Lower Columbia Engineering
Lower Columbia Engineering is a multi-disciplinary civil, structural, and ecological engineering firm headquartered in St. Helens, Oregon, serving government, municipal, nonprofit, and private clients across the Pacific Northwest through its LCE Development and LC Eco Ecological divisions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSaint Helens, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Lower Columbia Engineering does
Lower Columbia Engineering (LCE) is a privately held, multi-disciplinary professional engineering and design firm headquartered in Saint Helens, Oregon, founded in 2001 by Andrew Niemi, PE. The firm operates through two formal divisions: LCE (Development Division), which delivers civil and structural engineering, architectural design, and permitting services across commercial, industrial, marine, municipal/institutional, residential, and shop/barn construction sectors; and LC Eco (Ecological Division), formed in 2020, which provides fish passage improvement, habitat restoration, wetland delineation, low impact storm design, bank stabilization, and environmental permitting services. Together the firm offers end-to-end project delivery from concept through construction administration, supported by in-house data collection using optical reflector-less total station and RTK GPS units, and CAD via AutoCAD and Revit.
The firm is licensed to practice engineering across six western states — Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and California — and serves a client base that spans municipal and county governments, state agencies (Oregon Department of Forestry), watershed councils, conservation districts, nonprofits, financial institutions, developers, contractors, and private landowners. Repeat and named clients include Wahkiakum County Public Works, Granite Construction, CREST (Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce), Lower Columbia River Watershed Council, Columbia Land Trust, InRoads Credit Union, and Columbia Pacific Food Bank. A closely affiliated architecture partner, Soderstrom Architects, supports larger institutional K-12 delivery.
The business model is straightforward professional services: fee-based, project-specific contracts with custom pricing, acquired primarily through referrals, direct client relationships, and municipal/government procurement. The owner-operated LLC structure (founded and co-owned by Andrew Niemi and Kristin Niemi) means there is no institutional investment, no funding rounds, and no acquisition activity disclosed. LCE is a stable, community-rooted regional practice with a 24-year operating history and approximately 18 employees, positioned at the small-end of the A&E services market.
Lower Columbia Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lower Columbia Engineering
- Legal name
- Lower Columbia Engineering LLC
- Website
- https://lowercolumbiaengr.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lower Columbia Engineering is a multi-disciplinary civil, structural, and ecological engineering firm headquartered in St. Helens, Oregon, serving government, municipal, nonprofit, and private clients across the Pacific Northwest through its LCE Development and LC Eco Ecological divisions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lower Columbia Engineering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil & Structural Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (54133)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)
Keywords
Where Lower Columbia Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Helens
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lower Columbia Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Engineering and Design Services: Fee-based professional services for civil engineering, structural engineering, architectural design, and environmental services. Projects range from residential to industrial, commercial, marine, and municipal/institutional. Services provided from concept phase through construction administration.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Lower Columbia Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lower Columbia Engineering is a multi-disciplinary engineering firm providing civil engineering, structural engineering, architectural design, and ecological/environmental services across the Pacific Northwest. The firm operates through two divisions—LCE (Development) for residential, commercial, industrial, marine, and municipal/institutional projects, and LC Eco (Ecological) for fish passage improvement, habitat restoration, low impact storm design, wetland delineation, bank stabilization, and environmental permitting. Services are delivered from concept through construction administration using AutoCAD, Revit, total station, and RTK GPS tools.
Product overview
Lower Columbia Engineering operates as a multi-disciplinary engineering firm organized into two distinct divisions. The LCE Development Division provides civil and structural engineering services across commercial, industrial, marine, municipal/institutional, residential, and shop/barn construction sectors. The LC Eco Ecological Division specializes in environmental services including fish passage improvement, habitat restoration, low impact storm design, wetland delineation, bank stabilization, and environmental permitting. The two divisions share resources while maintaining individual focus, with the ability to collect topographical and physical data using optical reflector-less total station or RTK GPS units for design development. The company is licensed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and California.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LCE (Lower Columbia Engineering): Development Division focusing on industrial, commercial, residential, marine, municipal and institutional, and shop/barn projects
- LC Eco
Products and services
- LCE Development Division Services
Companies that use Lower Columbia Engineering
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Lower Columbia Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Lower Columbia Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Oregon Department of ForestrycoreOngoing partnership completing construction-ready design sets for culvert and bridge replacements as part of state forest infrastructure improvements. Includes fish barrier removals and habitat quality enhancement for multiple fish species.
- Columbia County Soil and Water Conservation DistrictcorePartnership on environmental projects including bank stabilization and habitat restoration. Served as client for St. Helens Marina RV Park bioengineered streambank project.
- Columbia County Soil and Water Conservation DistrictcoreClient for LA Swamp Tidal Reconnection project - 34 acres of tidal wetland habitat restoration involving off-channel tidal habitat, stream habitat, tide gate removal, large woody debris placement, and levee removal.
