Lawhon & Associates

What Lawhon & Associates does

Lawhon & Associates, Inc. (L&A) is a women-owned, EDGE-certified environmental and engineering consulting firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, founded in 1985 to serve the asbestos industry and progressively expanded into a full-service environmental consultancy. The firm maintains offices in Columbus, Brecksville (Cleveland area), and Sharonville (Cincinnati area), with an active project footprint across Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, and Indiana. L&A is staffed by approximately 11-50 employees that include Certified Industrial Hygienists, Professional Engineers, AICP planners, Certified Professional Geologists, PWS-certified wetland scientists, LEED Accredited Professionals, and 13 specialists certified as Asbestos Hazard Evaluation Specialists, Project Designers, and Lead Risk Assessors. The principals — Susan S. Daniels, Karrie A. Bontrager, and Richard A. Isaly — personally direct client engagements.

L&A delivers services across eight integrated practice areas: Hazardous Building Materials (asbestos, lead, PCBs, mercury, AHERA compliance), Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I/II ESAs, remediation), Air Quality (IAQ testing, microbial contamination, Legionella sampling, LEED EQc3.2 testing), Cultural Resources (Phase I-III archaeology, historic architecture, NRHP nominations), Ecological Resources (wetland delineations, threatened/endangered species surveys, GIS mapping), NEPA Compliance (CE/EA/EIS documentation, Section 4(f)/6(f)), Environmental Permitting (Clean Water Act 401/402/404, NPDES, SWPPP), and Traffic Engineering (TIS, capacity analyses, safe-routes-to-school). Sectors served include state departments of transportation, K-12 and higher education systems, healthcare systems, federal/military installations, energy and telecom developers, commercial real estate, and municipal governments.

The firm operates on a sales-led, project-based professional services model, generating revenue through government prime contracts (e.g., ODOT on-call agreements totaling $800,000 across three consecutive awards), federal IDIQ vehicles (e.g., Wright-Patterson AFB 5-year contract), subconsultant engagements with primary engineering firms, and direct private-sector consulting. Pricing is quote-based with no public rate cards; engagements are procured via competitive bidding, qualifications-based selection, on-call agreements, or task-order contracts. Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward Ohio public-sector clients, with ODOT, the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, Columbus City Schools, Ohio State University, and Wright-Patterson AFB representing repeat, high-volume book-of-business anchors. Distribution is exclusively direct; the firm relies on professional reputation, certification credentials (WBENC WBE, SBA SBE, ODAS EDGE, FHWA/FTA prequalification), and project portfolio publications rather than traditional marketing channels.

Name

Lawhon & Associates

Legal name

Lawhon & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://lawhon-assoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lawhon & Associates is a women-owned, Columbus-based environmental and engineering consulting firm founded in 1985, providing hazardous materials, site assessment, air quality, ecological, cultural resource, NEPA, permitting, and traffic engineering services to government, education, healthcare, military, and commercial clients across Ohio and the broader Midwest/Mid-Atlantic region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental & Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Compliance & Permitting (BPAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Waste & Hazardous Materials Management (incl. HazMat) (BPAHAJAK), Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB), Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ), Water Safety Plans, Training & Documentation (Logbooks, SOPs) (BPABAJAL)

Keywords

• Environmental consulting services
• NEPA compliance consulting
• Hazardous building materials assessment
• Environmental site assessment
• Ecological resource surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Environmental Consulting Services: Project-based professional services revenue from environmental consulting, assessments, surveys, and compliance documentation. Services are billed per project, task order, or on-call agreement basis. Revenue derived from government contracts, private sector consulting agreements, and direct client engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lawhon & Associates provides full-service environmental and engineering consulting, delivering hazardous building materials assessments, environmental site assessments, air quality and Legionella investigations, cultural and ecological resource surveys, NEPA compliance documentation, environmental permitting, and traffic engineering studies to government agencies, educational institutions, healthcare systems, military installations, and commercial clients across the Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic United States. Services are performed by in-house certified professionals under project-based, task order, or on-call contracts.

