Brick & Story
Brick & Story is a Washington, DC-based planning consultancy founded in 2017 that provides community engagement, facilitation, creative storytelling, and planning policy support to municipalities, developers, BIDs, and planners shaping the built environment, with a focus on equity-centered engagement of historically underrepresented communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Brick & Story does
Brick & Story is a Washington, DC-based planning consultancy founded in 2017 by LaToya Thomas. The firm provides community engagement strategy and implementation, facilitation and convening, creative storytelling, and planning and policy support services to municipalities, for- and non-profit real estate developers, business improvement districts (BIDs), master planners, and other organizations shaping the built environment. Its methodology is anchored in Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Human-Centered Design, with explicit emphasis on equity, inclusion, and engagement of historically underrepresented communities including public housing residents, immigrant populations, and communities of color.
The company delivers four integrated core services (engagement strategy, facilitation, creative storytelling, planning/policy support) supported by community asset mapping and selective digital tooling, including the Housing Indicator Tool — a dashboard built for the Housing Association of Neighborhood Developers tracking regional rental housing production — and ESRI ArcGIS Story Maps for project visualization. Brick & Story typically operates as the community engagement subconsultant within broader planning teams led by firms such as AECOM, RHI, HR&A Advisors, Stantec, and SmithGroup.
The business model is project-based professional services consulting, with revenue generated through contract engagements rather than software licensing or subscription revenue. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, has not raised outside capital, and operates with a team of approximately 1–10 employees supplemented by a network of consultant partners. The customer base spans roughly 17+ named government and non-profit clients concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic region, with active projects extending into North Carolina and Virginia.
Brick & Story firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Brick & Story
- Legal name
- Brick & Story
- Website
- https://brickandstory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Brick & Story is a Washington, DC-based planning consultancy founded in 2017 that provides community engagement, facilitation, creative storytelling, and planning policy support to municipalities, developers, BIDs, and planners shaping the built environment, with a focus on equity-centered engagement of historically underrepresented communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Brick & Story industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Engagement Consulting
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Real Estate (6500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
Keywords
Where Brick & Story is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Brick & Story business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Brick & Story provides engagement strategy and implementation, facilitation and convening, creative storytelling, and planning and policy support services. Revenue is generated through professional consulting engagements with municipalities, developers, BIDs, and other organizations serving the built environment.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Brick & Story product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Brick & Story is a planning consultancy that provides community engagement strategy and implementation, facilitation and convening, creative storytelling, and planning and policy support services to municipalities, for- and non-profit real estate developers, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), master planners, and economic development consultants. The firm applies Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods and human-centered design approaches to engage diverse, historically underrepresented communities in shaping how neighborhoods grow, change, and prosper.
Product overview
Brick & Story is a planning consultancy that offers a unified portfolio of community engagement services rather than a software platform. The core offerings consist of four integrated service areas: Engagement Strategy and Implementation, Facilitation and Convening, Creative Storytelling, and Planning and Policy Support. Supporting these core services are specialized offerings including Community Asset Mapping and, notably, the Housing Indicator Tool—a digital dashboard product developed in partnership with Housing& that tracks regional rental housing production. The company also employs digital engagement tools such as ESRI ArcGIS Story Mapping for specific client projects. All services are delivered through human-centered approaches rooted in Participatory Action Research methods, with a particular focus on equity, inclusion, and bridging divides across diverse communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Engagement Strategy and Implementation Provides strategic community engagement planning and on-the-ground implementation services for municipalities, developers, BIDs, and other built environment organizations, including stakeholder mapping, outreach strategy development, and direct community engagement activities.
- Facilitation and Convening Facilitates small and large group sessions across lines of difference, designing and leading workshops, focus groups, community open houses, and stakeholder meetings to gather input and build consensus for planning and development clients.
- Creative Storytelling Develops narratives and branding schemes to uplift community stories, including logo and tagline development, graphic design support, and personal narrative collection and sharing for built environment projects.
- Planning and Policy Support Provides technical urban planning expertise including Participatory Action Research methods, data analysis, report writing, and policy support for comprehensive plans, zoning codes, and sector plans.
- Community Asset Mapping Helps communities identify existing neighborhood assets and design strategies to leverage those assets for community betterment, particularly meaningful in resource-poor communities with untapped assets.
- Housing Indicator Tool (HAND) A digital dashboard product developed in partnership with the Housing Association of Neighborhood Developers (HAND) that tracks annual production of rental housing across the DC metro region, providing policy direction, project management, and stakeholder convenings for annual updates.
Quantifiable outcome
- Supported more than 70 projects across 5 states and the District of Columbia since founding in 2017
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Brick & Story
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Brick & Story technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Brick & Story partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RHI (Renaissance Planning Group)coreBrick & Story frequently partners with RHI as the main community engagement lead on various planning projects including the Port Towns Sector Plan, Dix Edge Corridor Study, Westhaven Master Plan, and New Carrollton Connectivity Study. Brick & Story provides engagement strategy and implementation while RHI serves as lead master planner.
- HR&A AdvisorscoreBrick & Story works alongside HR&A Advisors on projects including the Charlottesville Comprehensive Plan update, Baltimore Emerging Technology Centers Strategic Plan, Hyattsville Crossing BID Formation, Arlington Homeownership Study, and Pathways to Inclusion report for DMPED.
