Ecological Design Group collaborates with 37 North

Bentonville-based 37 North Expeditions and Ecological Design Group (EDG), a landscape architecture and civil engineering firm with offices in Little Rock, Rogers and Wynne, have partnered, allowing EDG to offer design, engineering and experiential programming, according to a news release.

As part of the partnership, Danny Collins, co-founder of 37 North, joined EDG as director of experience. According to an EDG spokeswoman, 37 North will remain its own company, separate from EDG. Collins will still play an active role in 37 North but has a team to handle the day-to-day operations, allowing him to focus on his new role at EDG.

37 North is an adventure guiding service that offers curated outdoor experiences. Collins has experience in outdoor recreation, architecture and development. He has master’s degrees in architecture and business administration.

The partnership will help to ensure that EDG designs outdoor spaces that are “thoughtfully programmed and fully activated for community engagement and long-term viability, delivering greater value to clients,” the release shows. This partnership is also expected to align “seamlessly with EDG’s nonprofit, studioDRIFT, which is dedicated to strengthening communities in the Arkansas Delta through outdoor recreation project development and activation.”

“This partnership allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Martin Smith, EDG co-founder and principal. “At EDG, we believe in designing spaces that invite people into nature, and now we can go a step further — by programming and designing experiences that maximize the impact of our designs. The combination of EDG’s expertise in design, 37 North’s strength in programming, and studioDRIFT’s focus on rural community engagement creates an offering unlike anything else in the industry and in the state.”

Collins added, “We’re not just building spaces — we’re building experiences. Places are experiences. Too often, the human experience is treated as an afterthought — something added once the space is complete. This partnership flips that notion. We will work with clients to think deeply about their activation goals from the very beginning. I think our work has the power to do something profound; to invite more people into nature through design and planned experiences, all while ensuring that these places we love are still thriving for generations to come.”

EDG has 30 employees, with 17 in Northwest Arkansas.