What TERRA Engineering, Ltd. does

TERRA Engineering, Ltd. is a privately held, full-service civil engineering firm founded in 1992 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm operates across five offices (Chicago, Peoria, Bolingbrook, St. Louis, and Milwaukee) serving government agencies, municipalities, universities, healthcare systems, and commercial developers primarily in the U.S. Midwest, with select international engagements in Saudi Arabia and the Caribbean. Its service portfolio spans site development, structural engineering, transportation and traffic engineering, municipal engineering, water resources, landscape architecture, GIS, surveying, and construction engineering, delivered on a project-based professional services model.

The firm differentiates technically through specialized capabilities including aerial LiDAR scanning and thermal imaging for dam and reservoir structural monitoring (notably on the Thornton Composite Reservoir serving 556,000 people), BIM-driven sewer hydraulic and utility conflict analysis used on the Wrigley Field expansion, GIS-based citywide traffic monitoring systems, and novel blue-green roof stormwater systems. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, targeting long-cycle public and institutional clients. Strategic partnerships, such as a subconsultant role to Stantec, supplement internal capacity, while the firm's leadership team — President Karen Steingraber, EVP Jamil Bou-Saab, and SVP George Ghareeb — each hold advanced civil engineering degrees and multi-decade domain experience that underpin regulatory navigation across IDOT, MWRD, IEPA, CDOT, and multiple municipalities.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Based on headcount (101-250 employees), 33-year operating history, marquee institutional clients (University of Chicago, Northwestern, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago Cubs), and the scale of associated projects (e.g., a $400 million I-74 corridor and an $11 million Dee Hengst Amphitheater contract), the firm's revenue is most likely in the $25M-$50M band, though this is a low-confidence estimate given the absence of financial disclosure.

Name

TERRA Engineering, Ltd.

Legal name

TERRA Engineering, Ltd.

Website

https://terraengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

TERRA Engineering, Ltd. is a privately held, full-service civil engineering firm founded in 1992 and headquartered in Chicago, operating across five Midwest offices. It delivers site development, structural, transportation, water resources, municipal, GIS, and surveying services to government, university, healthcare, and commercial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Transportation engineering
• Structural engineering
• Water resources engineering
• Landscape architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering services billed on project basis for civil engineering, structural engineering, site development, transportation engineering, surveying, municipal engineering, water resources, landscape architecture, and construction engineering. Projects range from small site developments to large infrastructure projects spanning multiple years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TERRA Engineering, Ltd. is a multi-disciplinary civil engineering firm delivering site development, structural engineering, transportation/traffic engineering, surveying, municipal engineering, water resources engineering, landscape architecture, GIS services, and construction engineering services. Projects are delivered on a project basis to government agencies, municipalities, universities, healthcare systems, and commercial developers across the U.S. Midwest and select international locations.

Product overview

TERRA Engineering, Ltd. is a multi-disciplinary civil engineering firm offering a comprehensive suite of engineering and design services. The company operates as a unified service-based firm rather than a platform product company, providing civil engineering, structural engineering, surveying, transportation engineering, traffic engineering, landscape architecture, municipal engineering, water resources engineering, and GIS services. Projects span site development, infrastructure, transportation, bridges, parks, and commercial/residential developments across the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, and select international locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Engineering Services Core civil engineering services including site development, structural engineering, surveying, and construction engineering for commercial, municipal, and residential projects.
• Transportation Engineering Traffic engineering and transportation planning services including traffic studies, signal design, and transportation corridor analysis for roadway and public mobility projects.
• Landscape Architecture Landscape architectural design services for parks, streetscapes, public spaces, and recreational facilities.
• GIS Services Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services for data collection, mapping, and spatial analysis for urban planning and infrastructure projects.
• Municipal Engineering Engineering services for municipal infrastructure including water distribution, sewer systems, storm water management, and public works projects.
• Water Resources Engineering Water resources engineering including hydrology and hydraulic modeling, stormwater management, reservoir monitoring, and flood control systems.
• Surveying Comprehensive surveying services including topographic surveys, construction staking, boundary surveys, and specialized aerial LiDAR surveying.
• Structural Engineering Structural engineering for bridges, buildings, dams, and other infrastructure including design, rehabilitation, and construction engineering services.

Quantifiable outcome

• LEED Gold certification achieved for multiple projects including University of Chicago's Saieh Hall, UIC Academic and Residential Complex, Mile Square Health Care Center, and Northwestern Memorial Hospital Outpatient Care Pavilion
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• StanteccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TERRA is working as a subconsultant to Stantec for the Thornton Composite Reservoir Monitoring project. TERRA performs annual and fill event monitoring to ensure structural stability of the dam and reservoir walls using aerial LiDAR and thermal imaging technology.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global multi-disciplinary engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm. Directly comparable as a civil/structural/water resources engineering consultancy and is already a known partner/subcontractor on TERRA's Thornton Reservoir monitoring work.
• Burns & McDonnell: 100% employee-owned engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting firm with strong Midwest presence and full-service civil, structural, transportation, and water practices. Competes for similar municipal and DOT work across the same geographies.
• HDR Inc. Global employee-owned engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with major transportation, water, and buildings practices. Competes for the same IDOT, municipal, and healthcare campus work in the Midwest.
• AECOM: Fortune 500 infrastructure consulting firm with global civil, structural, transportation, water, and environmental practices. Competes for the largest public infrastructure programs and often engages Midwest-based subconsultants like TERRA.
• WSP USA: Global professional services consultancy with large U.S. civil, structural, transportation, water, and environmental engineering practices. Competes for large public infrastructure programs and often partners with mid-sized regional firms.

Direct peers

• Kimley-Horn: Privately held, employee-owned planning and engineering design consultancy with strong site/civil, transportation, water resources, and landscape architecture practices. Closest pure-play comparable in discipline mix, ownership structure, and project-type focus.
• Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. Illinois-based multi-disciplinary civil engineering firm offering site development, transportation, water resources, structural, and surveying services. Directly comparable regional peer competing for many of the same municipal and DOT engagements in the Chicago metro.
• Stanley Consultants: Private, employee-owned engineering consulting firm with civil, structural, transportation, and water resources capabilities serving municipal, transportation, and federal clients. Comparable in size, ownership, and discipline mix.
• Benesch: Multi-disciplinary engineering, planning, and consulting firm with strong Midwest footprint (Chicago, Milwaukee) offering civil, structural, transportation, and water services. Direct head-to-head competitor for DOT, municipal, and higher-education clients.
• V3 Companies: Midwest-focused civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and ecological restoration firm headquartered in Illinois with offices in the same metro areas as TERRA. Closely comparable regional peer on size, services, and client mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terra-engineering
• Xx.com/terraengltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 TERRA Engineering, Ltd.