- CodeStudiominorBrick & Story partnered with CodeStudio to support the City of Richmond's zoning ordinance update (Code Refresh), providing engagement strategy and services alongside code planning expertise.
- Brailsford & DunlaveyminorSupported Brick & Story on the Adams Morgan U. Street Library project, providing additional expertise for community engagement efforts.
- AECOMcoreBrick & Story is working with AECOM on multiple projects including Poplar Point Environmental Assessment and Master Plan (with DMPED and DC Office of Planning), DC 2050 Comprehensive Plan update, and Commemorate DC project.
- SmithGroupminorBrick & Story partnered with SmithGroup to provide community engagement services on Climate Ready DC and Resilient DC plan updates for DOEE and HSEMA.
- Ghost Note AgencyminorBrick & Story collaborated with Ghost Note Agency (DC-based digital media company) on the Park View Story Lab project and DC Green Bank outreach efforts, developing messaging and engagement content.
- Jon Stover & Associates (JS&A)minorBrick & Story worked alongside JS&A on Sudlersville Economic Development Study, Friendship Heights Market Snapshot, and Great Streets Stakeholder Engagement projects.
- Arnold Design StudiominorBrick & Story supported Arnold Design Studio on the Westhaven Master Plan in partnership with Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
- Delta AssociatesminorBrick & Story supported Delta Associates in providing stakeholder engagement services for the PG County Multicultural Center feasibility evaluation.
- Gehl StudiominorBrick & Story supported Gehl Studio's engagement efforts for the Columbia Heights/Mount Pleasant Public Life & Vending Study on behalf of the DC Office of Planning.
- StantecminorBrick & Story worked alongside Stantec on the S-Line Mobility Hub in Sanford, NC and other transportation planning projects including Durham Multimodal Resurfacing.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Brick & Story competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AECOM: Global infrastructure and planning consultancy that engages Brick & Story as engagement lead on DC 2050, Poplar Point, and Commemorate DC. Provides overlapping planning, community engagement, and policy services at much larger scale, often as the prime contractor.
- Stantec: Multi-disciplinary design and consulting firm that works alongside Brick & Story on the S-Line Mobility Hub and Durham multimodal projects. Offers broader planning and engineering services with in-house stakeholder engagement capabilities that overlap with Brick & Story's.
- Brailsford & Dunlavey: Program and project management consultancy supporting Brick & Story on the Adams Morgan/U Street Library engagement. Operates as a peer in facilities/community planning support with similar government and institutional client base.
- SmithGroup: Architecture, engineering, and planning firm that has partnered with Brick & Story on Climate Ready DC and Resilient DC. Provides planning and community engagement services as part of a much larger integrated practice.
Direct peers
- HR&A Advisors: Real estate and economic development consulting firm that often engages Brick & Story as the community engagement subconsultant (Charlottesville Comp Plan, BDC, Arlington Homeownership Study). Provides overlapping planning, policy, and stakeholder engagement services to municipalities and developers.
- Jon Stover & Associates (JS&A): Small Mid-Atlantic planning and economic development consultancy that has collaborated with Brick & Story on Sudlersville, Friendship Heights, and Great Streets projects. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and project types (sector plans, corridor studies, stakeholder engagement).
- CodeStudio: Zoning and code planning consultancy partnered with Brick & Story on the City of Richmond's zoning ordinance update. Comparable-sized firm offering technical planning and engagement services to municipal clients in similar project types.
- Hester Street: Urban planning and community development nonprofit consultancy focused on equity, affordable housing, and inclusive engagement in NYC and beyond. Comparable mission, methodology, and client base (low-income communities, municipalities, developers) to Brick & Story.
- Gehl Studio: Human-centered urban design and public life consultancy with a similar emphasis on community-driven engagement. Brick & Story has supported Gehl on Columbia Heights/Mount Pleasant Vending Study, indicating comparable methodology and overlapping client base.
- RHI (Renaissance Planning Group): Urban planning and engagement consultancy frequently co-engaged with Brick & Story (Port Towns, Westhaven, New Carrollton). Operates as a peer master planner that also runs participatory planning processes, often in the same DC/Mid-Atlantic market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Brick & Story social profiles
Digital presenceBrick & Story financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Brick & Story leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Brick & Story funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Brick & Story 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 Brick & Story
What does Brick & Story do?
Brick & Story is a planning consultancy that provides community engagement strategy and implementation, facilitation and convening, creative storytelling, and planning and policy support services to municipalities, for- and non-profit real estate developers, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), master planners, and economic development consultants. The firm applies Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods and human-centered design approaches to engage diverse, historically underrepresented communities in shaping how neighborhoods grow, change, and prosper.
Is Brick & Story a public or private company?
Brick & Story is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Brick & Story founded?
Brick & Story was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Brick & Story based?
Brick & Story is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Brick & Story make money?
One revenue line is on record: consulting Services.
Who are Brick & Story's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AECOM, Stantec, Brailsford & Dunlavey and SmithGroup. Direct peers are HR&A Advisors, Jon Stover & Associates (JS&A), CodeStudio, Hester Street, Gehl Studio and RHI (Renaissance Planning Group).
Does Brick & Story have an API?
No public API is recorded for Brick & Story.
What industry is Brick & Story in?
Brick & Story's product category is Community Engagement Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning. Its SIC code is 8742.