Engineering and design firm Crafton Tull has acquired Bentonville-based Laneshift, a company specializing in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure planning. Laneshift, founded in 2017 by Ryan Hale, will continue to operate under its existing name as a separate division within Crafton Tull.
Laneshift provides education and planning services for cities, businesses, developers and advocacy groups, helping to improve active transportation initiatives. Its work includes guided tours of established trail networks and the Active Transportation Academy, a four-day professional development course.
“Ryan Hale and his Laneshift team have established themselves as one of the premier active transportation education and planning organizations in the United States,” Crafton Tull President and CEO Matt Crafton said. “Combined with our existing award-winning planning and design teams, we think the collective expertise and experience that we bring in active transportation planning, design and education will be second to none.”
Hale, a longtime Northwest Arkansas resident, brings years of experience in infrastructure development. Before founding Laneshift, he spent five years as a program officer at the Walton Family Foundation, helping plan and expand bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in the region. His contributions include the Razorback Greenway, the Back 40 mountain biking trails and the redevelopment of Lake Atalanta. A former University of Arkansas Razorbacks football captain, Hale also played two seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants.
“Laneshift was founded on the vision of strengthening people and places through active transportation,” Hale said. “Working alongside the hundreds of talented professionals at Crafton Tull creates an opportunity to elevate our level of service and impact within communities across the country.”
As part of the acquisition, Laneshift employees will become Crafton Tull employee-owners through the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Crafton Tull, which became 100% employee-owned in 2019, continues to expand its reach in planning, design and transportation infrastructure.
For more information about Laneshift, click here.
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