment services using 1D/2D hydraulic modeling (XPSWMM, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS) for public and private projects.
• Geospatial Services (GIS) GIS-powered spatial analysis, mapping, data collection and management, aerial photography via UAV, and hydrologic/hydraulic analysis to support planning and engineering decisions for municipalities and private clients.
• Renewable Energy Civil Engineering Civil engineering and planning services for solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage projects, including site design, permitting, and construction inspection for utility-scale renewable installations such as West Oahu (12.5 MW), Kuihelani (60 MW), and Waikoloa (30 MW) for AES Solar.
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Photography FAA-approved commercial drone imaging services for photography, videography, mapping, and inspection, including site monitoring, construction progress documentation, and infrastructure inspections with certified pilots and DJI equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed 400+ ADA ramps cataloged more efficiently than standard practices
• +3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 29th Street CapitalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Real estate developer for whom 3J provided civil engineering and water resources services for the 201-unit Residences at Apache Trail residential community in Apache Junction, AZ.
• Swickard GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Auto dealership developer for whom 3J provided planning, civil, and water resources services for BMW of Lynnwood dealership - multi-dealership campus development.
• Compass Land SurveyorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2019Industry partner that allows 3J interns to shadow surveying fieldwork as part of the internship program. Provides field experience in land surveying techniques and equipment use.
• AEScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Global energy company partnered with 3J for civil engineering solutions on solar and storage projects including Grafton Solar (agrivoltaics model) and other renewable energy developments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SCJ Alliance: PNW-based planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture, and surveying firm with a comparable multi-office Washington/Oregon footprint and municipal client base.
• Century West Engineering: Pacific Northwest civil and structural engineering firm serving municipalities, transit agencies, and private developers — comparable in scale and on 3J's core RFP overlap (transportation, water, site development).
• Kittelson & Associates: Transportation-focused planning and engineering firm with strong PNW presence — competes directly with 3J's transportation engineering practice on Oregon/Washington public works projects.
• Otak: PNW firm providing civil engineering, planning, urban design, natural resources, and survey services for municipal and private clients across Oregon and Washington — directly competing with 3J on integrated civil + planning RFPs.
• MacKay Sposito: Washington State-based civil engineering, land surveying, planning, and construction management firm — overlapping with 3J's Tacoma expansion and Pacific Northwest public works positioning.
• Parametrix: West Coast (Oregon/Washington/Idaho) engineering, planning, and environmental sciences firm with civil, water, transportation, and community planning practices — closely comparable in scope, scale, and public-sector orientation to 3J.
• Harper Houf Peterson Righellis (HHPR): Pacific Northwest engineering, surveying, and planning firm serving public agencies and private developers — comparable multi-discipline offering and market territory to 3J.
• David Evans and Associates: Pacific Northwest-based multi-discipline consulting firm offering civil engineering, planning, water resources, surveying, and geospatial services to municipal, transportation, energy, and private developer clients — directly overlapping with 3J's service portfolio and PNW market focus.
• AKS Engineering & Forestry: Oregon/Washington-based consulting firm offering civil engineering, land use planning, surveying, forestry, and GIS — a near-direct peer in service mix and geography, including PNW municipal RFPs.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global multi-discipline engineering and infrastructure firm with substantial PNW civil, water, planning, and renewable energy practices — overlapping with 3J on large public and energy projects but at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/3j_consulting/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 3J Consulting