Catalyst Partners

What Catalyst Partners does

Catalyst Partners is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based sustainability and building performance consulting firm founded in 2002 by Keith Winn, a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council. The firm operates four core service lines: Sustainability Consulting (feasibility, integrative design, owner's project requirements, carbon accounting, utility incentive strategy), Building Certification (LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, Enterprise Green Communities, SITES, TRUE Zero Waste), Building Performance Consulting (commissioning, retro-commissioning, ASHRAE energy audits, energy and daylight modeling, HERS rater modeling, ENERGY STAR benchmarking), and Building Performance Verification (WELL Performance Verification, blower door, infrared thermography, IAQ, water quality, light quality, and acoustics testing). The firm's own LEED Double Platinum, Zero Net Energy headquarters at 502 Second Street NW serves as a live demonstration and R&D site for the services it sells.

Catalyst Partners serves four primary customer personas on a horizontal basis: developers, building owners, architects and engineers, and construction managers. The revenue model is professional services: project-based, tailored engagements priced via direct inquiry rather than published rate cards, with no subscription or productized offering. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, anchored on direct outreach, referrals, content marketing (client stories, blog articles, annual impact reports), and the firm's deep credentialed bench spanning PEs, BEMPs, LEED APs, WELL Faculty, and BCxP/BECxP commissioning providers. The firm is employee-owned with 53% women ownership, B Corp certified, JUST 3.0 labeled, and WBE/WOSB certified as of January 2026.

In February 2025 Catalyst Partners merged with Energy Studio, an Omaha-based energy modeling firm founded in 2010 by Amanda Bogner (now ASHRAE Fellow), adding a second office and materially expanding energy modeling, integrative design, and 179D tax deduction capabilities. The combined firm operates from Grand Rapids, MI and Omaha, NE, with active project work spanning Michigan, the broader Midwest, Colorado, and Texas.

Name

Catalyst Partners

Legal name

Catalyst Partners

Website

https://catalyst-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catalyst Partners is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based sustainability and building performance consulting firm serving developers, building owners, architects and engineers, and construction managers across the Midwest with green building certification, commissioning, energy modeling, and building performance verification services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability and Building Performance Consulting

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability, ESG & Climate Risk Advisory (BPAHAJAH), Standards, Certification & Compliance (RECs/GOs, sustainability reporting) (EUAMANAJ)

Keywords

• Green building consulting
• LEED certification management
• Building commissioning services
• Energy modeling consulting
• Sustainability advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sustainability and Building Performance Consulting Services: Catalyst Partners generates revenue through professional consulting engagements, including sustainability consulting, green building certification management, building performance consulting, commissioning, and building performance verification. Services are project-based and tailored to developers, building owners, architects, engineers, and construction managers. No subscription, freemium, or usage-based models are described.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Catalyst Partners delivers project-based sustainability and building performance consulting through four core service areas: Sustainability Consulting, Building Certification (LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, Enterprise Green Communities, SITES, TRUE Zero Waste), Building Performance Consulting (commissioning, energy and daylight modeling, ASHRAE audits, code compliance, ENERGY STAR benchmarking), and Building Performance Verification (WELL Performance Verification, blower door, HERS, thermography, IAQ/water/light testing). Services are delivered by credentialed expert teams for developers, building owners, architects, engineers, and construction managers across the project lifecycle from planning through operations.

Product overview

Catalyst Partners is a building performance and sustainability consulting firm offering four core service areas: Sustainability Consulting, Building Certification, Building Performance Consulting, and Building Performance Verification. The firm specializes in guiding clients through green building certification programs including LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, Enterprise Green Communities, SITES, and TRUE Zero Waste. In February 2025, the company expanded its capabilities by acquiring Energy Studio, a complementary energy modeling firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, strengthening its whole-building energy analysis and life cycle cost analysis offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sustainability Consulting
• Building Certification
• Building Performance Consulting
• Building Performance Verification
• Energy Studio Energy Modeling Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Ferris State University Early Learning Center achieved 33.3% energy cost reduction and 100% outdoor water use reduction
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Energy StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Energy Studio, founded in 2010 by Amanda Bogner in Omaha, Nebraska, was a long-time trusted energy modeling partner of Catalyst Partners. In February 2025, the two firms merged, with Energy Studio becoming part of Catalyst Partners. Amanda Bogner (President of Energy Studio) became Vice President of Catalyst Partners. The merger strengthened Catalyst Partners' energy modeling expertise and expanded its footprint to Omaha, NE. The combined firm now offers enhanced energy modeling services, broader sustainability consulting, and continued expansion across the Midwest and nationally.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Elementa Consulting: Elementa is a sustainability and building performance consultancy delivering LEED certification, commissioning, energy modeling, and decarbonization advisory to developers and institutional clients in North America.
• Atelier Ten: Atelier Ten is a specialist sustainability and building physics engineering consultancy serving architects and developers on LEED, WELL, and high-performance projects. It is a direct peer to Catalyst Partners in scope, methodology, and client base.
• Paladino and Company: Paladino is a sustainability strategy and green building consulting firm advising real estate developers, institutional owners, and corporations on LEED, ENERGY STAR, and decarbonization programs.
• BranchPattern: BranchPattern is a sustainability consulting firm focused on LEED certification management, energy modeling, and high-performance building advisory. It serves architects, owners, and developers on certification-driven projects, directly mirroring Catalyst's core offerings.
• Green Building Services: Green Building Services is a Pacific Northwest-based green building consultancy offering LEED certification, energy modeling, commissioning, and sustainability advisory to developers, architects, and institutional owners.
• Transsolar: Transsolar is a specialist climate engineering and energy modeling consultancy delivering integrative design, energy simulation, and high-performance building advisory. Its focus on physics-based modeling closely mirrors the Energy Studio capabilities Catalyst acquired.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Arup is a global engineering and design consultancy with a substantial sustainability practice offering LEED certification, energy modeling, and ESG advisory. Its scale and breadth exceed Catalyst's, but it competes for the same institutional and developer-led sustainability mandates.
• Buro Happold: Buro Happold is a global engineering consultancy with a sustainability practice spanning LEED, WELL, energy modeling, and decarbonization advisory. It competes with Catalyst on complex projects but as part of a broader engineering portfolio rather than a focused green building niche.
• WSP: WSP is a global professional services firm with a deep sustainability and built-environment practice covering LEED, WELL, energy, and decarbonization consulting. It competes with Catalyst on enterprise-scale sustainability mandates while delivering far broader services.
• ME Engineers: ME Engineers is a multi-discipline MEP and sustainability engineering firm delivering high-performance building design, commissioning, and energy services. It overlaps with Catalyst on commissioning and energy modeling but operates at significantly larger scale across more verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catalyst-partners
• Xx.com/catalystpntrs

Compliance18 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Catalyst Partners