Equinox
Equinox Environmental is an Asheville, NC-based environmental consulting and landscape architecture firm serving government agencies, conservation nonprofits, commercial developers, and landowners across the Southern Appalachian region with planning, design, ecology, and climate resiliency services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersAsheville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Equinox does
Equinox Environmental Consultation & Design, Inc. is an Asheville, North Carolina-based for-profit environmental consulting and landscape architecture firm founded in 1998, operating with 11-50 employees across the Southern Appalachian region. The firm delivers four integrated service lines — Design (landscape architecture and residential design), Planning (regional, watershed, community, and parcel-scale planning), Ecology (inventory, assessment, restoration, and monitoring), and Resiliency (climate adaptation and regenerative landscape solutions) — supported by sub-services including sustainable design, ecological restoration, environmental reviews and permitting, and land/master planning. Its technical backbone rests on GIS-based suitability modeling, including proprietary dual models that identify land most valuable for conservation alongside land most appropriate for development, complemented by a three-year research partnership with the US Forest Service EFETAC on acid deposition impacts in Southern Appalachian forests.
The firm monetizes through fee-for-service professional consulting engagements delivered directly to clients via project-based billing, with no public pricing and no channel intermediaries. Customer segments are horizontal and span local/state government and municipal agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, commercial developers, and individual landowners, with named clients including Jackson County, MountainTrue, New Belgium Brewing, Duke Energy, JAG Construction, and the Town of Jonesborough. A wholly-owned subsidiary, EW Solutions, operates a stream preservation mitigation bank in the French Broad 05 watershed, providing regulated Clean Water Act Section 404 mitigation credits as an adjacent revenue stream tied to development activity in the watershed.
The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company, and operates from a single headquarters office at 14 O'Henry Avenue in Asheville. Its competitive position rests on domain specialization in Southern Appalachian ecology and hydrology, established agency relationships, and senior staff credentials (including a 30-year NCWRC veteran and a 34-year regional planning veteran). Distribution is exclusively direct, supported by content marketing through the Conservation Crescent blog, social media, mailing list, and professional conference presentations. Notable awarded work includes the Southeast ASLA Award and National Trails Award for the New Belgium Brewing East Coast Brewery site, and a flagship 170,000-acre Jackson County Headwaters District Conservation Plan recognized as a replicable model for Southern Blue Ridge counties.
Equinox firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Equinox
- Legal name
- Equinox Environmental Consultation & Design, Inc.
- Website
- https://equinoxenvironmental.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Equinox Environmental is an Asheville, NC-based environmental consulting and landscape architecture firm serving government agencies, conservation nonprofits, commercial developers, and landowners across the Southern Appalachian region with planning, design, ecology, and climate resiliency services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Equinox industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Consulting & Landscape Architecture
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental Compliance & Permitting (BPAHAJAA), Cumulative Effects, Alternatives Analysis & Mitigation Planning (EUAHAAAE), Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)
Keywords
Where Equinox is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Asheville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Equinox business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Environmental Consulting Services: Fee-for-service professional consulting engagements for landscape architecture, ecological assessment, planning, and design services. Project-based billing with clients including government agencies, conservation organizations, and commercial developers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Equinox product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Equinox Environmental is a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting, planning, and design firm delivering landscape architecture, ecological assessment, regional planning, and climate resiliency services to government agencies, conservation organizations, commercial developers, and landowners across the Southern Appalachian region. Core services include Design (landscape architecture and residential design), Planning (regional, watershed, community, and parcel-scale), Ecology (inventory, assessment, restoration, monitoring, and permitting), and Resiliency (climate adaptation and regenerative landscape solutions). The firm also operates EW Solutions, a stream and wetland mitigation banking arm servicing the French Broad 05 watershed for Clean Water Act compliance.
Product overview
Equinox Environmental is a multi-disciplinary landscape architecture and environmental consulting firm based in Asheville, NC. The company operates as a single unified service offering rather than a software platform. Its core services include Design Services (landscape architecture and residential design), Planning Services (regional, watershed, and community planning), Ecology Services (inventory, assessment, restoration, and monitoring), and Resiliency Services (climate adaptation and regenerative landscape solutions). These services are delivered through specialized sub-service areas including Sustainable Design, Ecological Restoration, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Reviews & Permitting, Land Planning & Master Planning, and Mitigation Services via EW Solutions. The firm serves clients across the Southern Appalachian region with projects ranging from conservation planning to greenway design to historic preservation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EW Solutions: Stream and wetland mitigation arm of Equinox Environmental, operating a stream preservation mitigation bank for the French Broad 05 watershed.
Products and services
- Design Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Southeast ASLA Award and National Trails Award for New Belgium Brewing project
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Equinox
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Equinox technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Equinox partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, support, major, legacy, research and project.
- Polk CountycorePartnership for Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander's Ford - 150+ acres with conservation easement, trail networks, and historic preservation.
- National Park ServicecorePartnership for Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail site at Alexander's Ford with master planning for Bradley Nature Preserve.
- North Carolina Parks and Trails FoundationcorePartner in Bradley Nature Preserve development and conservation.
- The Bradley FundcoreFunded and supported Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander's Ford development.
