JLA Public Involvement

What JLA Public Involvement does

JLA Public Involvement, Inc. is a private, women-owned public involvement consulting firm founded in 1988 by Jeanne Lawson and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with a regional office in Vancouver, Washington. The firm provides community engagement and public involvement services to public agencies, project delivery teams, and non-profit organizations primarily across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Its service portfolio spans nine practice areas: engagement strategy and process design, stakeholder insights and research, expert facilitation, strategic communications, online engagement, digital storytelling (in-house video production), public meetings and events, in-person outreach, and design and copywriting.

JLA's underlying technology stack combines digital engagement infrastructure with traditional facilitation expertise. Digital components include custom online open houses, social media campaigns, online surveys, e-newsletters, project websites, interactive storytelling modules, and map-based feedback tools. The firm operates an in-house video production capability covering strategy, scripting, filming, interviews, animation, post-production, captioning, and translation — a capability JLA describes as pioneering for the public involvement field. Multilingual engagement is delivered through bilingual staff covering Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

The business model is professional services: project-based, quote-based engagements with public agencies, typically structured as multi-year contracts tied to infrastructure, transportation, planning, and policy projects. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, leveraging the firm's 35+ year track record, IAP2 leadership positioning, and DBE/WBE/FSBE certifications that provide procurement advantages on public-sector RFPs. No standardized pricing tiers are publicly disclosed; revenue is not disclosed in source materials.

Name

JLA Public Involvement

Legal name

JLA Public Involvement, Inc.

Website

https://jla.us.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JLA Public Involvement is a women-owned public engagement consulting firm founded in 1988 that helps public agencies, project delivery teams, and non-profits design and run community involvement, stakeholder outreach, and digital storytelling programs across Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Involvement Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAAADAE

Public Affairs & Government Relations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications Agencies

SECONDARYBPAFADAO

Event PR & Communications Support

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications

Keywords

• Public involvement consulting
• Community engagement services
• Stakeholder outreach
• Public meeting facilitation
• Digital storytelling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Involvement Consulting Services: JLA generates revenue by providing consulting services to public agencies, helping them with community engagement, stakeholder outreach, and public involvement for infrastructure, planning, and government projects. Services are tailored to each project and typically involve long-term engagements spanning multiple years.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JLA Public Involvement is a consulting firm that delivers public involvement and community engagement services to public agencies, project delivery teams, and non-profits. Its offerings span engagement strategy, stakeholder research, third-party facilitation, strategic communications, online engagement tools, digital storytelling/video production, public meetings, in-person outreach, and design and copywriting—tailored to infrastructure, planning, and policy projects.

Product overview

JLA Public Involvement is a consulting firm offering a suite of public involvement and community engagement services. Their practice areas include Engagement Strategy and Process, Stakeholder Insights, Facilitation, Strategic Communications, Online Engagement, Digital Storytelling, Public Meetings and Events, In-person Engagement, and Design and Copywriting. These services are customized for each project and can be tailored to diverse projects and communities. JLA is not an advocate for specific outcomes but champions for fair and equitable processes that empower, educate, and involve communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Projects span multiple years with documented community engagement

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WTS Portland ChapterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJLA is a proud sponsor of the WTS Portland Chapter, an organization that supports and promotes the advancement of women in the transportation industry. This partnership supports JLA's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the transportation sector.
• International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLA's founder Jeanne Lawson is an establishing member of IAP2. The firm adheres to IAP2's core principle that those affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the process. JLA operates under professional standards set by this international organization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• MetroQuest: SaaS public engagement platform used by agencies for online open houses, surveys, and mapping; competes with the technology layer of JLA's online engagement offering.
• Bang the Table: Public engagement software platform (EngagementHQ) used by municipalities and transportation agencies; an indirect competitor to JLA's online engagement service line.

Broad incumbents

• Jacobs: Engineering and professional services firm providing public involvement, stakeholder engagement, and communications services as part of larger infrastructure programs.
• HDR: Large engineering, architecture, and consulting firm offering public engagement services for transportation, water, and community planning projects; competes for the same ODOT/WSDOT-adjacent RFPs as JLA.
• ICF: Global consultancy with a large public engagement and communications practice serving federal, state, and local agencies on infrastructure and environmental projects; a competitor for large-scale public involvement contracts.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure firm with community engagement capabilities embedded in its design and planning practices; competes as a prime that may bypass specialist firms like JLA.
• WSP: Global engineering and professional services firm with a dedicated Community Engagement practice; directly competes with JLA for transportation and infrastructure public involvement work in the Pacific Northwest as a prime or bundled subconsultant.
• Burns & McDonnell: Engineering firm with a national community engagement practice supporting transportation, water, and energy clients; competes in the same Pacific Northwest infrastructure RFP pool as JLA.

Direct peers

• Consensus Building Institute: Nonprofit mediation and public engagement consultancy serving infrastructure, environmental, and policy clients; comparable in mission, methodology, and stakeholder facilitation focus.
• Kearns & West: Specialist public involvement and consensus-building firm focused on transportation, water, and land use projects; the closest direct competitor in scale and service mix to JLA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jla-public-involvement
• Facebookfacebook.com/JLAPublicInvolvement

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 JLA Public Involvement