What Kearns & West does

Kearns & West is a privately-held, woman-owned professional services firm founded in 1984 by Dr. Ken Kearns and Anna L. West. The firm specializes in collaboration, facilitation, mediation, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement, organized around four core service lines — Collaborative Services and Facilitation, Strategic Communications, Digital Engagement, and Tribal Relations — delivered across nine sector specializations spanning water, energy, transportation, land and natural resources, marine, government solutions, community and regional planning, hydropower/river restoration, and technology. It operates through 11 regional teams anchored by Principals in 12 U.S. cities (Davis/Sacramento, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan Capistrano, Seattle, and Washington DC), generating revenue through project-based, quote-priced professional services engagements with federal, state, and local government agencies, private utilities, non-profits, and tribal governments.

The firm is a pure services business with no proprietary software platform; its technology layer consists of digital engagement tools (data visualization, analytics, virtual engagement) used to enable stakeholder participation. Revenue is generated under SAM Registration No. CNGPPDCQL1J5 and six federal small business NAICS certifications (541611, 541613, 541620, 541690, 541820, and others), pursued via enterprise field sales through Principals, court appointments, stakeholder selection, and client referrals. Go-to-market is relationship-driven rather than productized, with the firm engaged directly by clients, appointed by courts, or selected by stakeholder groups.

The customer base is concentrated in U.S. public sector and regulated infrastructure, including marquee federal clients (U.S. Department of the Interior, EPA, DOE National Labs, California High-Speed Rail Authority), state agencies (NYSERDA, Oregon DOT, California Department of Water Resources), local governments (Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle), and private utilities (Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, Duke Energy). The firm is led by Managing Principal Anna L. West (30+ years) alongside 12 additional Principals averaging 20+ years of tenure, and has operated continuously for 40 years without external capital, building a reputation-based franchise centered on impartiality and trust.

Name

Kearns & West

Legal name

Kearns & West

Website

https://kearnswest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kearns & West is a woman-owned, privately-held professional services firm founded in 1984 that provides facilitation, mediation, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement services to federal, state, and local government agencies, private utilities, non-profits, and tribal governments across 12 U.S. cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Stakeholder engagement
• Collaborative facilitation
• Strategic communications
• Conflict resolution
• Public involvement

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Consulting: Kearns & West generates revenue through consulting and facilitation services, including process management, mediation, strategic planning, large-scale stakeholder engagement, community outreach, conflict resolution, collaboration training, strategic communications, and digital engagement. Services are delivered through project-based engagements with government agencies, private companies, non-profit organizations, and tribes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kearns & West is a national collaboration and communications firm providing professional services including facilitation, mediation, strategic planning, large-scale stakeholder engagement, community outreach, conflict resolution, and collaboration training. The firm serves federal, state, and local government agencies, private companies, non-profits, and tribal governments through project-based engagements delivered by Principals and regional teams. Services are organized around four core offerings (Collaborative Services and Facilitation, Strategic Communications, Digital Engagement, and Tribal Relations) and applied across nine sector specializations including water, energy, transportation, and environment.

Product overview

Kearns & West is a national collaboration and communications firm offering professional services rather than a software product platform. The company provides four core service offerings: Collaborative Services and Facilitation (process management, mediation, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement), Strategic Communications (communications strategies and thought leadership), Digital Engagement (data visualization, analytics, virtual engagement tools), and Tribal Relations (government-to-government collaboration). These core services are delivered across nine sector specializations: Community and Regional Planning, Energy, Government Solutions, Hydropower and River Restoration, Land and Natural Resources, Marine, Technology, Transportation, and Water. The company operates eleven regional teams anchored by Principals across multiple U.S. office locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collaborative Services and Facilitation Process management, mediation, strategic planning, large-scale stakeholder engagement, community outreach, conflict resolution, and collaboration training that builds consensus among diverse stakeholders for government agencies, private companies, non-profits, and tribal governments.
• Strategic Communications Comprehensive communications strategies and messaging that articulate client visions and connect with key audiences, fostering thought leadership for organizations navigating complex public policy issues.
• Digital Engagement User-prioritized digital technologies including data visualization, analytics, and virtual engagement tools that enhance stakeholder participation regardless of location.
• Tribal Relations Government-to-government collaboration support, respectful dialogue, and effective processes honoring tribal sovereignty, cultural priorities, and shared interests.

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Consensus Solutions Inc. (CSS): Consensus Solutions is a Portland, OR-based firm specializing in facilitation, mediation, and public process design for water, natural resource, and environmental disputes. Highly comparable in regional-team structure, sector mix, and neutral-facilitator positioning.
• Meridian Institute: Meridian Institute is a Dillon, CO-based non-profit that facilitates multi-stakeholder collaboration on environment, energy, and natural-resource policy. Highly comparable in neutral-facilitation positioning and federal/foundation client mix to Kearns & West.
• Triangle Associates: Triangle Associates is a Seattle-based firm providing facilitation, public involvement, and collaborative decision-making services for transportation, water, and environmental projects. Comparable in regional-team model and Pacific Northwest government client base.
• RESOLVE: RESOLVE is a Washington, DC-based non-profit that designs and facilitates collaborative processes on natural resource, environmental, and public-policy conflicts — directly comparable in mission, federal-agency client base, and mediation/neutral-facilitation model to Kearns & West.
• CDR Associates: CDR Associates (Center for Dispute Resolution) is a Boulder, CO-based firm specializing in environmental and public-policy mediation, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement. Overlaps directly with Kearns & West's water, energy, and land-use sector practices and federal/tribal clientele.
• The Keystone Policy Center: Keystone Policy Center is a Keystone, CO-based non-profit that drives collaborative problem-solving on energy, environment, education, and public health. Directly comparable as a small, senior-staffed facilitation firm with similar sector specializations and federal/state clients.

Broad incumbents

• ICF International: ICF International is a large public-sector consulting firm with an established public engagement and stakeholder consultation practice. Competes with Kearns & West on federal energy, environment, and transportation RFPs but offers broader program-management and technical services alongside facilitation.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Booz Allen Hamilton is a major federal contractor with a growing public engagement and community-consultation practice. Competes for the same federal stakeholder-engagement RFPs but bundles facilitation into much larger program-management contracts.

Emerging players

• U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution: The U.S. Institute (operated by the Morris K. Udall Foundation) is a federally chartered neutral that provides mediation, facilitation, and training on environmental and natural-resource conflicts. Overlaps with Kearns & West's mediator roster activities and federal/agency client base, but functions as a public-sector neutral rather than a private firm.

Others

• Bryant Christie Inc. BCI is a Seattle-based consulting firm providing government relations, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communications to agriculture, food, and natural-resource sectors. Comparable in senior-firm culture and public-sector facilitation model, though focused on more agriculture- and trade-adjacent work than Kearns & West's infrastructure base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Kearns & West