What Neff & Associates does

Neff & Associates is a Cleveland-based, family-owned civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and planning firm founded in 1939 and now in its third generation of family ownership and management. The firm provides integrated professional services across four practice areas — civil engineering, landscape architecture, surveying, and planning — delivered by licensed P.E. and P.S. professionals using industry-standard tools such as AutoCAD Civil 3D, Trimble Robotic Total Stations, and Trimble Access/SurveyPro. Its core differentiator is the co-location of surveying, civil engineering, and landscape architecture teams enabling streamlined project delivery from initial boundary and topographic surveys through site design and final landscape and stormwater design. Service offerings span mixed-use developments, retail and lifestyle centers, residential subdivisions, educational campuses, industrial and warehouse facilities, healthcare and senior-living facilities, municipal infrastructure, and energy/utility projects, with particular depth in LEED-certified and sustainable site design including bioretention basins, permeable pavers, and stormwater best management practices.

The firm operates on a project-based professional services model, billing clients (developers, municipalities, educational institutions, corporations, and utilities) for civil engineering design, surveying, landscape architecture, and site planning on a quote-based, scope-defined basis. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are sourced through a sales-led, relationship-driven GTM leveraging decades-long ties with developers, architects, contractors, and municipal agencies across Northeast Ohio. The firm is licensed to practice in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky, with documented anchor relationships including long-term gas main design contracts with Dominion Energy Ohio (since 2011) and Dominion Hope Gas in West Virginia (since 2018). Customer concentration spans enterprise real estate developers (Pinecrest, Crocker Park, Legacy Village), higher education clients (Case Western Reserve University, Baldwin Wallace, Cuyahoga Community College, Oberlin, Ursuline), industrial users (McMaster-Carr, Bendix, Amazon), and energy/utilities (Dominion). Marketing channels are predominantly earned media (industry publication features) and a project portfolio-style website rather than paid digital acquisition. As of January 2023, Jeff Plautz, P.E. serves as President and Daniel J. Neff, P.E. as CEO, formalizing a transition to non-family executive management while family ownership continues.

The business is privately held with no disclosed venture or private equity backing, no acquisition activity, and no external funding rounds. Strategic activity has been limited to organic growth, internal leadership development (multiple Project Manager promotions in 2023), and incremental geographic expansion into West Virginia. Headcount is reported at 51-100 employees operating from a single headquarters in Parma Heights (Cleveland), Ohio, with field crews deployed across Ohio and West Virginia. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Neff & Associates

Legal name

Neff & Associates

Website

https://neff-assoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Neff & Associates is a Cleveland-based, family-owned civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and planning firm founded in 1939 that serves developers, municipalities, educational institutions, utilities, and commercial clients across Northeast Ohio and West Virginia through integrated multi-disciplinary design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE) (EDAAALAG), Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Land surveying services
• Landscape architecture
• Site planning
• Construction administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services (Civil Engineering, Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Planning): Project-based professional services billing for civil engineering design, landscape architecture, land surveying, and site planning. Revenue generated through consulting fees for design, surveying, and engineering services on development projects of varying scales from residential subdivisions to large commercial and institutional projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Neff & Associates is a full-service civil engineering firm providing integrated professional services across four core practice areas: civil engineering design, landscape architecture, land surveying, and site planning. The firm supports development projects of varying scales — from residential subdivisions and retail centers to municipal infrastructure, educational campuses, and industrial facilities — by handling surveying, design, regulatory approvals, LEED/sustainable design, and construction administration for clients across Northeast Ohio.

Product overview

Neff & Associates is a full-service civil engineering firm offering professional services across four core practice areas: Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Surveying, and Planning. These services are provided as integrated professional consulting offerings rather than software products. The firm has over 80 years of experience shaping Northeast Ohio development, with civil engineers, surveyors, and landscape architects working together under one roof to deliver streamlined design processes for projects ranging from commercial retail centers and residential developments to municipal infrastructure and educational facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Pinecrest development was the largest development in the history of the Village of Orange, Ohio
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers23 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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dominion Hope Gas (West Virginia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership since 2018 for gas main design services in West Virginia operating areas including Northern Zone (Goshen, Clarksburg, Weston), Western Zone (Parkersburg, Bens Run), and Southern Zone (Gassaway, Summersville, Madison).
• Dominion Energy OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Long-term contracted partnership since 2011 for complete gas main design services including land surveys (Base Maps) and pipe design. Services provided across multiple operating areas in Ohio including Cleveland, Ashtabula, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Marietta, and Lima regions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with significant Ohio operations. Competes with Neff on larger institutional and developer programs and can absorb mid-sized regional engagements Neff would otherwise lead.
• Kimley-Horn: National planning, engineering, and design consulting firm with strong land development and surveying practices. Increasingly active in Ohio mixed-use and institutional markets that overlap Neff's sweet spot.

Direct peers

• CT Consultants: Northeast Ohio civil engineering and surveying firm focused on municipal water/wastewater, site development, and transportation. Direct overlap in Ohio municipal and developer markets.
• DLZ Corporation: Ohio-headquartered architecture/engineering firm with civil engineering, surveying, and construction services across the Midwest. Comparable services for municipalities, transportation, and site development.
• Osborn Engineering: Cleveland-based engineering firm with deep Northeast Ohio roots providing civil, structural, and surveying services to developers, municipalities, and institutions. Comparable regional scope and client overlap with Neff.
• Burgess & Niple: Ohio-headquartered engineering and architecture firm with civil, structural, water, and surveying practices. Comparable multi-disciplinary structure and long-standing Ohio institutional and municipal client base.
• E.L. Robinson Engineering (ELR): Ohio-based civil engineering and surveying firm offering site development, transportation, and surveying services across the Midwest. Comparable mix of municipal, commercial, and residential developer clients.
• GPD Group: Akron-headquartered multi-discipline engineering, architecture, and surveying firm serving Ohio and the broader Midwest. Closest geographic and service-line peer to Neff, with overlapping civil, surveying, and planning capabilities for commercial, institutional, and public-sector clients.
• R.E. Warner & Associates: Northeast Ohio civil/structural engineering and surveying firm serving industrial, commercial, institutional, and government clients. Direct overlap with Neff's Northeast Ohio footprint and service portfolio.
• Hull & Associates: Ohio-based engineering and surveying firm providing site development, transportation, and land surveying for public and private clients. Comparable regional civil/survey profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/167756749907748
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neff-associates

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 Neff & Associates