RRM Design Group

What RRM Design Group does

RRM Design Group is a 100% employee-owned multidisciplinary design firm headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, founded in 1974 by Cal Poly architecture graduates. The firm provides an integrated suite of six core services — architecture, landscape architecture, planning & urban design, civil engineering, structural engineering, and surveying — delivered through seven offices across California and Washington. RRM serves government agencies, private developers, educational institutions (including Stanford University), financial institutions (SESLOC Credit Union), corporations (MINDBODY), and civic clients across housing, commercial, education, public safety, parks and recreation, and planning/policy segments. Notable projects include the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail Network Master Plan, the City of Thousand Oaks' $125-million downtown revitalization, and multiple award-winning affordable and permanent supportive housing developments.

The firm's revenue model is fee-based professional services — project fees, hourly billing, and fixed-fee contracts determined by project scope, complexity, and service requirements. Distribution is direct: the firm engages enterprise and government clients through project-based contracts and ongoing relationships from its regional offices, with no channel intermediaries. Customer acquisition is sales-led, leveraging direct relationships, prior project performance with government and institutional clients, industry awards (APA California, PCBC Gold Nugget, ACEC California, Zweig Best Firms to Work For, Central Coast Green Building Council), and a content-marketing program via the company website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. The firm's growth has been supported by a sustained tuck-in M&A program (acquisitions of Tierra Engineering in 1995, LGA in 2011, PGA/Peikert Group Architects in 2013, Mainstreet Architects and Planners in 2020, Parryi Landscape Studio in 2024) plus organic office expansion.

RRM completed its transition to 100% employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2018, with all employees working 1,000+ hours annually receiving company stock contributions. The firm is governed by a Board of Directors with no external parent company or institutional investors, and operates with a Managing Partner / Service Council leadership structure across its six disciplines. As of 2024 the firm employed over 200 multidisciplinary professionals, celebrated its 50th anniversary, and appointed Lief McKay as CEO with Lindsay Helmick as COO.

Name

RRM Design Group

Legal name

RRM Design Group

Website

https://rrmdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

RRM Design Group is a 100% employee-owned multidisciplinary design firm providing architecture, landscape architecture, planning, civil engineering, structural engineering, and surveying services. It serves government agencies, developers, institutions, and corporations from seven West Coast offices across California and Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multidisciplinary Design Services (Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Surveying)

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Civil engineering services
• Urban planning services
• Landscape architecture services
• Structural engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Design Services: Fee-based professional services for architecture, landscape architecture, planning, civil engineering, structural engineering, and surveying. Revenue generated through project fees, hourly billing, and fixed-fee contracts for design and engineering services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RRM Design Group is a multidisciplinary design firm providing integrated architecture, landscape architecture, planning & urban design, civil engineering, structural engineering, and surveying services. The firm combines all six disciplines under one roof to deliver cohesive projects from concept to completion across housing, commercial, civic, educational, parks and recreation, mobility, and planning policy markets. Services are delivered through seven offices across California and Washington, primarily to public agencies, private developers, and institutional clients.

Product overview

RRM Design Group is a 100% employee-owned multidisciplinary design firm that provides an integrated suite of six core services: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Planning & Urban Design, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Surveying. The firm operates under a collaborative multidisciplinary approach, combining all disciplines under one roof to ensure cohesive collaboration and streamlined project delivery from concept to completion. The company serves markets including Housing, Commercial, Planning Policy & Placemaking, Parks & Recreation, Mobility, Public Safety & Civic, and Education across seven West Coast offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Comprehensive architectural services spanning affordable housing, market rate multifamily and single family housing, custom homes, mixed-use, commercial and office, hospitality, interior design, public safety, civic and community, education facilities, adaptive reuse, and acquisition/rehab projects. Delivered to government agencies, private developers, institutions, and corporate clients across the U.S. West Coast.
• Landscape Architecture Services Landscape architecture services including parks and recreation, trails and mobility, residential landscape architecture, urban design and plazas, coastal access and waterfront, community and stakeholder outreach, education and outdoor learning environments, and commercial and hospitality spaces. Served municipal, institutional, and private developer clients.
• Planning & Urban Design Services Planning and urban design services covering comprehensive planning, land planning and entitlements, transit oriented development, downtowns and corridors, urban design and placemaking, design guidelines and design review, coastal planning and waterfront, zoning ordinances, housing solutions and objective design standards, public agency contract services, and public outreach and community engagement. Targeted at municipal and public agency clients.
• Civil Engineering Services Civil engineering services including infrastructure, sewer/wastewater management, water resources, roads, bikeways and trails, entitlements processing for project approvals, and construction observation for quality oversight during construction. Provided to municipalities, developers, and institutions.
• Structural Engineering Services Structural engineering services spanning retrofit design, public and private projects, and tenant improvement renovation, working with wood, masonry, steel, and concrete materials for projects ranging from single-family residences to large multifamily, commercial, and institutional buildings.
• Surveying Services Surveying services providing the foundation for complex projects, delivering accurate and reliable data that guides development from planning stages through construction.

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Parryi Landscape StudiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Parryi Landscape Studio merged with RRM Design Group, expanding the landscape architecture capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SWA Group: SWA is a landscape architecture and urban design firm with strong West Coast presence, working on parks, waterfronts, and trails - directly overlapping with RRM's Landscape Architecture and Planning & Urban Design service lines.
• SmithGroup: SmithGroup is an integrated design firm combining architecture, engineering, planning, and landscape architecture - a scaled analog of RRM's six-discipline model with similar higher-education, civic, and parks exposure.
• OLIN: OLIN is a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with a comparable project mix in parks, plazas, and waterfronts; overlaps directly with RRM's Planning & Urban Design and Landscape Architecture services.
• WATG: WATG is an architecture, planning, and landscape firm known for integrated hospitality, residential, and mixed-use design - comparable to RRM's multidisciplinary project delivery across housing, commercial, and planning.
• Sasaki: Sasaki is an integrated planning, landscape architecture, and urban design practice with similar multidisciplinary scope to RRM, particularly in planning, parks & recreation, and waterfront projects.
• LPA Design Studios: LPA is a California-based integrated design firm offering architecture, planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and interior design under one roof - directly mirroring RRM's multidisciplinary "one-stop-shop" model at a comparable regional scale.
• Page: Page (formerly Page Southerland Page) is an architecture and engineering firm with a comparable integrated-service delivery model and similar markets in housing, education, healthcare, and civic work.
• TCA Architects: TCA is a California architecture firm focused on housing (including affordable), education, and community projects - directly comparable to RRM's housing, public safety, and education market sectors.
• Steinberg Hart: Steinberg Hart is a California-rooted architecture and planning firm with deep housing, education, and civic portfolios - directly comparable to RRM's housing and education market sectors and West Coast footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Stantec is a global AEC firm with a major West Coast presence offering architecture, civil engineering, planning, and surveying - overlapping with RRM's service mix but at vastly greater scale and with broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RRMDesignGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rrm-design-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/rrmdesigngroup
• Xx.com/rrmdesigngroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries4 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 RRM Design Group