Kuo & Associates

What Kuo & Associates does

Kuo & Associates, Inc. (KUO) is a privately held civil engineering and land surveying firm headquartered in Houston, Texas, founded in 1985 by Bahong Kuo, Ph.D., PE, to serve the fast-growing Greater Houston region. The firm operates from a single Houston office at 10300 Westoffice Dr with approximately 35 professionals, and delivers four integrated service lines: Water Resource Management (water transmission/distribution, stormwater, wastewater, H&H modeling), Transportation Engineering (paving, trails, bridges, traffic systems), Site Development (feasibility, grading, utilities, permitting, construction-phase support), and Surveying (topographical, boundary, ALTA, right-of-way, GPS real-time). Work is executed using industry-standard tools including AutoCAD, MicroStation with GeoPak, HEC, RAS, and Houstorm.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements, with KUO serving as either prime consultant or sub-consultant. The customer base is dominated by public-sector clients in Southeast Texas — most prominently the City of Houston (where KUO holds the Outstanding Prime Contractor designation), Harris County departments including the Flood Control District and Engineering Department, TxDOT, METRO, the Houston Airport System, and Port Authority Houston — alongside private developers and educational institutions such as KIPP School. Notable project scale includes nearly one million linear feet of water utility lines designed for the City of Houston's Surface Water Management Program over 20 years and a prime-consultant role on a $56M regional stormwater detention basin.

In March 2024, founders/owners Shaheen Chowdhury and Steven Weng sold the firm to The HFW Companies (HFW), a St. Louis-based holding company operating a national network of architecture and engineering firms under a "House of Brands" concept; KUO became the eighth HFW Partner firm and retained its regional brand identity. A formal leadership succession followed: Ricky Gonzalez joined as EVP in late 2024, Chowdhury and Weng retired on December 31, 2025, and Gonzalez assumed the President/CEO role in 2026. The firm continues to operate from Houston targeting the same Southeast Texas municipal and private development market.

Name

Kuo & Associates

Legal name

Kuo & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://kuoassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kuo & Associates is a Houston-based civil engineering and land surveying firm with 35 professionals delivering water, transportation, site development, and surveying services to government entities and private developers across Southeast Texas, and operating as an HFW Partner firm since March 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Permitting Execution Services (Erosion Control, Habitat Mitigation, Compliance) (EUAEADAL)

Keywords

• Civil engineering design
• Land surveying services
• Water resource management
• Transportation engineering
• Site development

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Engineering Design Services: Professional engineering services billed on a project basis for civil engineering design, including water infrastructure, transportation, site development, and surveying. Revenue is generated through prime consultant roles on public infrastructure projects and sub-consultant engagements.
2. Land Surveying Services: Surveying services including topographical, boundary, construction surveys and subdivision platting, billed as part of project engagements or standalone service contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kuo & Associates is a Houston-based civil engineering and land surveying firm that delivers infrastructure design services across Southeast Texas. The firm provides four integrated service areas: water resource management (water, stormwater, and wastewater design), transportation engineering (roads, bridges, trails, traffic), site development (civil site design, permitting, construction support), and surveying (boundary, topographic, GPS). Services are delivered as prime or sub-consultant engagements for government entities and private developers.

Product overview

Kuo & Associates (KUO) is a civil engineering and land surveying firm offering integrated infrastructure design services. The company operates as a unified services firm with four core service areas: Water Resource Management (water infrastructure, stormwater, wastewater), Transportation Engineering (roads, bridges, trails, traffic systems), Site Development (civil site design for various facility types), and Surveying (land surveying services). These services are delivered holistically to serve the unique design criteria of each project and client preferences across Southeast Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Resource Management Water infrastructure engineering design including water transmission and distribution lines, storm lines, drains, detention mitigation systems, wastewater lines, drainage studies, channel improvements, and hydrologic and hydraulic modeling.
• Transportation Engineering Transportation infrastructure design including paving design, H&H studies for bridges, roads and trails, trail and sidewalk design, street rehabilitation planning and design, utility relocation design, traffic control planning, street lighting, signing and striping.
• Site Development Site development engineering including due-diligence/feasibility studies, surveying, DTM and site grading, site drainage planning and design, site utility planning and design, permitting, and construction-phase support.
• Surveying Land surveying services including topographical surveying, route surveying, boundary surveying (categories 1A, 1B, and ALTA), record abstracting, right-of-way and easement mapping, subdivision platting, construction staking, and GPS real-time surveying.

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The HFW Companies (HFW)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Kuo & Associates entered a strategic growth partnership with The HFW Companies in March 2024, becoming the eighth partner firm in HFW's national network of A-E legacy firms. KUO maintains its name and brand while gaining access to HFW's operational platform including HR, finance, and project delivery support, as well as the network's diverse design expertise. HFW provides capital and operational resources while KUO continues to build its legacy in Houston. Shaheen Chowdhury and Steven Weng sold their firm to HFW as part of the succession plan.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kimley-Horn: National multi-disciplinary engineering firm with large Houston practice covering civil, transportation, water, and land development. Overlaps with KUO on multiple service lines but operates at much larger scale across many geographies.
• HDR Inc. Global architecture-engineering firm with strong Texas water, transportation, and infrastructure practices. Competes with KUO on municipal water and stormwater programs but as part of a broader portfolio across multiple states and markets.
• Walter P Moore: Houston-headquartered engineering firm with civil, structural, transportation, and water resources practices. Competes in the same Houston market on transportation and infrastructure but operates across multiple engineering disciplines and geographies.

Direct peers

• Halff Associates: Texas-based engineering and surveying firm with strong Houston presence offering water, transportation, site development, and surveying services. Closely comparable in service mix, regional footprint, and public-sector customer base.
• Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam (LAN): Texas-headquartered civil engineering firm providing municipal infrastructure, transportation, and water/wastewater services across the state. Direct peer: same Texas geography, same municipal client base, same civil engineering/surveying scope; notably, incoming KUO President Ricky Gonzalez spent 32 years at LAN.
• Huitt-Zollars: Texas-based engineering and architectural firm delivering civil, transportation, water, and site development services. Comparable on Texas public-sector infrastructure work and similar mix of municipal clients.
• Brown & Gay Engineers: Texas-headquartered engineering firm delivering transportation, water resources, and site development services. Comparable in scale, geography, and emphasis on Texas Department of Transportation and municipal work.
• Wierzbicki, Grillo & Associates (WGA): Texas-based civil engineering firm focused on site development, water resources, transportation, and surveying. Strong overlap with KUO on integrated civil + surveying delivery for Houston-area public and private clients.
• Freese and Nichols: Texas-headquartered engineering firm specializing in water, wastewater, stormwater, and infrastructure planning. Highly comparable on water-resource management and municipal water-utility design — a core KUO service line.
• Quiddity Engineering (formerly RG Miller Engineers): Texas-based engineering firm providing civil engineering, surveying, water resources, and land development services. Highly comparable in service scope and Texas municipal client focus, with overlapping Houston-area presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kuoassociatesi

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 Kuo & Associates