What Dix.Hite + Partners does

Dix.Hite + Partners is a Longwood, Florida-based landscape architecture and planning firm founded in 1996. Its core services span landscape architecture, urban design, master planning, site planning, and ecological restoration, delivered through six studio teams named after native Florida plants (Zamia, Magnolia, Sassafras, Palmetto, Fakahatchee, and Mimosa). The firm layers proprietary methods on top of standard design practice — most notably the 6D collaborative design process (Dream, Discover, Design, Document, Deliver, Discuss), an in-house Color Studio for building finishes and material palettes, and an award-winning 'What If?' community engagement toolkit. It is also a founding member of the OUTSIDE Collaborative and co-developed the New Yard Pattern Book, a research-backed residential landscape guideline that documents significant irrigation savings.

The firm is privately held and employee-owned, having transitioned to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in 2023 alongside a CEO transition from co-founder Chris Hite to Kody Smith. It operates from offices in Orlando (headquarters), Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, with project reach that has extended internationally to Bangkok (The Forestias). The client base is diversified across private real estate developers, municipal governments, healthcare systems, educational institutions, hospitality operators, and nonprofit/community organizations, with marquee engagements including Evermore Orlando Resort, Winter Park Village, 4Roots Farm, Coastal Oaks Preserve, and Lake Nona Town Center.

Commercially, Dix.Hite earns revenue through project-based professional services fees quoted per engagement, using a direct sales motion. Customers are secured through enterprise relationships, referrals, and multi-consultant project team partnerships with architecture firms (LRK, Charlan Brock, dap Design, turnerbatson) and developers (CASTO, ZOM Living, LRK). As of 2017, the firm had 32 employees including eight principals; firmographic data places current headcount in the 11-50 range, with awards velocity and the October 2025 launch of a dedicated Planning and Urban Design Studio indicating continued scaling.

Name

Dix.Hite + Partners

Legal name

Dix.Hite + Partners

Website

https://dixhite.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dix.Hite + Partners is a privately held, employee-owned (ESOP) landscape architecture and urban design firm founded in 1996, serving private developers, municipalities, healthcare systems, schools, and hospitality clients from offices in Orlando, Birmingham, and Atlanta through a project-based professional services model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture & Urban Design Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture
• Urban design
• Site planning
• Master planning
• Sustainable landscape

Headquarters

HQ city

Jessup

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Landscape Architecture Services: Project-based professional services for landscape architecture design, master planning, site planning, and urban design. Revenue is earned through design fees on project engagements for private developers, municipalities, and institutional clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dix.Hite + Partners is a landscape architecture firm that provides professional design services including landscape architecture, urban design, master planning, and site planning for private developers, municipalities, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and hospitality clients. The firm operates through six studio teams organized around native Florida plants and uses a proprietary 6D collaborative design process to deliver sustainable, ecologically-focused outdoor environments.

