Cms Collaborative

Name

Cms Collaborative

Legal name

CMS Collaborative, Inc.

Website

https://cms-collaborative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Design Services

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Features Design & Installation (Ponds, Fountains, Waterfalls) (HSAIABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Water feature design
• Fountain engineering
• Design consulting
• Construction documents
• Landscape architecture services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Design Consulting Services: CMS Collaborative generates revenue through providing professional design consulting services including consultation, design development, construction document production, and construction administration for water feature projects. As a design consultancy, they do not provide installation services, component supply, or proprietary designs. Revenue comes from fees for professional services rendered to landscape architects and architects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

CMS Collaborative operates exclusively as a water feature design consultancy, providing consultation, design development, comprehensive construction document production (including biddable fountain plumbing and electrical drawings and specifications), and construction administration services to landscape architects and architects. The firm does not provide installation services, component supply, or proprietary designs, but rather acts as an independent consultant and advocate for its architect clients on fountains, waterwalls, jets, pools, streams, cascades, scrims, and mist/fog systems.

Product overview

CMS Collaborative is a water feature design consultancy that operates exclusively as a design consultant, producing comprehensive construction documents (plumbing and electrical drawings and specifications) for architects and landscape architects. The company offers a structured service portfolio consisting of Consultation, Design Development (DD), International Design Development (EDD), Construction Documents (CD), Construction Administration (CA), Construction Document Review (CDR), and Continuing Education Courses. Rather than providing installation services or proprietary designs, CMS produces discrete sets of biddable documents that mesh seamlessly into project document sets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consultation Services Early-stage design consultation for water features, providing contextual feedback on water aesthetics, stone colors/finishes, and feature geometry from schematic design through design development phases for landscape architects and architects.
• Design Development Services Design Development package including schematic piping diagrams, equipment space layout plans, pool fitting location plans, site electrical lighting layouts, single line electrical power diagrams, performance specifications for fountain control systems, and fountain plumbing and electrical specifications, provided to landscape architects and architects.
• International Design Development (EDD) Expanded Design Development package for international projects that blends CMS design services with local engineering, acting as liaison between the design team, local engineers, and contractors, producing annotated piping schematics, generic details, electrical drawings, and performance specifications.
• Construction Documents Comprehensive construction document package including equipment space layout plans and sections, pool fitting location plans, installation and fabrication details, site electrical plans with lighting layouts, electrical equipment elevations, power and control plans, and fountain control system narratives, delivered as biddable plumbing and electrical drawings and specifications for landscape architects and architects.
• Construction Administration Construction administration services including review of fountain plumbing and electrical submittals, assistance with RFIs, clarifications and change orders, on-site review of construction, troubleshooting, and instruction of maintenance personnel with comprehensive reports and punch lists, provided to landscape architects and architects.
• Construction Document Review
• Continuing Education Courses LA CES registered courses sharing technical and aesthetic experience in designing architectural water features, offering continuing education credits through LA CES or AIA systems, covering sustainable sites, LEED credits, feasibility, budget, safety, and maintenance topics, delivered to landscape architects and architects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Returning clients provide over 80% of work, demonstrating high client satisfaction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OLINcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaborative relationship spanning multiple decades. OLIN has worked with CMS on highly complex projects including the National Gallery of Art, Getty Center, Simon and Helen Director Park, and Apple Park. Laurie Olin describes CMS as bringing 'a fun, collegial, and creative approach, and they are a supportive partner through even the toughest challenges.'
• SWA GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner40-year relationship on dozens of projects worldwide. William Callaway, CEO of SWA Group, states 'Besides being thoroughly professional, technically innovative and precise, plus on time and on budget, the quality I most value is their creative collaboration. CMS is a rare combination of engineering expertise and design talent.'
• Gustafson Porter + BowmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship including South Coast Plaza project. Kathryn Gustafton notes CMS has been 'proactive in modifying designs to match both budget and artistic changes as the projects evolve' and has worked to identify 'energy and water conservation technologies that further enhance the water feature's long-term viability.'
• The Office of Lawrence HalprincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner25+ year relationship as fountain mechanical and electrical consultant. Dee Mullen notes 'CMS has served as our fountain mechanical and electrical consultant for over 25 years. This ongoing relationship has evolved because of their technical strength, their responsiveness, and their ability to meet our high standards for desired aesthetic results and long term durability.'
• Burton Landscape Architecture StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner25+ year relationship. William S Burton states 'CMS designed a number of water features for one of our firm's mixed-use projects in Hong Kong' and describes CMS as collaborative, adaptive to inputs and limitations, responsive to clients, and timely in delivery.
• Kohn Pedersen Fox AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration on projects including 60 Wall Street and One Atlantic Center. CMS has served as their fountain mechanical and electrical consultant for over 25 years.
• Friedrich St. Florian ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the National World War II Memorial. Friedrich St. Florian notes 'The design and engineering tasks (for the National World War II Memorial) were exceptionally complex and demanding. CMS' work was first rate, highly professional and on time. Everything worked the way we envisioned it.'
• Wallace Roberts & ToddcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on water feature design. Ignacio F. Bunster-Ossa notes CMS provided 'vital information related to health codes, pumping and vault requirements, aesthetic effects, and cost and maintenance implications.' Their Design Guidelines for the project won a 2009 Honor Award from ASLA.
• Guida Moseley Brown ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on mixed-use project in Hong Kong with key members based in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. Harold Guida notes CMS 'collaborated with the design team in a positive and creative manner, developed prototypes to illustrate and test unusual features, and ultimately produced high quality details and documentation.'
• Geno Viscuso (President)coreOthersPresident of CMS Collaborative, leading the firm since 2011. Geno Viscuso can be contacted at [email protected].
• Patrick Horn (Sr. Designer)coreOthersSenior Designer at CMS Collaborative with 18 years tenure and involvement in over 300 public and private water feature projects.
• Giovanni Giorgio (Project Manager)coreOthersProject Manager at CMS Collaborative since July 2023, bringing seven years of custom electrical and control system design experience.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• OASE Living Water: OASE is a global German manufacturer and designer of water feature products, fountains, and pond/aquatic systems serving landscape architects, architects, and installers. It is comparable as a broad water feature specialist, but operates primarily as a product manufacturer rather than a pure design consultant.

