hjkessler associates

What hjkessler associates does

HJKessler Associates is a privately held, woman-owned boutique consulting firm founded in 2003 by Helen J. Kessler and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm provides sustainable design consulting, LEED certification administration, integrative process facilitation, energy modeling, commissioning, and regenerative development advisory services for building projects across higher education, K-12, corporate, municipal, healthcare, religious, and hospitality sectors. Helen Kessler has personally worked on over 100 LEED projects including 12 Platinum-certified and 1 WELL Platinum achievement, with notable first-of-kind credentials including the first LEED Platinum house of worship (Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation) and the first LEED Platinum high school in Illinois (Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy).

The firm's core methodology centers on integrative design facilitation through eco-charrettes and a regenerative development framework developed in collaboration with Regenesis and Carol Sanford's SEED communities. Approximately 80% of engagements are initiated by architects who subcontract HJKessler to provide sustainability expertise on a project basis, with the remainder hired directly by building owners. Services are delivered as project-based, quote-based professional consulting engagements without public pricing. The firm is a LEED Proven Provider (GBCI), a member of the USGBC/Illinois Green Alliance, and maintains involvement with AIA Chicago, Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation, and other industry bodies. The principal has been an Adjunct Faculty member at Northwestern University since 2005, teaching sustainability and systems thinking.

The firm operates as a sub-brand called UpFront Regenerative Design (www.upfrontregen.com) to emphasize its more recent pivot toward regenerative development and living systems thinking. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the firm is described as a small boutique practice with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or external investment. Geographic focus is the Midwest, with project concentrations in the Chicago metropolitan area. Key client relationships include Northwestern University (multiple projects), Exelon, Mesirow Financial, Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, Legacy Charter School, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Virgin Hotel Chicago, and Orland Park Police Department.

Name

hjkessler associates

Legal name

HJKessler Associates, Inc.

Website

https://hjkesslerassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HJKessler Associates is a Chicago-based boutique consulting firm providing sustainable design, LEED certification, integrative process facilitation, and regenerative development advisory services to building projects across higher education, K-12, corporate, municipal, and institutional sectors in the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Green Building and Sustainability Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAG

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAHACAK

Sustainability & ESG Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

SECONDARYBPADALAO

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development Programs

Keywords

• Sustainable design consulting
• LEED certification consulting
• Regenerative development services
• Green building consulting
• Energy efficiency consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Sustainable Design Consulting: Professional consulting services for sustainable building design and development, including integrative design facilitation, LEED certification consulting, energy modeling, and commissioning services for commercial, institutional, and municipal building projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HJKessler Associates provides project-based sustainability consulting for building owners, architects, and design teams, including integrative design facilitation through eco-charrettes, LEED certification administration, energy modeling, and building commissioning. The firm specializes in regenerative design and living systems thinking, helping stakeholders develop projects that actively improve the health of human and natural communities rather than merely sustaining them. The firm also teaches regenerative living systems thinking through Northwestern University and operates under the alternate name UpFront Regenerative Design.

