What DeerStone Consulting does

DeerStone Consulting is a privately held professional services firm founded in 2015 and headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. The company provides end-to-end infrastructure consulting to Alaska's rural and Tribal communities, spanning energy systems (solar PV, battery storage, wind, biomass, microgrids, diesel displacement), broadband deployment, water and sanitation, community facilities, and climate adaptation planning. Service deliverables include technical and economic feasibility analysis, conceptual design, grant writing, owner's representation, construction oversight, and post-construction operations support.

The firm's core team consists of approximately 15 professionals — three co-owners (Dr. Brian Hirsch, Devany Plentovich, Tashina Duttle) plus senior engineers, project managers, a tribal engagement lead, a senior consultant, a federal funding navigator, and a grant writer — supplemented by a flexible network of subconsultants. This lean-in-core, broad-in-network structure allows DeerStone to scale into complex projects while maintaining the agility that, per the founders, larger consulting entities lack for rural/Tribal engagement.

Commercially, DeerStone operates as a professional services firm on a project-based, quote-based fee model with no publicly disclosed pricing. It has secured over $550 million in competitive grant funding on behalf of clients since founding, including a $68.5M NTIA Tribal Broadband Connectivity award for NANA Regional Corporation, a $35M fiber broadband grant for Tanana Chiefs Conference, and supporting roles on 4 of 5 selected Alaska projects under DOE's $125M Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations program. Customers are concentrated in Alaska Native corporations, federally recognized Tribal governments, regional boroughs, and Tribal consortia. The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with federal agencies (DOE, NREL, NTIA) functioning as channel partners and referral sources; there is no software product, API, or AI/ML component to the offering.

Name

DeerStone Consulting

Legal name

DeerStone Consulting

Website

https://deerstoneconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DeerStone Consulting is an Anchorage-based professional services firm that provides end-to-end infrastructure consulting — energy, broadband, water/sanitation, and community facilities — to Alaska's rural and Tribal communities, securing over $550M in competitive federal grants since 2015.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infrastructure Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK), Intergovernmental Affairs & Federal Grants Administration (BPAIAAAC), Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Rural infrastructure consulting
• Energy project development
• Tribal broadband consulting
• Microgrid engineering
• Federal grant writing

Headquarters

HQ city

Anchorage

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Infrastructure Consulting Services: DeerStone generates revenue through professional consulting services including project development, technical analysis, economic analysis, grant writing, project management, and owner's representation. The company serves as a trusted advisor to rural and Tribal communities, charging fees for services that span the entire lifecycle of infrastructure development from concept and feasibility studies through construction support and post-construction services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DeerStone Consulting is a professional services firm that develops energy, broadband, water/sanitation, community facility, and climate resilience infrastructure projects for Alaska's rural and Tribal communities. The firm provides full-lifecycle consulting services — concept and feasibility studies, economic and technical analysis, grant writing, owner's representation, project management, and post-construction operations support. Its team includes engineers, technical experts, project managers, and grant writers who secure competitive federal and state funding for client projects.

Product overview

DeerStone Consulting is a consulting services firm offering a portfolio of infrastructure development services for Alaska's rural and Tribal communities. The core offerings include Energy Projects Consulting (project development, technical/economic analysis, grant writing, construction support, and post-construction services), Broadband Infrastructure Consulting, Water and Sanitation Consulting, Community Facilities Consulting, and Climate Adaptation Planning. The firm does not offer a software product but provides end-to-end consulting services spanning the entire project lifecycle from concept and feasibility studies through grant application development, construction oversight, and operations support. DeerStone also specializes in developing Tribal Independent Power Producers to enable communities to own and operate renewable energy assets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Energy Projects Consulting Comprehensive energy project development services spanning technical analysis, economic analysis, conceptual design, equipment selection, grant writing, and post-construction support including operations, maintenance, troubleshooting, and local training. Targets Alaska rural and Tribal communities seeking renewable energy and microgrid infrastructure.
• Broadband Infrastructure Consulting Project development strategy, technical contractor selection (feasibility and preliminary design), grant writing strategy and execution, and post-award project management support for broadband deployment in rural communities. Supports fiber-based middle-mile/last-mile broadband and digital equity planning for Tribal and rural clients.
• Water and Sanitation Consulting Specialized support for communities developing water and sanitation projects not eligible for traditional funding, including smaller upgrade projects and aging infrastructure improvements. Serves Tribal and rural water/wastewater utilities and municipal clients.
• Community Facilities Consulting Development support for housing projects, building rehabilitation (VPSO and storage), and new community facility construction for rural and Tribal communities. Includes owner's representation and project management through construction.
• Climate Adaptation and Resilience Planning Planning services for climate adaptation, resilience strategies, community wildfire protection, and digital equity initiatives. Includes EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant planning across multiple communities.
• Tribal Independent Power Producer (Tribal IPP) Development Assistance in developing Independent Power Producers for Tribal communities, supporting long-term operations and maintenance for renewable energy projects. Enables Tribes to own and operate renewable energy assets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $550 million in competitive grant funding secured for transformative infrastructure projects across rural and Tribal Alaska
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