- Upper Nehalem Watershed CouncilminorClient for Oak Ranch Culvert multiphase project involving design packages for undersized or damaged culverts creating barriers for salmonid species.
- Scappoose Bay Watershed CouncilminorClient for Dart Creek Culvert fish passage barrier removal project including surveying, permitting, grant review, and construction oversight.
- Lower Columbia River Watershed CouncilcoreLong-term partnership as solid partner for project development and implementation. Strong ties to local expertise for technical needs within unique watershed landscapes of Columbia County area.
- Granite ConstructionminorConstruction partner on Clear Creek Reconnection Project. Described as valued partner working in partnership spirit.
- CREST (Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce)coreProject partner on Clear Creek Restoration - replacement of fish passage barrier culvert with bridge and roadway realignment. Led project design and provided construction support.
- Soderstrom ArchitectscoreArchitecture firm partner on multiple projects including Woodard Middle School and St. Helens High School $55 million bond project.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights10 records
Lower Columbia Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mead & Hunt: National engineering and architecture firm with established Pacific Northwest offices serving municipal, industrial, and water resources markets. Comparable in multi-disciplinary service delivery and federal/state contract experience.
- David Evans and Associates (DEA): Pacific Northwest-headquartered engineering, planning, and surveying firm with significant presence in transportation, water resources, and development. Overlaps with LCE's civil and ecological service lines but at much larger project scale.
- DOWL: Multi-disciplinary engineering firm with strong Pacific Northwest presence spanning civil, structural, water resources, and environmental services. Competes with LCE on municipal and infrastructure work, with substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
- KPFF Consulting Engineers: Large West Coast structural and civil engineering consultancy with deep Portland and Seattle offices. Competes with LCE on structural and civil scopes for commercial, industrial, and marine projects, but operates at significantly greater scale.
Direct peers
- Otak: Portland-headquartered multi-disciplinary firm providing civil/structural engineering, architecture, and planning across the Pacific Northwest. Direct comparable in service mix, regional footprint, and project types, though materially larger than LCE.
- Harper Houf Peterson Righellis (HPR): Portland-based civil and structural engineering firm serving Oregon and southwest Washington. Closely comparable regional competitor in commercial, residential, and municipal infrastructure design.
- Natural Systems Design: PNW-based ecological engineering firm specializing in stream and wetland restoration, fish passage, and hydraulic modeling. Closest niche competitor to LCE's LC Eco division on salmonid habitat and culvert replacement projects.
- Mackenzie: Portland-based integrated design firm offering civil engineering, structural engineering, architecture, and land use planning. Direct comparable in multi-disciplinary service bundles and Pacific Northwest regional focus.
Emerging players
- Anchor QEA: Environmental and water resources engineering firm with significant Pacific Northwest operations in shoreline restoration, sediment management, and habitat design. Comparable ecological engineering practice serving similar watershed council and tribal clients.
- Herrera Environmental Consultants: Seattle-based environmental science and engineering firm focused on stream restoration, fish passage, and watershed planning. Comparable ecological/restoration service offering for PNW government and tribal clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lower Columbia Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceLower Columbia Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lower Columbia Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Lower Columbia Engineering subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Lower Columbia Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lower Columbia Engineering 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 Lower Columbia Engineering
What does Lower Columbia Engineering do?
Lower Columbia Engineering is a multi-disciplinary engineering firm providing civil engineering, structural engineering, architectural design, and ecological/environmental services across the Pacific Northwest. The firm operates through two divisions—LCE (Development) for residential, commercial, industrial, marine, and municipal/institutional projects, and LC Eco (Ecological) for fish passage improvement, habitat restoration, low impact storm design, wetland delineation, bank stabilization, and environmental permitting. Services are delivered from concept through construction administration using AutoCAD, Revit, total station, and RTK GPS tools.
Is Lower Columbia Engineering a public or private company?
Lower Columbia Engineering is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lower Columbia Engineering founded?
Lower Columbia Engineering was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lower Columbia Engineering based?
Lower Columbia Engineering is headquartered in Saint Helens, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lower Columbia Engineering make money?
One revenue line is on record: professional Engineering and Design Services.
Who are Lower Columbia Engineering's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mead & Hunt, David Evans and Associates (DEA), DOWL and KPFF Consulting Engineers. Direct peers are Otak, Harper Houf Peterson Righellis (HPR), Natural Systems Design and Mackenzie. Emerging players are Anchor QEA and Herrera Environmental Consultants.
Does Lower Columbia Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lower Columbia Engineering.
What industry is Lower Columbia Engineering in?
Lower Columbia Engineering's product category is Civil & Structural Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAA, Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of EUANALAE, Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight). Its NAICS code is 541330 and its SIC code is 8711.