- Waste Reduction PartnerssupportConducted energy audit for Equinox office space, helping establish energy consumption baseline and identify efficiency improvements.
- MountainTruecoreClient partnership for Jackson County Headwaters District Conservation Plan. MountainTrue hired Equinox to develop a community-supported conservation blueprint balancing conservation and responsible development.
- Jackson CountycoreClient partnership for comprehensive conservation planning across 170,000 acres containing headwaters of four major river systems.
- New Belgium BrewingcoreDesign partnership for East Coast Brewery site including greenway, stormwater BMPs, stream restoration, and landscape enhancements. Project received Southeast ASLA Award and National Trails Award.
- Knoxville Region Transportation Planning OrganizationmajorPartner in Maryville-to-Townsend Greenway Master Plan - 14-mile multi-jurisdictional greenway connecting to Great Smoky Mountains National Park with estimated $65M economic impact.
- Great Smoky Mountains Greenway CouncilmajorPartner in greenway planning connecting Knoxville region to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- City of MaryvillemajorJurisdictional partner for Maryville-to-Townsend Greenway Master Plan.
- Blount CountymajorJurisdictional partner for Maryville-to-Townsend Greenway Master Plan.
- Townsend, TNmajorJurisdictional partner for greenway master plan connecting to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC)legacyJim Borawa worked 30 years as Fisheries Biologist with NCWRC before joining Equinox; maintains professional relationship in fisheries planning.
- US Forest Service Eastern Forests Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC)researchThree-year research partnership studying acid deposition impacts on yellow birch and Southern Appalachian forest communities.
- EW SolutionscoreStream and wetland mitigation arm of Equinox operating a preservation mitigation bank in the French Broad 05 watershed for Clean Water Act compliance. Provides stream credits and wetland credits for project impacts.
- Duke EnergyprojectClient for Lake Ela Recreation Access Area - dam update accommodating fishing access and multiple recreation opportunities on Oconaluftee River.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Equinox competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stantec: Global design and consulting firm with deep environmental services, landscape architecture, and water resources practices. Overlaps with Equinox across planning, ecology, and greenway work but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
- Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with a large environmental services practice covering watershed planning, water resources, and ecological restoration. Competes with Equinox on larger municipal and federal RFPs.
- AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a substantial environment, water, and landscape architecture practice. Competes for the same federal, state, and municipal planning contracts Equinox pursues.
- TRC Companies: National environmental and engineering consulting firm with permitting, ecological, and resilience practices. Competes with Equinox on municipal and commercial development projects.
Direct peers
- SWCA Environmental Consultants: Employee-owned environmental consulting firm offering ecological assessment, permitting, landscape architecture, and mitigation services. Closest match to Equinox in service mix, scale, and project-based delivery model.
- Wildlands Engineering: Southeast US-based environmental and engineering firm specializing in stream and wetland restoration, mitigation banking, and green infrastructure. Highly comparable to Equinox on mitigation banking (EW Solutions) and ecological restoration.
Regional players
- Halff Associates: Texas/Southeast-based engineering and environmental firm with landscape architecture, planning, and water resources practices. Comparable regional scale and multi-disciplinary service mix.
- McAdams: Southeast US-based design and engineering firm offering landscape architecture, land planning, and water resources services. Direct overlap with Equinox's Design and Planning service lines.
- WithersRavenel: North Carolina-based engineering, planning, and environmental services firm. Direct regional overlap with Equinox, particularly in land planning, water resources, and municipal consulting.
- W.K. Dickson & Co. Southeast US-based infrastructure and environmental engineering firm focused on water resources, stormwater, and community planning. Comparable client base in municipal and conservation sectors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Equinox social profiles
Digital presenceEquinox financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Equinox leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Equinox subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Equinox funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Equinox M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Equinox
What does Equinox do?
Equinox Environmental is a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting, planning, and design firm delivering landscape architecture, ecological assessment, regional planning, and climate resiliency services to government agencies, conservation organizations, commercial developers, and landowners across the Southern Appalachian region. Core services include Design (landscape architecture and residential design), Planning (regional, watershed, community, and parcel-scale), Ecology (inventory, assessment, restoration, monitoring, and permitting), and Resiliency (climate adaptation and regenerative landscape solutions). The firm also operates EW Solutions, a stream and wetland mitigation banking arm servicing the French Broad 05 watershed for Clean Water Act compliance.
Is Equinox a public or private company?
Equinox is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Equinox founded?
Equinox was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Equinox based?
Equinox is headquartered in Asheville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Equinox make money?
One revenue line is on record: environmental Consulting Services.
Who are Equinox's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stantec, Tetra Tech, AECOM and TRC Companies. Direct peers are SWCA Environmental Consultants and Wildlands Engineering. Regional players are Halff Associates, McAdams, WithersRavenel and W.K. Dickson & Co..
Does Equinox have an API?
No public API is recorded for Equinox.
What industry is Equinox in?
Equinox's product category is Environmental Consulting & Landscape Architecture. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAC, Landscape Architecture & Site Design, with a secondary code of BPAHAJAA, Environmental Compliance & Permitting. Its NAICS code is 541620 and its SIC code is 8731.