Heritage Research

What Heritage Research does

Heritage Research, Ltd. (HRL) is a private, Wisconsin-based historical and environmental consulting firm founded in 1980 and headquartered in Menomonee Falls. The firm operates a staff of 1–10, anchored by four named Project Directors/Managers — John N. Vogel, Ph.D., Traci E. Schnell, Michael McQuillen, and Brian J. Faltinson — each holding graduate degrees in history, architectural history, environmental history, historical geography, or historic preservation. The firm practices three integrated service lines: Cultural Resource Management (Section 106 & 4F consulting, historic resource surveys, National Register nominations, HABS/HAER documentation), Legal History Services (legislative history analysis, property and ownership searches, expert witness support), and Business History Services (corporate histories, anniversary and PR materials, corporate planning context).

HRL's core methodology is human-led scholarly work — archival research, field surveys, property evaluations, and historical documentation — performed from a fully computerized office with access to federal archives, state and local government offices, libraries, courthouses, historical societies, and private manuscript collections in the Milwaukee/Madison/Chicago corridor and beyond. The firm supplements its bench with adjunct staff and a subcontracting relationship with Archaeological Research, Inc. (ARI) for archaeology services.

The business model is project-based professional services billed on a quote basis, not a standardized pricing schedule. Sales are direct, driven by referrals from engineering firms, legal professionals, and government agencies rather than active marketing. Customers are concentrated in government (state DOTs, SHPOs, National Park Service, regional planning commissions), supplemented by engineering firms on transportation projects, law firms on litigation and policy matters, and corporate clients seeking commemorative histories. Geographic reach spans the Great Lakes and select Midwest/Mid-Atlantic states, with documented projects in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Vermont, and Washington D.C.

Name

Heritage Research

Legal name

Heritage Research, Ltd.

Website

https://hrltd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Heritage Research, Ltd. is a Wisconsin-based historical and environmental consulting firm founded in 1980, serving government agencies, engineering firms, legal professionals, and corporate clients with cultural resource management (Section 106/4F, National Register, HAER), legal history research, and corporate history services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical and environmental consulting services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Preservation & Conservation Planning (BPAHAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG)

Keywords

• Cultural resource management
• Historic preservation consulting
• Section 106 compliance
• Legal history research
• Corporate history services

Headquarters

HQ city

Menomonee Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cultural Resource Management Consulting: Professional consulting services for identifying, evaluating, and interpreting historical resources including Section 106 & 4F consulting, National Register nominations, historic resource surveys, and HABS/HAER documentation for engineering firms, planners, and preservation commissions.
2. Legal History Research: Historical research services for law firms and legal clients including legislative history analysis, property use and ownership searches, regional/state/local history, natural resource management history, and Indian history research.
3. Business History Services: Corporate history research services including public relations materials, corporate planning analysis, management development contexts, and marketing historical portfolio creation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Heritage Research, Ltd. is a professional consulting firm providing historical, cultural resource management, environmental engineering, and policy research services. It serves engineering firms requiring historical/environmental documentation for transportation projects, government agencies (transportation, preservation, NPS), law firms needing historical evidence for litigation, and corporations seeking historical research for planning and public relations. Practice areas are organized into Cultural Resource Management, Legal History, and Business History.

Product overview

Heritage Research, Ltd. is a full-service historical and environmental consulting firm offering three integrated practice areas: Cultural Resource Management (CRM), Legal History Services, and Business History Services. CRM services encompass Section 106 & 4F consulting, National Register nominations, and community planning. The firm also provides specialized services including HABS/HAER documentation, historic resource surveys, and public interpretation materials. The practice areas work together to address transportation project compliance, legal litigation support, and corporate historical research needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Comprehensive cultural resource management services for identifying, evaluating, and managing historical resources, including Section 106 & 4F consulting, National Register nominations, historic preservation planning, and resource surveys, delivered to engineering firms, planners, preservation commissions, and government agencies.
• Legal History Services Historical research and analysis for legal professionals, including legislative history and policy analysis, property use and ownership searches, natural resource management history, and Indian history research, provided to law firms for litigation support and policy work.
• Business History Services Corporate history research for public relations, corporate planning, management development, and marketing applications, including anniversary booklets, exhibits, and historical prospectuses, produced for corporate and organizational clients.
• Historic Resource Surveys and Determination of Eligibility Field and archival surveys documenting historic properties, with Determinations of Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, delivered to engineering firms, government agencies, and preservation commissions.
• HABS/HAER Documentation Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record-style documentation including exterior and interior photography, photographic copies of original drawings and historic photos, and written data pages for engineering and preservation documentation (e.g., St. Marys Falls Canal Soo Locks HAER, 2000).

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Archaeological Research, Inc. (ARI)minorOthersHRL has developed relationships with Archaeological Research, Inc. (ARI), allowing it to offer additional archaeological services on an 'as needed' basis. ARI is led by David Keene, Ph.D., President, with offices in Chicago (IL), Woodstock (IL), and Madison (WI). Dr. Keene specializes in conducting archaeological investigations throughout the Midwest, including Phase I, II, and III studies for Section 106 compliance projects.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SEARCH (Southeastern Archaeological Research, Inc.): SEARCH is a national cultural resource and archaeological management firm providing Section 106, NEPA, and historic preservation services to government and engineering clients. It is a direct peer because it competes for the same Section 106/4F contracts and historic resource survey work that anchors Heritage Research's CRM practice.
• ASC Group Inc. ASC Group is a Midwest-based cultural resources and environmental consulting firm offering Section 106 compliance, archaeology, and historic architecture services. It is a direct peer because it serves overlapping state DOT and federal clients across the same Great Lakes footprint as Heritage Research.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Stantec is a large global engineering, environmental, and infrastructure consulting firm with a cultural resources practice embedded in its environmental services. It is a broad incumbent because it competes for the same federally funded transportation and infrastructure CRM packages at much larger scale.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm whose environment and cultural resources group provides Section 106, NEPA, and heritage services to federal, state, and private clients. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same large engineering-led CRM packages as Heritage Research, but at significantly greater firm capacity.
• TRC Companies: TRC is an engineering and environmental consulting firm that provides cultural resource management, permitting, and historic preservation services. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same transportation and infrastructure Section 106 work as Heritage Research.
• WSP USA: WSP is a major engineering and professional services firm with cultural and environmental resource management capabilities supporting DOT, transit, and federal projects. It is a broad incumbent overlapping Heritage Research on transportation CRM and HABS/HAER-style documentation work.
• HDR Inc. HDR is an engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm that supports state DOTs and federal agencies with environmental and cultural resource documentation. It is a broad incumbent whose environmental practice competes for the same Section 106 and historic resource survey RFPs that Heritage Research pursues.
• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a large environmental and engineering consulting firm offering water, environmental, and cultural resources services to government clients. It is a broad incumbent because its cultural resources team competes for the same Section 106/NEPA-driven projects as Heritage Research.

Others

• Archaeological Research, Inc. (ARI): ARI is a Midwest archaeological and cultural resources firm that HRL partners with for Phase I-III archaeology on Section 106 projects. It is an OTHERS peer because of its documented subcontractor/allied relationship with Heritage Research, sharing overlapping service offerings without directly competing for the same client relationships.

Emerging players

• Dudek: Dudek is a mid-sized environmental and cultural resources consulting firm primarily serving California and the Western U.S. with Section 106 and NEPA services. It is an emerging/regional peer in cultural resources work that overlaps Heritage Research's HABS/HAER and survey offerings, though it primarily competes on the West Coast.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Heritage Research