Russell + Mills Studios

What Russell + Mills Studios does

Russell + Mills Studios is a privately held landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning firm founded in 2007 by Craig Russell and Paul Mills, headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado with a second studio in Denver. The firm was established after both founders previously worked at EDAW, once the world's largest landscape architecture practice, and applies a design philosophy centered on creating memorable, site-responsive, and sustainable outdoor places. Services span the full project lifecycle — from design and conceptual programming through construction documentation and administration — and are organized across seven portfolio areas: gardens, parks, campus and institutional, breweries, planning and entitlement, urban design, and urban planning.

The practice serves a diversified client base that includes higher-education institutions (notably a deep relationship with Colorado State University encompassing multiple LEED-certified campus projects), municipal and government agencies (City of Fort Collins, Denver Parks and Recreation), craft beverage manufacturers (New Belgium, Left Hand, Red Leg, Dry Dock), real estate developers (Hartford Homes, Schnitzer West, Bellisimo), and botanical gardens in Colorado, Idaho, and Maine. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees on landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning engagements, with no disclosed pricing, no SaaS or productized revenue, and no external funding. The go-to-market model is sales-led, driven by direct business development, award-winning portfolio credibility, and principal-level client relationships rather than marketing-driven demand generation.

The firm is positioned as a boutique, reputation-driven practice competing on design quality, principal involvement in every project, and a multi-state licensed team rather than on scale. Its coast-to-coast project list and two-office Colorado footprint indicate a regionally anchored firm with selective national reach, supported by a substantial body of industry recognition including ASLA Honor and Merit Awards, ENR Best Projects designations, a ULI Impact Award, and numerous LEED Gold, Silver, and Platinum certifications across its institutional portfolio.

Name

Russell + Mills Studios

Legal name

Russell + Mills Studios

Website

https://russellmillsstudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Russell + Mills Studios is a Fort Collins, Colorado-based landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning firm founded in 2007, serving universities, municipalities, craft breweries, developers, and botanical gardens across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture services
• Urban design consulting
• Master planning services
• Site planning design
• Park design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Collins

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Design and Consulting Services: Professional services revenue generated through landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning project engagements. Services range from design and conceptual programming through construction documentation and administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Russell + Mills Studios is a landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning firm providing professional design services for land-based projects. Its work spans design and conceptual programming through construction documentation and administration across gardens, parks, campuses, breweries, mixed-use developments, and municipal public spaces. Services are delivered through direct project-based engagements with government, institutional, and commercial clients.

Product overview

Russell + Mills Studios is a landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning firm providing professional services for land-based projects. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their portfolio spans multiple service areas including Gardens (botanical gardens, children's gardens, perennial gardens), Parks (community parks, sports complexes, playgrounds, amphitheaters), Campus & Institutional (student housing, educational facilities), Breweries (brewery sites, beer gardens), Planning & Entitlement (land development, residential communities), Urban Design (alley enhancements, streetscapes, public spaces), and Urban Planning (comprehensive plans, area plans, corridor plans). Services range from design and conceptual programming through construction documentation and administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Architecture Services Core landscape architecture services covering design, conceptual programming, construction documentation, and construction administration for land-based projects across multiple market segments.
• Urban Design Services Urban design services focused on public spaces, streetscapes, alley enhancements, and place-making solutions for downtown and commercial areas, serving municipalities and private developers.
• Master Planning Services Comprehensive master planning services for communities, campuses, parks, and urban areas, including design guidelines, phasing, and implementation roadmaps for institutional and municipal clients.
• Planning and Entitlement Services Land planning and entitlement services for residential communities, mixed-use developments, and commercial projects, including site plan concepts and entitlement documentation support.
• Gardens Design Services Design services for botanical gardens, children's gardens, perennial gardens, and therapeutic gardens, including master planning, landscape architecture, and fundraising illustrations for garden institutions.
• Parks and Recreation Design Services Parks and recreation design covering community parks, sports complexes, playgrounds, splashpads, amphitheaters, and trail systems for municipalities and park districts.
• Campus and Institutional Design Services Campus planning for educational institutions including student housing, academic buildings, outdoor learning spaces, and athletic facilities.
• Breweries Site Design Services Site design services for breweries and beer gardens, including visitor experience areas, outdoor seating, event spaces, and hospitality concepts for craft beverage clients.
• Urban Planning Services Urban planning services including comprehensive plans, area plans, corridor plans, and zoning code updates for cities and municipalities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gardens on Spring Creek: Fundraising graphics successfully raised over $2.1M
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• OJB Landscape Architecture: Landscape architecture firm with strong campus, urban, and hospitality portfolio including craft brewery work. Closely comparable in service mix, particularly the brewery/beer-garden specialty that anchors R+M's craft-beverage practice.
• Design Workshop: Boutique-to-mid-size landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with offices in the Mountain West and beyond. Closest comparable in scale, geography, and service mix — both firms are RLA/ASLA shops focused on parks, urban design, and master planning in similar regional markets.
• SWA Group: Internationally renowned landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with a strong portfolio of public realm, parks, and campus projects. Direct competitor for higher-ed, parks, and master-planning RFPs where R+M competes.
• Sasaki Associates: Multidisciplinary design firm spanning landscape architecture, urban planning, and master planning with major campus, waterfront, and civic projects. Comparable for university master plans and large urban-design commissions.
• James Corner Field Operations: High-profile landscape architecture and urban design firm known for large-scale public realm projects (High Line, etc.). Comparable in the urban design and master-planning space, though typically much larger in scale.
• OLIN: Landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with extensive campus and public realm work. Directly comparable for university master plans and urban-design commissions where R+M competes.
• LandDesign: Multidisciplinary design firm with landscape architecture, urban design, civil engineering, and planning. Comparable for mixed-use real estate development, campus, and master-planning projects across multiple US regions.
• Confluence: Landscape architecture and urban design firm with parks, campus, and master-planning work across the US. Comparable boutique competitor with similar service mix and project scale.

Emerging players

• Studio-MLA: Landscape architecture studio with strong portfolio in public realm, urban ecology, and campus projects. Comparable for parks, urban design, and sustainability-driven civic work, though typically larger project scale.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm that acquired EDAW (where R+M founders trained). Largest scale competitor for high-ed master plans, municipal infrastructure, and large-scale campus work; directly relevant given R+M founders' EDAW/AECOM pedigree.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/russellmillsstudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/russell-mills-studios
• Instagraminstagram.com/russellmillsstudios
• Facebookfacebook.com/russellmillsstudios

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Russell + Mills Studios