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

• NANA Regional CorporationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDeerStone provided grant writing services to NANA Regional Corporation which resulted in a $68.5MM grant award from NTIA's Tribal Broadband Connectivity program to serve all communities in the Northwest Arctic Borough with high-speed broadband.
• Tanana Chiefs ConferencecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDeerStone provided project development and grant writing to secure a $35MM grant to install fiber-based broadband to Venetie, Chalkyitsik, and Circle. Also supported approximately $400,000 in Broadband Technical Assistance and various energy infrastructure projects.
• Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported BBNA in securing approximately $500,000 in Broadband Technical Assistance awards. Partnered with BBNA, Kawerak and The Kuskokwim Corporation for EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning covering approximately 50 communities.
• SALMONet (Bristol Bay Tribal Consortium)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupported SALMONet, a consortium of Tribes, in securing $8MM in Planning and Development funding to support the buildout of broadband infrastructure to serve 16 Tribes with high speed, affordable broadband services.
• Native Village of Kluti KaahmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDeerStone is working with the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah, a federally recognized tribal government in the Ahtna region near Glennallen, Alaska, on several infrastructure and community development projects including preliminary design, equipment selection, and construction project management.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Brian Hirsch acts as Senior Project Leader for NREL. The company has worked with NREL on grid-scale battery energy storage workshops in Alaska and abroad, and START program development. Dr. Levi Kilcher was formerly lead scientist for marine energy resource characterization at NREL.
• U.S. Department of EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeerStone supported 4 out of 5 projects funded by DOE's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations $125M program for clean energy deployment in Rural & Tribal communities in Alaska. Dr. Levi Kilcher was formerly Energy Advisor to DOE's Arctic Energy Office. Dr. Hirsch received NREL Achievement Award for START program under DOE.
• U.S. Forest Service Woody Biomass Technical Support TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevany Plentovich is a member of the United States Forest Service's Woody Biomass Technical Support Team where she works with public and private sector facility owners to evaluate and develop community scale projects that use woody biomass for heat and power.
• Northern Latitudes PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Western Alaska Federal Funding Navigator role, working with DeerStone Consulting and Igiugig Village Council to enhance grant-seeking capabilities for Tribes and Tribal organizations.
• Igiugig Village CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Western Alaska Federal Funding Navigator role, working with DeerStone Consulting and Northern Latitudes Partnership to support Western Alaska Tribes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RESPEC: Mid-sized engineering and consulting firm with energy, water, and infrastructure practices serving Tribal, federal, and remote-community clients nationally. Comparable on technical depth in renewable energy and rural infrastructure, with significantly broader geographic reach.

Others

• Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP): University of Alaska Fairbanks research center conducting applied energy research for Alaska's remote grids. Comparable on Arctic energy expertise and serves as DeerStone's research partner; differs in being non-commercial/academic rather than consulting-led.
• Northern Latitudes Partnership: Alaska-based collaborative partnership providing capacity-building, grant navigation, and program support to Tribal communities. Collaborates with DeerStone via the Western Alaska Federal Funding Navigator role; more program-administrative than technical consulting.

Direct peers

• Brice Engineering LLC: Anchorage-based engineering firm serving rural Alaska with surveying, civil, and structural services. Comparable Alaska rural infrastructure focus with similar small-firm character; narrower scope than DeerStone but overlapping on community facilities and water/sanitation.
• CRW Engineering Group: Anchorage-based multi-discipline engineering firm providing planning, design, and construction services across energy, water, transportation, and community facilities in rural Alaska. Directly comparable on technical service offerings and geographic focus, with greater in-house engineering capacity but less grant-writing specialization.
• HDL Engineering Consultants: Anchorage-based engineering firm with extensive rural Alaska portfolio spanning water/wastewater, energy, and community facilities. Comparable in technical scope and Alaska footprint; differs in being more design-and-build focused versus DeerStone's grant-writing and owner's-representation emphasis.
• Agnew::Beck Consulting: Alaska-based management and policy consulting firm serving Tribal, state, and municipal clients. Most comparable peer given shared Alaska focus, Tribal client base, and management consulting delivery model — though Agnew::Beck skews more toward policy and planning rather than engineering-led infrastructure development.

Regional players

• Information Insights: Anchorage-based research and evaluation firm serving Alaska Native, Tribal, and rural clients. Comparable on Tribal community focus and research/evaluation services; less overlap on energy engineering and infrastructure development.
• McKinley Research Group: Alaska-based research and consulting firm providing economic analysis, planning, and policy studies for public and Tribal clients. Comparable in Alaska focus and Tribal client base, but more research/analytical rather than implementation-focused.

Emerging players

• Native American Finance Office / Strategic Energy Initiatives: Tribal-focused consulting and advisory firm providing energy project development, financial structuring, and grant support to Native American and Alaska Native communities. Comparable on Tribal energy focus and grant advisory model; serves Lower 48 Tribes as well.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 DeerStone Consulting