Direct peers

• Fountain People: Fountain People designs, manufactures, and installs architectural fountains and water features for municipalities, developers, and architects across the U.S. It competes in the same water feature design/specifying space, though with a stronger product/manufacturing orientation than CMS.
• Crystal Fountains: Crystal Fountains is a long-established North American water feature design-build firm providing consulting, design, manufacturing, and installation services. It is directly comparable as a specialist in architectural fountains and water features serving architects and landscape architects.
• Aquatic Design & Engineering: Aquatic Design & Engineering provides aquatic and water feature design services for pools, fountains, and waterparks, including mechanical and filtration design. It is comparable to CMS as a specialist water feature/aquatic engineering consultancy.
• WET Design: WET Design is the world's most prominent water feature design firm, behind the Bellagio, Dubai Fountain, and many of the same kinds of civic and corporate installations CMS services. It is the closest direct peer, with deeper resources, an installation/build arm, and a stronger consumer brand.

Emerging players

• WaterFX: WaterFX designs and fabricates custom water features, including fountains, waterwalls, and architectural water elements for commercial and luxury residential projects. It competes in the architectural water feature design space but typically bundles design with fabrication.
• Land Morphology: Land Morphology is a Pacific Northwest water feature and stream design studio focused on naturalistic water features, pools, and aquatic environments for high-end residential and institutional clients. It overlaps with CMS's design consultancy role for water features but emphasizes ecological/naturalistic design.
• Fluidity: Fluidity is a smaller, design-led water feature studio based in Los Angeles with a focus on custom architectural water features for high-end residential, hospitality, and commercial projects. It overlaps with CMS in the design consultancy niche but is younger and more focused on a narrower project type.

Others

• SWA Group: SWA Group is a major landscape architecture firm and a 40-year client of CMS rather than a direct competitor. It is included as a peer because it is one of the largest specifiers of water feature design services and a key relationship for CMS, providing important context for the demand side of the market.
• OLIN: OLIN is a leading landscape architecture and urban design firm and a long-standing CMS client (Dilworth Park, National Gallery of Art, Apple Park). It is referenced as a peer because it sits at the demand side of CMS's market and shapes specification standards for water features in the U.S.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cmswaterfeatures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Cms Collaborative