Ethos Collaborative
Ethos Collaborative is a Pittsburgh-based civil and ecological engineering consultancy specializing in green stormwater infrastructure and sustainable urban design. The founder-owned firm serves municipal agencies, community organizations, and institutional clients across Pennsylvania.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersPittsburgh, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ethos Collaborative does
Ethos Collaborative is a civil and ecological engineering consultancy founded in 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as Urban Rain Studio by Damon Weiss, with co-founder Barton Kirk joining shortly thereafter and prompting a rebrand to the current name. Operating as a small, founder-owned, bootstrapped firm of approximately six team members, the company specializes in green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), sustainable urban design, and ecological engineering for government and municipal agencies, community organizations, institutional clients, and urban developers. The firm maintains a secondary office in Philadelphia and pursues long-tenure relationships with regional public-sector clients rather than external capital.
The firm's core technical capabilities span green infrastructure design — including permeable pavement systems, rain gardens, green streets, urban parklets, and integrated stormwater management — supported by a technology stack that combines GIS, real-time GSI performance monitoring, and machine learning/AI methodologies within its design toolbox. Visible project work includes a $2.4 million permeable parking lot at South Park, the Oakwood and Batavia Green Streets project, rain gardens at the Crescent Early Childhood Center, and the Lawn and Ophelia Parklet. Key institutional clients include the City of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN), Allegheny County, and Carnegie Library, alongside repeat engagements with watershed organizations such as Nine Mile Run Watershed.
Ethos Collaborative operates on a project-based professional services model, generating revenue through engineering design contracts, construction oversight, and consulting engagements with public-sector and institutional clients. The firm is bootstrapped with no external funding and relies on long-term municipal relationships rather than acquisition-driven or capital-intensive expansion. As of March 2025 the firm is actively hiring, signaling an ongoing organizational expansion phase.
Ethos Collaborative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ethos Collaborative
- Legal name
- Ethos Collaborative
- Website
- https://ethoscollaborative.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ethos Collaborative is a Pittsburgh-based civil and ecological engineering consultancy specializing in green stormwater infrastructure and sustainable urban design. The founder-owned firm serves municipal agencies, community organizations, and institutional clients across Pennsylvania.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ethos Collaborative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil and Ecological Engineering Consulting
- NAICS
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ), Urban Flood Resilience & Adaptation Planning (Climate, Nature-Based Solutions) (EUANAEAJ), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
Keywords
Where Ethos Collaborative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pittsburgh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ethos Collaborative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Engineering and Design Consulting Services: Professional consulting services providing civil and ecological engineering design, green infrastructure design, stormwater master planning, water policy advising, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, watershed management, stream and habitat restoration, and landscape architecture services. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements with government agencies, municipalities, and community organizations.
- Sustainability and Energy Consulting: Energy-related consulting services including regional energy baseline analysis, energy efficiency planning, sustainability analysis, life cycle assessments, and climate change mitigation and adaptation consulting.
- Grant Writing and Outreach Services: Grant writing support, community visioning events, design charrettes facilitation, workshops and training related to resilient site and green infrastructure design, policy and maintenance.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels11 records
Ethos Collaborative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ethos Collaborative provides civil and ecological engineering design and consulting services focused on green infrastructure, water resources, and sustainable urban infrastructure solutions. Service offerings span green infrastructure design, stormwater master planning, watershed management, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, stream and habitat restoration, energy and climate consulting, resilient site design and landscape architecture, urban agriculture planning, GIS and hydroinformatics, and grant writing and community outreach support for municipalities and community organizations.
Product overview
Ethos Collaborative is a civil and ecological engineering design and consulting firm offering six integrated service categories: Water and Ecology, Energy and Climate, Resilient Site Design, Urban Agriculture, GIS and Intelligent Cities, and Outreach and Grants. The firm applies a triple bottom line sustainability approach (social, environmental, and economic) to address urban infrastructure challenges in the Pittsburgh region. Their design toolbox incorporates advanced technologies including GIS, real-time sensing, data visualization, machine learning, and artificial intelligence methodologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water and Ecology Services Water resources and ecological engineering services including green infrastructure design, stormwater master planning, water policy advising, hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) analysis, watershed management, wet weather CSO/SSO remediation, stream and habitat restoration, and GIS and hydroinformatics. Delivered to government agencies, municipalities, and watershed organizations.