Product overview

HJKessler Associates is a premier green building and sustainability consulting firm that operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform with separate modules. The company provides integrated consulting services centered on regenerative design, sustainable development, and LEED certification, while also operating under the sub-brand 'UpFront Regenerative Design.' Core services include Green Building and Sustainability Consulting, Regenerative Practitioner Services, Integrative Process Facilitation, Market Transformation and Training, LEED Certification Consulting, Energy Modeling and Commissioning, and Living Systems Thinking Education. These services are delivered holistically through eco-charrettes, stakeholder workshops, and ongoing project collaboration, with no separate product tiers or add-on modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Green Building and Sustainability Consulting Core consulting service providing sustainability expertise for building projects, including integrative design processes and LEED certification facilitation for commercial, institutional, and municipal projects. The service is delivered to project owners, architects, engineers, and contractors throughout the design and construction process.
• Regenerative Practitioner Services Consulting services focused on living systems thinking and regenerative development, helping stakeholders discover solutions rooted in place-based understanding and developmental processes to achieve project goals that support human and natural community health.
• Integrative Process Facilitation Facilitation service using eco-charrettes and collaborative workshops to guide design teams through inclusive, iterative processes that maximize synergies and achieve sustainable project outcomes. Brings stakeholders together through guided iterative processes ensuring inclusive participation.
• LEED Certification Consulting Comprehensive LEED consulting services including credit interpretation reviews, sustainable design guidance, and LEED administration for projects pursuing certification at various levels (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum). The firm is recognized as a LEED Proven Provider by GBCI for the Building Design and Construction rating system family.
• Energy Modeling and Commissioning Technical consulting services for energy efficiency analysis, renewable energy recommendations, and building systems commissioning to optimize building performance. Includes energy modeling to inform design decisions and commissioning to verify systems perform as designed.
• Market Transformation and Training Educational offerings that train design teams in integrative approaches to sustainable design, covering green building principles, LEED standards, and regenerative development practices. Includes teaching at Northwestern University in the Master of Project Management Program.
• UpFront Regenerative Design Alternate operating name (DBA) for HJKessler Associates, used particularly for projects such as the Discovery Partners Institute, emphasizing regenerative design and development focus. Operates at www.upfrontregen.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reduction in energy consumption for Prairie Crossing residential units
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RegenesiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelen Kessler studies regenerative development and living systems thinking with Regenesis, an organization co-founded by Bill Reed who is one of the developers of the LEED rating system. This relationship informs the firm's regenerative development practice and methodology.
• Carol Sanford's SEED Communities/Change Agent DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelen Kessler studies with Carol Sanford's SEED communities and Change Agent Development programs, which contribute to the firm's regenerative development framework and stakeholder engagement methodology.
• U.S. Green Building Council / Illinois Green AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHJKessler Associates is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and was instrumental in creating Chicago's first USGBC chapter (now Illinois Green Alliance) in 2002. Helen Kessler served as a former board member and is recognized as a LEED Fellow.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chicago ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelen Kessler serves on the AIA Chicago Foundation Board of Trustees and was co-chair of the AIA Chicago Committee on the Environment. The firm maintains active involvement in AIA programming and events.
• Chicago Women in Architecture FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelen Kessler is a board member (past Treasurer, current Secretary) of the Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation, supporting women in the architecture and building industry.
• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelen Kessler has been an Adjunct Faculty member at Northwestern University since 2005, teaching in the Master of Project Management Program and Executive Management Design and Construction program. The firm has completed multiple LEED projects for Northwestern.
• ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelen Kessler served as a member of the ASHRAE Guideline 0 committee that developed ASHRAE's official commissioning guideline.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Atelier Ten: Atelier Ten is an environmental design consulting firm that provides sustainable building services including LEED consulting, energy modeling, and regenerative design for major architecture projects. Directly comparable to HJKessler Associates in service scope, target clients (architects and institutional owners), and methodology emphasis on environmental performance.
• Paladino and Company: Paladino and Company is a sustainability and green building consulting firm offering LEED administration, ESG advisory, and regenerative strategy for real estate and corporate clients. Comparable to HJKessler Associates in core LEED consulting services and focus on corporate/institutional project advisory.
• Integral Group: Integral Group is a building engineering and sustainability consulting firm specializing in high-performance green buildings, MEP design, and LEED consulting. Directly comparable service portfolio (sustainable design consulting, LEED certification, energy modeling) with deeper multi-disciplinary engineering capacity.
• Stok: Stok is a real estate sustainability and ESG consulting firm providing LEED consulting, decarbonization strategy, and wellness advisory for commercial and institutional real estate. Comparable to HJKessler Associates in serving corporate real estate clients pursuing LEED certification and sustainability outcomes.
• ME Engineers: ME Engineers is a mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy with a strong sustainability and commissioning practice serving major commercial, education, and cultural projects. Comparable to HJKessler Associates on the energy modeling, commissioning, and high-performance building delivery side of services.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Arup is a global engineering consultancy with deep sustainability consulting, LEED administration, and regenerative design practices serving architects and institutional clients worldwide. A broad incumbent offering overlapping sustainability services as part of a much larger multi-disciplinary portfolio.
• WSP: WSP is a global professional services firm with a dedicated property and buildings sustainability practice providing LEED consulting, energy modeling, and ESG advisory. A broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise and institutional sustainability engagements but as part of a much wider engineering portfolio.

Others

• New Buildings Institute: New Buildings Institute is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization advancing energy-efficient and zero-carbon building codes and policies. Not a direct competitor but an adjacent ecosystem player that shapes the standards (LEED, code) HJKessler's services depend on and sometimes partners with.
• Terracon: Terracon is a large U.S. environmental, geotechnical, and facilities engineering consultancy providing sustainability, LEED, and commissioning services to institutional and commercial clients. An adjacent provider in the broader environmental consulting space rather than a direct specialist competitor.

Regional players

• Seventhwave: Seventhwave is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit energy efficiency research and consulting organization serving the Midwest region. Operates in a comparable regional geography to HJKessler Associates with overlapping energy efficiency and high-performance building expertise, though structured as a nonprofit rather than for-profit consultancy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hjkesslerassociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hjkessler-associates-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 hjkessler associates