What Live Oak Associates does

Live Oak Associates, Inc. is a California-based ecological consulting firm that provides biological studies, conservation planning, permitting support, and GIS/spatial analysis to public agencies and private developers across the state. The firm originated in 1995 as Hartesveldt Ecological Consulting, was co-founded in its current form by Dr. Rick Hopkins and David Hartesveldt in June 2000, and operates from three California offices (Oakhurst headquarters, San Jose, and South Lake Tahoe) with a team of more than 30 biologists ranging from field technicians to doctoral-level scientists.

The firm's service offering is organized into four practice areas: Biological Studies & Surveys (protocol-level surveys for special status species, habitat assessments), Conservation & Restoration (mitigation bank planning, habitat restoration), Permitting & Regulatory Compliance (USFWS Biological Opinions, CDFW Incidental Take Permits, Clean Water Act permits, CEQA/NEPA support), and Cartography, GIS & Spatial Analysis. A core differentiator is the firm's holding of ESA Section 10(a)(1)(A) Recovery Permits and California Department of Fish and Wildlife Scientific Collecting Permits for protected species such as vernal pool branchiopods and the California tiger salamander, which gate access to high-value regulatory work.

Commercially, Live Oak is a private, founder-led professional services firm. It generates revenue on a project-by-project basis through direct sales engagement (no disclosed pricing model), segments customers between public sector organizations (government agencies, water districts, public universities, tribes) and private developers/solar/energy clients, and has completed more than 4,000 projects for 1,200+ clients since inception. The firm has no outside institutional investors and is identified as a California Certified Small Business.

Name

Live Oak Associates

Legal name

Live Oak Associates, Inc.

Website

https://loainc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Live Oak Associates is a California-based ecological consulting firm providing biological studies, permitting, conservation planning, and GIS services to public agencies and private developers across the state from offices in Oakhurst, San Jose, and South Lake Tahoe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakhurst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ecological Consulting Services: Professional consulting services including biological studies and surveys, natural resources permit applications, habitat management and mitigation planning, construction and mitigation monitoring, and regulatory compliance services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Live Oak Associates is an ecological consulting firm that delivers a unified suite of biological consulting services organized around four core service areas: Biological Studies & Surveys (special status species surveys and habitat assessments), Conservation & Restoration (conservation/mitigation bank planning, habitat restoration), Permitting & Regulatory Compliance (USFWS Biological Opinions, CDFW Incidental Take Permits, Clean Water Act permits), and Cartography, GIS & Spatial Analysis. Services are sold on a project-by-project basis to public agencies, private developers, and conservation organizations throughout California.

Product overview

Live Oak Associates offers a unified suite of ecological consulting services organized around four core service areas. The Biological Studies & Surveys service forms the foundation, providing field survey and assessment capabilities for special status species and habitats. Conservation & Restoration builds upon this by offering mitigation bank planning and habitat enhancement. Permitting & Regulatory Compliance leverages survey data to secure necessary environmental permits. Cartography, GIS & Spatial Analysis provides the technical mapping and spatial analysis infrastructure that supports all other services, enabling clients to visualize and analyze environmental data for informed land use decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biological Studies & Surveys

Named customers12 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bureau of ReclamationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLive Oak Associates works closely with the Bureau of Reclamation on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, conducting focused surveys and monitoring for sensitive species in support of the program's EIS/R and Biological Opinion requirements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WRA (Wahlberg Reynolds Wrigley & Associates): California-headquartered environmental consulting firm offering biological surveys, CEQA/NEPA support, permitting, and habitat restoration. Direct competitor on public-sector infrastructure and development projects throughout Northern California.
• H.T. Harvey & Associates: California-based ecological consulting firm of comparable size and service mix (biological surveys, habitat restoration, permitting). Closest direct peer — multiple Live Oak staff previously worked at H.T. Harvey, and both serve Bay Area and Central Valley clients with similar end markets.
• Aspen Environmental Group: California-based environmental consulting firm specializing in biological assessments, CEQA/NEPA documentation, and permitting for infrastructure and energy clients. Direct overlap on public-sector project portfolio.
• Rincon Consultants: California-focused environmental planning and biological resources consulting firm. Comparable in size and service scope; competes on similar municipal and private development CEQA/NEPA work.
• Dudek: California environmental and engineering consulting firm with strong CEQA/NEPA, biological resources, and permitting practices. Competes head-to-head on municipal water, transportation, and energy projects across California.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global engineering and environmental services firm. Competes as a prime contractor on the largest California infrastructure and water programs, often sub-contracting biological work to specialty firms like Live Oak.
• ICF International: Large diversified advisory firm with substantial environmental and regulatory practices. Wins mega-projects (high-speed rail, large-scale water programs) where scale and federal contracting infrastructure dominate.
• Environmental Science Associates (ESA): California-based environmental planning and engineering firm with biological resources practice. Competes on mixed-use development, transportation, and water infrastructure CEQA/NEPA projects.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: National environmental consulting firm with strong California practice. Competes on larger infrastructure and renewables projects where national scale and multi-office coverage are procurement advantages.

Regional players

• LSA Associates: California-headquartered environmental and transportation consulting firm. Comparable Southern/Central California footprint with overlapping biological resources and CEQA practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/liveoakassociatesinc

Compliance4 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 Live Oak Associates