- Energy and Climate Services Holistic energy and climate consulting including regional energy baseline analysis, energy efficiency planning, sustainability analysis, life cycle assessments, and climate change mitigation and adaptation consulting for site-related infrastructure, institutional operations, and regional community patterns.
- Resilient Site Design Context-sensitive, regenerative and community-focused design services including site design, planning, landscape architecture, 3D and graphic rendering, net zero water design, land development, and environmental permitting for municipal, institutional, and community clients.
- Urban Agriculture Services Urban agriculture consulting including site feasibility assessment, water harvesting and irrigation design, site/greenhouse/compost facilities design, permaculture consulting, and regulatory permitting for developers and community clients.
- GIS and Intelligent Cities Innovative technology-enabled design services including web and mobile application design, real-time sensing and performance monitoring, geographic information systems (GIS), data visualization, machine learning, and artificial intelligence methodologies applied to the built environment. The firm is actively seeking research partners for data sharing initiatives.
- Outreach and Grants Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Capture over 325,000 gallons of stormwater annually through combined green infrastructure projects
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ethos Collaborative
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ethos Collaborative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Ethos Collaborative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Nine Mile Run Watershed AssociationcoreOngoing collaborative partnership on green infrastructure projects including the Oakwood & Batavia Green Streets project. Worked together with City of Pittsburgh, PWSA, and ALCOSAN on stormwater management projects in the Nine Mile Run watershed.
- Studio for Spatial PracticecoreSubconsultant partnership on the Lawn & Ophelia Parklet project providing landscape architecture services as part of the design team.
- AWK Consulting EngineerscoreSubconsultant partnership providing geotechnical, environmental, and utility coordination services on the Lawn & Ophelia Parklet project.
- Sci-Tek ConsultantscoreSubconsultant partnership providing topographical and boundary survey services on the Lawn & Ophelia Parklet project.
- Alpine AlleghenycoreSubconsultant partnership providing cost estimating, constructability review, and specifications support on the Lawn & Ophelia Parklet project.
- StormworkscoreCollaborative partner on the Crescent Early Childhood Center Rain Gardens project, working on implementation and monitoring of green infrastructure systems.
- Operation Better BlockcoreCommunity partnership providing community input, feedback, and volunteer-driven implementation through their Junior Green Corp Program on the Crescent Early Childhood Center project.
- Landbase SystemscoreCollaborated on site and design of the Oakwood & Batavia Green Streets project, providing technical expertise for green infrastructure implementation.
- Allegheny County Parks FoundationcoreFunding partner for South Park permeable parking lot project. Received Growing Greener Grant from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to support project design costs.
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)coreProvided Growing Greener Grant funding for South Park permeable parking lot project through Allegheny County Parks Foundation.
- Pittsburgh Water and Sewer AuthoritycoreLong-term maintenance partner on Crescent Early Childhood Center Rain Gardens project; collaborated on green infrastructure projects including Lawn & Ophelia Parklet and Oakwood & Batavia Green Streets.
- Michael Facchiano Contracting, Inc.minorConstruction contractor for South Park permeable parking lot project, responsible for demolition and construction of the 2.5-acre permeable parking facility.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ethos Collaborative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ethos Collaborative social profiles
Digital presenceEthos Collaborative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ethos Collaborative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Ethos Collaborative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ethos Collaborative 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 Ethos Collaborative
What does Ethos Collaborative do?
Ethos Collaborative provides civil and ecological engineering design and consulting services focused on green infrastructure, water resources, and sustainable urban infrastructure solutions. Service offerings span green infrastructure design, stormwater master planning, watershed management, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, stream and habitat restoration, energy and climate consulting, resilient site design and landscape architecture, urban agriculture planning, GIS and hydroinformatics, and grant writing and community outreach support for municipalities and community organizations.
Is Ethos Collaborative a public or private company?
Ethos Collaborative is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ethos Collaborative founded?
Ethos Collaborative was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ethos Collaborative based?
Ethos Collaborative is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ethos Collaborative make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Engineering and Design Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are sustainability and Energy Consulting and grant Writing and Outreach Services.
Does Ethos Collaborative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ethos Collaborative.
What industry is Ethos Collaborative in?
Ethos Collaborative's product category is Civil and Ecological Engineering Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAD, Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAJAJ, Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance. Its NAICS code is 5413 and its SIC code is 8711.