Product overview

Lawhon & Associates, Inc. (L&A) is a full-service environmental and engineering consulting firm founded in 1985 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio with additional offices in Cleveland and Cincinnati. The company operates as a women-owned, small business providing professional consulting services across eight core service lines: Hazardous Building Materials (asbestos, lead, mercury, PCBs), Environmental Site Assessment (Phase I/II ESAs, remediation), Air Quality (IAQ testing, microbial contamination, Legionella), Cultural Resources (archaeology, historic preservation), Ecological Resources (wetlands, threatened species), NEPA Compliance (environmental documentation for transportation projects), Environmental Permitting (waterway, stormwater), and Traffic Engineering. The firm serves diverse sectors including education, transportation, healthcare, government, commercial, parks/recreation, energy/telecom, and military. L&A's services are delivered through professional staff including Certified Asbestos Evaluation Specialists, Professional Engineers, Certified Professional Geologists, Ecologists, Archaeologists, and LEED Accredited Professionals, providing integrated environmental consulting rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hazardous Building Materials Services Asbestos and lead-based paint surveys and assessments, mercury and PCB sampling, AHERA compliance, operations and maintenance plans, abatement design and specifications, abatement oversight, and clearance testing for facility renovation, demolition, and ongoing compliance.
• Environmental Site Assessment Services Environmental site assessment and remediation/closure services for property transactions, site development, building construction, and regulatory compliance, including ESA screening, Phase I and Phase II ESAs, groundwater and soil sampling, UST/AST management, and remedial action plan development.
• Air Quality Services Indoor air quality, microbial contamination, ambient air monitoring, environmental infection control, LEED IAQ testing, exposure assessments, mold/bacteria contamination assessments, Legionella sampling, industrial hygiene monitoring, and occupant complaint investigations for institutional, healthcare, and commercial buildings.
• Cultural Resources Services Literature reviews, archaeology surveys (Phase I, II, III), submerged cultural resource investigations, historical architecture evaluations, HABS/HAER documentation, NRHP determinations and nominations, preservation plans, and agency coordination.
• Ecological Resources Services Wetlands and stream assessments, threatened and endangered species surveys, regulatory permitting, wetland delineations, mussel surveys, biological assessments, wetland/stream restoration, mitigation design and monitoring, water quality sampling, and GPS/GIS mapping.
• NEPA Compliance Services NEPA documentation (Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements), purpose and need statements, air and noise analyses, socioeconomic and environmental justice studies, Section 4(f)/6(f) determinations, public involvement, environmental commitment monitoring, and NEPA training for transportation sector projects.
• Environmental Permitting Services Waterway permitting (Section 404, 401, and floodplain), ODOT environmental compliance, SWPPP/SPCC plans, and NPDES permitting to maintain compliance with the Clean Water Act.
• Traffic Engineering Services Traffic impact studies, safety studies, infrastructure recommendations for school travel plans and safe routes to school, interchange justification/modification studies, capacity analyses, and transportation planning studies for public and private sector clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved LEED EQ Credit 3.2 certification for 5 Giant Food Stores facilities with USGBC approval
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mead & Hunt, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster Service Agreement for cultural resource consulting services on more than 40 wireless communications towers across Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia. L&A provides archaeology surveys, disturbance assessments, history/architecture surveys, and archaeological monitoring under the FCC Nationwide Programmatic Agreement.
• WindlabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural and ecological resource records review for the Greenwich Wind-Powered Electric Generation Facilities project involving 25 turbines across approximately 4,600 acres in North Central Ohio. Services performed to fulfill Ohio Power Siting Board Application requirements.
• Five Rivers MetroParksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndoor air quality testing for LEED certification at the RiverScape Bike Hub project, achieving 1 point for EQ Credit 3.2 under LEED for New Construction.
• Confidential ClientcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPhase I Archaeology Survey for the 1,100-acre Lewis Center Mega Site mixed-use development in Delaware County, Ohio. Identified 123 previously undocumented archaeological sites including 121 ephemeral prehistoric sites and one dense prehistoric occupation site.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Global environmental and engineering consulting firm with deep environmental permitting, NEPA, ecological, and water resources capabilities, frequently prime contractor on the same federal/state infrastructure bids where L&A serves as a subconsultant.
• Stantec: Large multidisciplinary engineering, environmental, and architecture consultancy with full-service environmental practice spanning NEPA, ecological, cultural resources, and remediation services across infrastructure, water, and energy markets.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with the largest environmental services practice in the industry, often competing with or as the prime consultant above small firms like L&A on federal transportation and military base work.

Direct peers

• Haley & Aldrich: Mid-size environmental and geotechnical consulting firm offering site assessment, remediation, compliance, and air quality services with comparable focus on private-sector real estate, healthcare, and institutional clients.
• Terracon Consultants: National environmental, geotechnical, and facilities services firm offering Phase I/II ESAs, asbestos/lead services, regulatory compliance, and cultural/ecological consulting—all directly overlapping L&A's core offerings.
• TRC Companies: Environmental and engineering consulting firm delivering NEPA documentation, ecological services, environmental permitting, and energy infrastructure support, competing for the same federal/state and private-sector work as L&A.
• Resource Environmental Solutions (RES): Ecological restoration and environmental consulting firm doing wetland delineations, threatened/endangered species surveys, mitigation design, and water quality work for the same infrastructure and energy clients that drive L&A's ecological practice.
• Hull & Associates: Ohio-based environmental, civil, and geotechnical engineering firm providing environmental site assessments, brownfield/VAP redevelopment support, and environmental compliance services overlapping L&A's commercial real estate and government work.
• CT Consultants: Ohio-based multidisciplinary engineering firm providing environmental, traffic, and planning services for municipalities, ODOT, and private developers across the same regional footprint served by L&A.
• EMH&T (Evans, Mechwart, Hambleton & Tilton): Ohio-headquartered engineering, environmental, and surveying firm offering ecological, NEPA, water resources, and cultural resource services frequently integrated with civil/transportation engineering on the same types of ODOT and municipal infrastructure projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Lawhon & Associates