Product overview

Dix.Hite + Partners is a landscape architecture and planning firm offering a unified suite of design services. Their core offerings include landscape architecture, urban design, and a dedicated Planning and Urban Design Studio (launched October 2025). The firm also offers specialized services including the Color Studio for building colors and finishes, and the What If? community engagement tool. Their work spans diverse project types including parks, residential communities, commercial developments, streetscapes, educational campuses, and public spaces, organized into six studio teams named after native Florida plants (Zamia, Magnolia, Sassafras, Palmetto, Fakahatchee, and Mimosa). The firm operates from offices in Orlando (headquarters), Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Architecture Services Core landscape architecture services including site planning, planting design, hardscape design, stormwater management, and ecological restoration for residential, commercial, and public projects.
• Urban Design Urban design services for streetscapes, mixed-use developments, downtown redevelopments, and complete streets projects that prioritize pedestrian experience and community connectivity.
• Planning and Urban Design Studio Dedicated planning practice offering strategic land planning, entitlements, comprehensive planning, form-based codes, and urban design services.
• What If? Community Engagement Tool A traveling community engagement tool using display frames that overlay existing street images with renderings showing walkable, bikeable, and vibrant public realm improvements. Award-winning pro bono community visioning offering.
• Color Studio Building colors and finishes service that creates color study documents for exterior building facades, coordinating with landscape and hardscape elements to achieve a cohesive design vision.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water savings of 37.5 inches per year per household in communities using New Yard Pattern Book approach compared to traditional 53 inches of irrigation in comparable traditional landscapes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• LRK ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Evermore Orlando Resort residential master plan; Dix.Hite provided landscape architecture design services for 80+ resort residences as part of the 1,100-acre redevelopment project.
• Charlan Brock AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on Winter Park Village project team alongside Dix.Hite, Eleven18 Architecture, AVCON, Prismatic, and Colliers.
• Eleven18 ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner on Winter Park Village redesign project team.
• AVCON, INC.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering consulting partner on Winter Park Village redesign project.
• CASTO Lifestyles PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClient and development partner for Winter Park Village reimagining project. CASTO led the redevelopment initiative with Dix.Hite as landscape architecture partner.
• ITEC EntertainmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal themed entertainment company working with Dix.Hite on The Forestias project in Bangkok - a 63.7-hectare multigenerational community. Dix.Hite contributed to master planning and designed the 4.8-hectare inner forest. Also collaborated with Foster + Partners.
• dap DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner on Great Southern Box Company Food Hall project in Orlando's Packing District for Dr. Phillips Charities.
• turnerbatsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner on Trussville Downtown Redevelopment Plan in Alabama alongside City of Trussville, Civil Consultants Inc., and Skipper Consulting.
• mmcitéminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal street furniture design studio hosting annual 'The Street' conference for landscape architecture and urban design professionals. Scott Toschlog participated in 2022 European field trip.
• OUTSIDE CollaborativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDix.Hite is a founding member of the OUTSIDE Collaborative, a group pioneering sustainable residential landscape alternatives in Florida. Together they developed the New Yard Pattern Book with research-backed guidelines for developers and homeowners.
• CherryLakecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTree nursery partner that supported Dream Lake Elementary tree-planting day by donating live oak trees for student planting activities.
• Florida Wildflower FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit foundation focused on native wildflower preservation. CEO Kody Smith serves as Board Member. Partnered on PEACE Legacy Garden at Innovation Montessori Ocoee through Urban Corridors Initiative.
• BelgardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaver manufacturer that donated permeable pavers for the PEACE Legacy Garden project and brought UCC Group for installation.
• Orlando Section of ASLA FLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association that hosted a hands-on educational event demonstrating permeable paving system as part of the PEACE Legacy Garden project installation.
• Indian River Land Trust (IRLT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand trust focused on preserving and protecting the Indian River Lagoon. Engaged Dix.Hite for vision plan and conceptual design of Coastal Oaks Preserve.
• 4RootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of community stakeholders (leaders, business owners, designers, scientists, engineers) committed to creating a sustainable food system in Orlando. Dix.Hite designed the 18-acre urban farm campus.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SWA Group: One of the largest landscape architecture and urban design practices in the world, with deep resort, master-planned community, and waterfront portfolios overlapping Dix.Hite's hospitality and mixed-use work (e.g., Evermore Orlando, Lake Nona).
• OLIN: Landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with award-winning parks, civic, and master-planned community work; comparable design-led culture and high-profile client base to Dix.Hite.
• Sasaki Associates: Integrated design practice combining landscape architecture, planning, and urban design for campuses, communities, and waterfronts; directly comparable to Dix.Hite's combined landscape + planning studio offering.
• LandDesign: Multi-office landscape architecture, civil engineering, and urban design firm with strong Southeast US presence; closest scale and geographic competitor to Dix.Hite's FL/AL/GA footprint.
• EDSA: Landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm with longstanding Florida work on resorts, communities, and public realm projects — comparable client mix and design profile.
• TBG Partners: Landscape architecture and planning firm focused on master-planned communities and mixed-use developments across the Sun Belt; directly comparable in segment focus, though anchored in Texas rather than the Southeast.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global design and engineering firm whose Landscape Architecture practice (hired Sharon Lamantia as Dix.Hite's COO) competes for the same large master-planned and infrastructure assignments; broader portfolio but overlapping capabilities.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and landscape architecture practice; competes with Dix.Hite on large community development and urban design programs from a much larger platform.

Emerging players

• Andropogon Associates: Ecologically driven landscape architecture and planning firm specializing in ecological restoration, native plantings, and sustainability — directly comparable to Dix.Hite's Florida-native and OUTSIDE Collaborative work.
• SWT Design: Mid-size landscape architecture and urban design firm with comparable practice areas (master planning, mixed-use, parks) and regional Sun Belt focus; similar size and award-driven positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Dix.Hite + Partners