Origin Design

What Origin Design does

Origin Design (legally Origin Design Co., formerly IIW, P.C.) is a full-service professional architecture, engineering, land survey, and construction field-services firm founded in 1982 in Dubuque, Iowa. The firm delivers integrated project services across nine vertical markets — government, commercial, healthcare, education, industrial, energy, real estate development, parks & recreation, and retail/gaming/hospitality — with government/municipal infrastructure as its primary segment. Core disciplines span architectural design, and civil, structural, municipal, transportation, land-development, and water-resources engineering, supported by land surveying (boundary, ALTA, topographic) and construction inspection/testing. Technical delivery relies on standard industry tooling (Revit BIM, Civil 3D, CAD) plus applied capabilities such as 3D modeling/animation for stakeholder visualization, hydraulic modeling for water systems, closed-loop geothermal mechanical design, and LEAN facility layout.

The business is a project-based professional-services model with revenue generated across four streams: architecture, engineering, land survey, and field services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per project by scope and complexity. Go-to-market is direct enterprise/field sales, with public work secured through competitive RFPs and government procurement and private work through direct proposals and repeat relationships. Notable clients include MercyOne, Flexsteel Industries, Loras College, Dubuque Community School District, Alliant Energy, MidWestOne Bank, and the City of Dubuque (Bee Branch Creek flood-mitigation, a $582M-benefit public infrastructure project).

Origin Design is a private, employee-owned company with no external VC/PE ownership or parent, electing its Board and Officers annually. It operates from a Dubuque headquarters plus regional offices in the Quad Cities (Davenport), southwest Wisconsin (Shullsburg/Hazel Green), and St. Cloud, Minnesota, serving a predominantly Midwest regional footprint. Headcount has grown from two founders to 75+ (firmographic banding lists 101-250). The firm was recognized as a Zweig Group Best Firm to Work For (#54 Multi-Discipline, 2019) and has received AIA Iowa energy-efficiency and Concrete Paving Association awards.

Name

Origin Design

Legal name

Origin Design Co.

Website

https://origindesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Origin Design (formerly IIW) is an employee-owned, full-service architecture, engineering, land survey, and construction field-services firm founded in 1982, serving government, healthcare, education, commercial, industrial, and energy clients across the U.S. Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture & Engineering Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Architecture and engineering services
• Land surveying services
• Construction inspection services
• Municipal infrastructure design
• Building design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubuque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Creative design services for commercial, healthcare, education, government, and industrial buildings including new construction, additions, and remodels.
2. Engineering Services: Civil, structural, municipal, transportation, land development, and water resources engineering including design, feasibility studies, and construction administration.
3. Land Survey Services: Boundary surveys, ALTA surveys, land subdivision, legal descriptions, construction layout, and topographic surveys.
4. Field Services: Construction inspection, testing, and observation services during construction to ensure quality and compliance with project specifications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Origin Design is a full-service professional design firm providing integrated architecture, engineering, land surveying, and construction field/inspection services. Architecture services encompass creative design for new construction, renovations, and adaptive re-use across healthcare, education, commercial, government, and industrial buildings. Engineering covers land development, municipal, structural, transportation, and water resources disciplines. Field Services provides construction inspection, testing, and quality assurance, while Land Survey delivers boundary, ALTA, topographic, and subdivision surveys.

