coastal design and engineering

What coastal design and engineering does

GRAEF USA, operating as GRAEF, is a privately-held, full-service engineering, planning, and design firm whose coastal and marine engineering work sits within its broader Water service line. The coastal practice delivers planning, permitting, and design services for beach nourishment, shoreline revetments, seawalls, bulkheads, moorings, marina facilities, dredging, and waterfront design, drawing on what the firm describes as multidisciplinary experts who combine local knowledge with national-scale project experience.

The firm cites a delivered portfolio exceeding 60,000 linear feet of new and rehabilitated seawall and over 4,000 marina slips, and operates from eight US office locations — Chicago, Green Bay, Madison, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Orlando, and Sarasota — plus an international office in Turks and Caicos. Leadership for the coastal/water practice includes Scott Hinrichs as Office Leader for Orlando and Sarasota, and Joanna Colletti as Market Area Leader for the Water service line. Customer segments span Government/Municipal (primary), Ports/Maritime, and Residential waterfront clients, with named engagements including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Madison.

Revenue is generated through professional services consulting under a quote-based engagement model, with direct client engagement as the primary distribution channel. There is no disclosed information on funding, acquisitions, proprietary technology platforms, or AI/ML capabilities in the available data, and the firmographic record (1-10 employees, Wilmington-based coastaldesignandengineering.com URL) is inconsistent with the multi-office footprint attributed to GRAEF USA, leaving the precise scale of the coastal practice unclear.

Name

coastal design and engineering

Legal name

GRAEF USA

Website

https://coastaldesignandengineering.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GRAEF USA's coastal and marine engineering practice delivers planning, permitting, and design for seawalls, marinas, beach nourishment, dredging, and waterfront projects for government, ports, and residential clients across the US and Turks and Caicos.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coastal Engineering Services

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAFAJAC

Breakwaters, Seawalls & Coastal Defense Structures

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Marine & Coastal Construction (Ports, Harbors, Dredging)

SECONDARYIMAFAJAD

Revetments, Groynes & Beach Nourishment

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Marine & Coastal Construction (Ports, Harbors, Dredging)

SECONDARYIMAJAGAO

Project Management & Owner’s Engineering / Technical Consultancy (Spec Writing, Bid Support, Site Support)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Ship Design, Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering Services

Keywords

• Coastal engineering services
• Marine engineering design
• Beach nourishment
• Shoreline protection
• Marina design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Design Consulting Services: Professional services revenue from providing coastal and marine engineering planning, permitting, and design services for beach nourishment, shoreline revetments, seawalls, bulkheads, moorings, and marina facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Coastal Design and Engineering provides planning, permitting, and design services for coastal and marine projects. The firm delivers beach nourishment, shoreline revetments, seawalls, bulkheads, moorings, marina facilities, dredging, and waterfront design solutions addressing waves, storm surges, sea level changes, seawater exposure, and marine ecosystem challenges.

Product overview

GRAEF provides coastal and marine engineering services as part of its Water service line. The firm offers a comprehensive suite of coastal engineering solutions including beach nourishment, shoreline revetments, seawall design and rehabilitation (over 60,000 linear feet), bulkheads, moorings, and full-service marina facility design (over 4,000 slips). The services focus on addressing coastal challenges such as waves, storm surges, sea level changes, seawater exposure, and marine ecosystem preservation. Projects span beach restoration, marina master planning, canal dredging, and waterfront urban design across various markets including municipal, hospitality, and residential sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coastal and Marine Engineering Services Comprehensive planning, permitting, and design services for coastal and marina facilities, addressing waves, storm surges, sea level changes, seawater, and marine ecosystem considerations for municipal, commercial, and residential clients.
• Beach Nourishment Beach restoration and nourishment services designed to combat erosion and maintain shoreline integrity for coastal communities and property owners.
• Shoreline Revetments Design and construction oversight of shoreline revetments for coastal protection against wave and storm damage.
• Seawall Design and Rehabilitation Design of new seawalls and rehabilitation of existing structures, backed by experience designing over 60,000 linear feet of new and rehabilitated seawall.
• Bulkheads and Moorings Design and engineering of bulkheads and mooring systems for waterfront properties and marine facilities.
• Marina Facility Design Full-service recreational and commercial marina facility design, with experience spanning over 4,000 marina slips.
• Dredging Services Canal and waterway dredging services supporting navigation and water quality improvement for coastal and waterfront projects.
• Waterfront Design Urban waterfront design and planning services delivered to municipalities and private developers.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global multi-disciplinary engineering and infrastructure firm with a significant coastal, port, and water practice. Competes for the same municipal and port authority RFPs but at much larger scale and broader service scope.
• Tetra Tech: International engineering and consulting firm with a strong water resources and coastal practice covering shoreline protection, dredging, and waterfront design. Overlaps with Coastal Design and Engineering on coastal resilience and municipal water work.
• Stantec: Global engineering consultancy with established water, coastal, and waterfront practices serving municipal, port, and private developers. Comparable in target clients and coastal/waterfront service offerings but at substantially larger scale.
• WSP USA: International engineering professional services firm with significant coastal, port, and waterfront capabilities. Competes for similar municipal and port authority work and can bundle coastal engineering with broader program-management services.

Direct peers

• Taylor Engineering: Specialist coastal and water resources engineering firm focused on shoreline stabilization, beach nourishment, marinas, and waterway design. Highly comparable niche coastal consultancy with similar municipal and private clientele.
• Humiston & Moore Engineers: Boutique coastal and waterfront engineering firm specializing in marinas, seawalls, dredging, and shoreline restoration. Comparable size and niche focus, with similar municipal and residential clientele.
• Olsen Associates: Coastal engineering consultancy focused on beach nourishment, inlet management, and shoreline protection, primarily serving Florida and the Southeast U.S. Closely comparable to Coastal Design and Engineering in service mix and regional concentration.
• Anchor QEA: Engineering and environmental science firm with a strong waterfront and coastal restoration practice covering shoreline protection, marina design, and dredging. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary coastal/waterfront consultancy serving public and private clients.
• W.F. Baird & Associates: Coastal, maritime, and water resources engineering consultancy known for shoreline protection, port engineering, and coastal resilience design. Directly comparable in technical scope and project types (seawalls, revetments, dredging, marinas).
• Moffatt & Nichol: Global coastal, port, and waterfront engineering consultancy offering planning, permitting, and design for marinas, seawalls, and shoreline protection. Directly comparable to Coastal Design and Engineering in service mix and target client base (ports, municipalities, private developers).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coastal-design-and-engineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 coastal design and engineering