Carlisle/Wortman Associates

What Carlisle/Wortman Associates does

Carlisle/Wortman Associates (CWA) is a private, employee-owned municipal planning and building department services firm headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 1988 by Richard K. Carlisle and R. Donald Wortman. The firm serves cities, villages, townships, and counties throughout Michigan with a portfolio of eight interconnected service lines: on-site planning department staffing, zoning administration, master planning, recreation and park plans, downtown development, special studies, environmental planning, and construction code services. CWA directs the planning function for 63+ communities and has authored or updated over 100 master plans for populations ranging from 350 to over 80,000 residents, with 22 professionals on staff (14 of whom hold AICP certification).

The firm's core technology stack is conventional professional services tooling rather than a software platform: Adobe Creative Suite for plan documents and public engagement materials, Microsoft Office, GIS systems, and BS&A municipal software. CWA's proprietary assets are codified domain knowledge rather than code: model landscape and site plan review ordinances that have been incorporated into the Michigan Association of Planning's Site Plan Review and Community Development Handbook and referenced in SEMCOG's Design Guidebook; a proprietary plan review tracking system; and a charrette-based community engagement approach trained via the National Charrette Institute. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Code Enforcement Services, extends the firm into building department management, plan reviews, and inspections across 16 communities and zoning enforcement across 10 communities.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through professional services contracts and on-site staffing engagements with municipal clients; pricing is quote-based, customized to community needs and budgets, and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is relationship-led and decades-long, supported by a marketing channel mix concentrated in industry conference presentations (APA, Planning Michigan, MML, MTA), association training programs, a content blog active since 2010, and thought-leadership op-eds in regional press. The firm is privately held with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing, no parent company, and no acquisition history.

Name

Carlisle/Wortman Associates

Legal name

Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Inc.

Website

https://cwaplan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carlisle/Wortman Associates is a private Michigan municipal planning and building department services firm that provides on-site planning staffing, zoning administration, master planning, and code enforcement to 70+ cities, villages, townships, and counties across the state, with 22 credentialed professionals and 35+ years of operation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Municipal Planning Services: Professional consulting services including master planning, zoning ordinance development, site plan review, and development consultation for municipal clients. Revenue generated through service contracts and project fees.
2. On-site Staffing Services: Providing planning department staffing to municipalities on a continuing services basis. The firm directs planning departments for communities, keeping office hours, attending meetings, and providing ongoing administrative support.
3. Construction Code Services: Building department services including plan review, inspections, and department administration for municipalities. The Construction Code Services division launched in 1999 provides building official services and staffing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carlisle/Wortman Associates is a private municipal planning firm that provides comprehensive planning, zoning, and building department services to cities, villages, townships, and counties throughout Michigan. The firm directs planning departments for more than 63 communities through on-site staffing, and delivers eight interconnected service lines: on-site staffing, zoning administration, master planning, recreation and park plans, downtown development, special studies, environmental planning, and construction code services. Services are sold on a project and continuing-services basis to more than 70 municipal clients.

Product overview

Carlisle/Wortman Associates is a multi-disciplinary municipal services firm providing planning and building department services to municipal clients throughout Michigan. The firm operates as a unified service portfolio rather than a software platform, offering eight interconnected service lines: Onsite Staffing, Zoning Administration, Master Planning, Recreation & Park Plans, Downtown Development, Special Studies, Environmental Planning, and Construction Code Services. These services work together to provide municipalities with comprehensive planning, zoning, code enforcement, and community development support, with staff serving as extended planning department personnel for client communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 master plans prepared for communities ranging from 350 to over 80,000 residents
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Code Enforcement ServicescoreOthersCode Enforcement Services is a subsidiary company of Carlisle/Wortman Associates that provides building department services to municipalities. Under leadership of Craig Strong, CES manages building departments for nine communities, conducts plan reviews and building inspections in 16, and enforces zoning in 10.
• Michigan Association of PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWA staff provide training for MAP and have four past presidents on staff. The firm contributes to MAP's Site Plan Review and Community Development Handbook with model ordinances. Staff serve as writers, speakers, and trainers.
• Michigan Municipal LeaguemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWA provides training for MML members. Staff conduct seminars on planning and zoning topics for MML.
• Michigan Township AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWA staff provide training sessions and educational content for MTA members on planning and zoning matters.
• American Planning AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWA staff participate in APA conferences and leadership. Dick Carlisle chaired APA's Chapter Presidents Council. Ben Carlisle served on AICP Board of Commissioners.
• Top Michigan Engineering and Testing FirmsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWhen communities need related services like engineering, testing or data crunching, CWA partners with top firms in Michigan to deliver comprehensive solutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Code Studio: Urban planning and coding consulting firm specializing in form-based codes and community planning. Direct peer in the specialized municipal planning and zoning ordinance space.
• The Corradino Group: Transportation, planning, and environmental consulting firm serving public agencies. Direct peer in the municipal planning consulting space with overlapping service offerings in master planning and community development.
• McKenna Associates: Northville, Michigan-based planning, landscape architecture, and engineering firm serving Southeast Michigan municipalities. Direct competitor offering master planning, zoning, and on-site staffing services to the same client base as CWA.
• Giffels Webster: Michigan-based consulting firm providing planning, engineering, and surveying services to municipal and private clients. Direct peer operating in the same Michigan municipal services market as Carlisle/Wortman.
• LSL Planning: Michigan-based planning consultancy serving communities with master planning, zoning, and community development services. Direct competitor in the same regional municipal planning market as CWA.

Broad incumbents

• Kimley-Horn: National planning, engineering, and design consulting firm with strong municipal practice. A broad incumbent offering competing planning and zoning services with deeper geographic reach and broader service portfolio.
• OHM Advisors: Michigan-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm. Multi-discipline incumbent competing with CWA in the Michigan municipal services market, particularly where planning services are bundled with engineering.
• Stantec: Global design and consulting firm with a large community development and urban planning practice. Competes with CWA on large municipal master planning and comprehensive plan engagements nationwide.
• Bergmann (now part of CHA Consulting): Michigan-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm. Larger multi-discipline incumbent that competes with CWA on broader municipal engagements, especially where engineering services are bundled with planning.

Emerging players

• PlaceMatters (now part of Conveyal): Urban planning and community engagement-focused firm that brings technology-enabled facilitation to municipal planning. Emerging player intersecting with CWA's charrette and community engagement approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cwaplan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Carlisle/Wortman Associates