Product overview

Origin Design is a full-service professional design firm offering integrated architecture, engineering, land survey, and field services. The firm operates as a unified service organization where these core disciplines work collaboratively on client projects across multiple markets including commercial, education, energy, government, healthcare, industrial, parks & recreation, real estate development, and retail/gaming/hospitality sectors. Architecture and Engineering services form the primary service lines, supported by specialized sub-services in land development, municipal, structural, transportation, and water resources engineering, complemented by field construction services and land surveying capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Creative architectural design for commercial, healthcare, education, government, and industrial building projects, including new construction, renovations, and adaptive re-use. Served to enterprise and government clients through project-based engagements.
• Engineering Services Comprehensive engineering solutions covering land development, municipal, structural, transportation, and water resources disciplines for government, commercial, healthcare, education, industrial, and energy clients.
• Field Services Construction inspection, testing, and quality assurance services to ensure accurate project execution throughout the construction process, including structural, materials, and deck pour inspection work.
• Land Survey Precision land surveying services including boundary surveys, ALTA surveys, topographic surveys, land subdivision, and construction layout for public agencies, developers, and private landowners.
• Land Development Engineering Site selection, grading, utility design, and infrastructure planning for commercial, industrial, and residential developments.
• Municipal Engineering Engineering services for city and local government infrastructure including water, sewer, streets, and public facilities.
• Structural Engineering Structural design and analysis for buildings, bridges, and other structures including foundation systems and load calculations.
• Transportation Engineering Planning, design, and construction services for roadways, bridges, trails, and other transportation infrastructure.
• Water Resources Engineering Water distribution, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, and water resources planning services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Bee Branch Creek Restoration protects over 1,300 homes and businesses from flooding, preventing $582M in potential damage
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Quad City Carpenters and Millwrights Training CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the design of a new $17 million Carpenters and Millwrights Training Center and Union Hall. Origin Design provided architectural services for the 85,000 sf facility serving 2,000 union members and apprentices in the Quad Cities and State of Illinois.
• Chicago Regional Council of CarpenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development partner for the Carpenters and Millwrights Training Center project serving union members across the Quad Cities and Illinois.
• Obora & AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject collaborator on the Carpenters and Millwrights Training Center and Union Hall design project.
• Alliant EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership on renewable energy projects including the West Dubuque Solar Garden (largest in Iowa) and Port of Dubuque Solar Garden. Origin Design provided site design, structural design, construction layout, and material testing.
• C.G. SchmittminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerElectrical contractor partner on multiple solar array projects with Alliant Energy.
• H & H Electric Co.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerElectrical contractor partner on multiple solar array projects with Alliant Energy.
• Cuningham Group ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partnership on Sartell High School (294,000 sf, 1,350 students) and St. Cloud Technical High School (accommodating 1,600 students). Partnership combines Origin Design's local expertise with Cuningham's national education design experience.
• River Valley Nursery and LandscapingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWetland delineation services for Asbury Park Business Park development.
• Allender Butzke EngineersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeotechnical services partner for Asbury Park Business Park project including borings and analysis.
• Team ServicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeotechnical analysis partner for Asbury Park Business Park project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shive-Hattery: Iowa-headquartered multi-discipline architecture and engineering firm of comparable size, serving government, healthcare, education, commercial and industrial clients across the Midwest. Direct overlap with Origin on geography, service mix, and vertical markets.
• Stanley Consultants: Iowa-based engineering and architectural consulting firm with strong water, energy, and transportation practices. Comparable on municipal/infrastructure engineering scope and Midwest roots, though typically larger in scale.
• HR Green: Midwest-based (Cedar Rapids, IA / Minnesota) engineering, technical, and management consulting firm specializing in transportation, water, governmental, and land development services. Closely matches Origin's municipal/transportation engineering core.
• Wight & Company: Illinois-headquartered architecture and engineering firm with comparable integrated design-build capabilities serving commercial, education, healthcare, and government clients. Similar size and Midwest positioning.
• Foth: Wisconsin-based engineering, architecture, and science firm serving infrastructure, environmental, and manufacturing clients. Comparable on Midwest geography, multi-discipline service offering, and similar mid-market size.
• Klingner & Associates: Quad Cities (Iowa/Illinois) architecture and engineering firm of similar size, offering civil, structural, mechanical, surveying and architecture services. Direct regional competitor with overlapping client base in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
• IMEG Corporation: Midwest-based (Cedar Rapids, IA / Quad Cities) engineering and architecture consulting firm with comparable multi-discipline offerings including structural, civil, mechanical, and building commissioning. Closest direct peer given overlapping Quad Cities presence and similar service breadth.
• MSA Professional Services: Wisconsin-headquartered architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong municipal/government practice and similar multi-discipline structure. Directly comparable on verticals (government, water, transportation, land development) and Upper Midwest geography.

Broad incumbents

• Burns & McDonnell: Major employee-owned AEC firm with strong Midwest presence, offering architecture and a broad engineering portfolio. Compares on employee-ownership model and similar verticals but operates at substantially larger scale.
• HDR, Inc. Large global AEC firm headquartered in Omaha, NE, with deep architecture, engineering, and environmental practices. Overlaps Origin on transportation, water, healthcare, and government verticals but operates at significantly greater scale across national and international markets.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/origindesignc0
• Instagraminstagram.com/origindesign
• Xx.com/origindesign_co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Origin Design