Walter E. Allen, a Navy veteran, started Acumen Building Enterprise in 1994 to help pay for graduate school. That small one-person consulting firm became a corporation in 2002. Acumen now has 40 employees and works with major transit agencies across the country to provide transit and transportation infrastructure development coupled with strategic technology solutions designed to expand urban mobility and accessibility.
“Acumen is a full-service firm that offers customized services including strategy development, data analysis, systems engineering, white papers, and environmentally sustainable solutions. The firm’s expertise in collaborating with transit agencies and general contractors adds high value to its clients’ projects. If you’ve ever received change in $5 bills from a BART station, used a Clipper card, or paid with chip-based credit cards at retail establishments, then you have experienced the kind of technology and innovation that Acumen works on every day.
In 2016, Acumen needed a loan to support its cash flow and business growth. ‘Our biggest expense is payroll, and the loan allowed us to manage our cash flow while we wait for invoices to process,’ explains Walter. ‘The timing of the loan was critical, and the infusion of capital kept us going.'”
