Teska Associates
Teska Associates is a privately held, Evanston, Illinois-based planning and landscape architecture firm founded in 1975, providing multidisciplinary community planning, engagement, economic development, and site design services primarily to municipal governments and select private developers across the U.S. Midwest.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersEvanston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Teska Associates does
Teska Associates, Inc. is a privately held, Evanston, Illinois-based professional services firm founded in 1975 by Robert B. Teska, delivering community planning, landscape architecture, urban design, and community engagement services. The firm operates from two offices (Evanston headquarters and a Plainfield studio) and serves four primary customer verticals: municipal governments, economic development organizations (chambers, business associations, EDOs), private developers (residential, commercial, healthcare, higher education), and regional transportation authorities. Its service portfolio spans nine integrated practice areas — Planning & Zoning, Engagement, Economic Development, Site Design, Community Development, Virtual Outreach, Land Planning, Public Places Design, and Landscape Architecture — packaged as multidisciplinary project engagements rather than discrete software products.
The firm monetizes through project-based professional services contracts quoted by scope and complexity, typically delivered through municipal RFQ/RFP procurement. Its technology stack is conventional for the planning profession: Esri StoryMaps, virtual open houses, online focus groups, comment mapping, participatory budgeting, video development, and large-format graphic facilitation (20+ foot mind maps for visioning sessions). There is no proprietary software platform, app, or public-facing API; differentiation rests on the integrated methodology that couples planning with engagement, economic development analysis, and landscape architecture execution. Recent project signals include helping the City of Decatur secure a $9.9M RAISE grant, the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan (NC), Plainfield Transportation and Mobility Plan, and the RTA Transit-Friendly Communities Guide co-developed with TYLin and Egret & Ox.
The firm has transitioned through three leadership generations: founder Robert B. Teska (retired c. 2000), second-generation leaders Lee Brown, Mike Hoffman, and Nick Patera (2000-2024), and a third generation led by Scott Goldstein (President), with Jodi Mariano as VP of Design, Michael Blue as VP of Planning, and Sara Voelz as Principal Financial Officer. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; headcount sits in the 11-50 range with roughly 25 named professionals and associates. Geographic reach spans Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, with a Chicago-metro concentration. The firm is privately held with no external institutional investors, PE/VC ownership, or parent company identified.
Teska Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Teska Associates
- Legal name
- Teska Associates, Inc.
- Website
- https://teskaassociates.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Teska Associates is a privately held, Evanston, Illinois-based planning and landscape architecture firm founded in 1975, providing multidisciplinary community planning, engagement, economic development, and site design services primarily to municipal governments and select private developers across the U.S. Midwest.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Teska Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evanston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Teska Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Planning Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements with municipal clients, government agencies, and private sector developers for comprehensive plans, corridor studies, economic development strategies, landscape architecture, and community engagement services. Revenue generated through project-based contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Municipal and Government Planning Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Teska Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Teska Associates is a professional consulting firm that provides community planning, landscape architecture, urban design, and public engagement services. The firm delivers comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, design guidelines, site design, landscape architecture, economic development strategies, and community engagement facilitation to municipal governments, regional transportation authorities, private developers, healthcare systems, and educational institutions. Services are delivered through multidisciplinary project teams out of offices in Evanston and Plainfield, Illinois.
Product overview
Teska Associates is a professional services firm specializing in community planning, landscape architecture, urban design, and placemaking. Founded in 1975, the firm offers an integrated suite of services including Planning & Zoning, Engagement, Economic Development, Site Design, Community Development, Virtual Outreach, Land Planning, Public Places Design, and Landscape Architecture. Rather than a software platform, the firm operates as a consulting practice delivering projects and expertise directly to government clients, developers, and communities. The services work together as an interdisciplinary approach where planning informs design, engagement gathers community input, and economic development strategies provide the financial framework for implementation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Planning & Zoning Services
Companies that use Teska Associates
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Teska Associates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Teska Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.
- TYLincoreTeska worked with TYLin in association with Egret & Ox to develop the Transit-Friendly Communities Guide for the Regional Transportation Authority. TYLin provided transportation engineering expertise complementary to Teska's planning capabilities.
- Egret & OxcoreCollaborated with Teska and TYLin on the RTA Transit-Friendly Communities Guide project, providing specialized expertise in transit-oriented development planning.
- Spohn Ranch Skate Park DesignerscoreDesign partners for Evanston Skate Park project. Spohn Ranch provided specialized skate park design expertise while Teska led community engagement and overall project coordination.
- Christopher Burke EngineeringcoreEngineering partner on Evanston Skate Park project and Wilmette Ouilmette Way project. Provided civil engineering and structural engineering services for park and streetscape projects.
- Epstein GlobalkeyPartnered with Teska and Hoyle Consulting on the Decatur Jasper Street initiative to bring pedestrian and cyclist-focused approach to the auto-heavy corridor.
- Hoyle ConsultingkeyTransportation consulting partner with Teska and Epstein Global on Decatur Jasper Street 'Great Streets, Great Neighborhoods' Initiative.
- Baxter & WoodmankeyLong-standing partner with Teska on transportation planning projects including Plainfield Transportation and Mobility Plan (2023 update of successful 2013 plan).
- Village of WilmettekeyVillage government partnered with Teska on Ouilmette Way alley redesign project, including architectural review board and village council presentations.
- ALampminorGeneral contractor for Wilmette Ouilmette Way alley reconstruction project.
- Parvin Clauss Sign CompanyminorCustom sign fabrication partner for Ouilmette Way project including custom archway signs and commemorative plaques.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Teska Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Conservation Design Forum: Midwest-based landscape architecture and environmental planning firm. Comparable to Teska in serving Illinois municipalities with planning and landscape architecture services.
- Hitchcock Design Group: Chicago-based landscape architecture and planning firm serving Midwest municipalities. Direct regional competitor to Teska with overlapping service offerings and client types in the Illinois/Indiana market.
- Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects: Chicago-based landscape architecture firm with strong public-places portfolio. Regional peer competing for similar municipal, institutional, and developer clients in the Chicago metro area.
Broad incumbents
- AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with planning, urban design, and landscape architecture practices. Competes with Teska on larger integrated municipal projects and transit-oriented development engagements.
- Stantec: Global AEC firm with a substantial community development and landscape architecture practice. Overlaps with Teska in municipal planning, urban design, and parks/streetscape services but offers much broader portfolio and scale.
Direct peers
- Sasaki Associates: Multidisciplinary practice offering landscape architecture, urban planning, and architecture with a similar integrated planning-and-design model. Comparable to Teska in serving civic clients with community-scale projects, though typically on larger urban scales.
- SWA Group: International landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm with a similar integrated practice serving public sector clients. Direct competitor in community-scale planning, parks, and waterfront/regeneration projects.
- LandDesign: Multidisciplinary firm offering landscape architecture, planning, urban design, and civil engineering services to public and private clients. Highly comparable in service mix and client base to Teska.
- Andropogon Associates: Ecological landscape architecture and planning firm combining site design with environmental and community planning. Comparable to Teska in offering landscape architecture integrated with planning, with a similar project scale and multidisciplinary ethos.
Emerging players
- WATG: Urban design, planning, and architecture firm with a creative, design-led approach to community and resort planning. Comparable to Teska in offering integrated design services with an emphasis on placemaking, though with more hospitality and resort sector focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Teska Associates social profiles
Digital presenceTeska Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Teska Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Teska Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Teska Associates 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 Teska Associates
What does Teska Associates do?
Teska Associates is a professional consulting firm that provides community planning, landscape architecture, urban design, and public engagement services. The firm delivers comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, design guidelines, site design, landscape architecture, economic development strategies, and community engagement facilitation to municipal governments, regional transportation authorities, private developers, healthcare systems, and educational institutions. Services are delivered through multidisciplinary project teams out of offices in Evanston and Plainfield, Illinois.
Is Teska Associates a public or private company?
Teska Associates is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Teska Associates founded?
Teska Associates was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Teska Associates based?
Teska Associates is headquartered in Evanston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Teska Associates make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Planning Services.
Who are Teska Associates's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Conservation Design Forum, Hitchcock Design Group and Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects. Broad incumbents are AECOM and Stantec. Direct peers are Sasaki Associates, SWA Group, LandDesign and Andropogon Associates. WATG is listed as an emerging player.
Does Teska Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for Teska Associates.