What Henderson Engineers does

Henderson Engineers is a national building systems design firm founded in 1970 by Fran Henderson in Kansas City, operating under the legal entity Henderson Companies, Inc. Since 2021, the company has been 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), with Kevin Lewis serving as CEO & President since 2022. The firm delivers full-scope mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), fire protection, refrigeration, telecom, security, acoustics, and vertical transportation engineering design, supported by core technologies including Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), and Energy Modeling. Through its wholly-owned sister company Henderson Building Solutions (acquired in 2010 as CEC), Henderson also provides turnkey construction management, commissioning, and engineer-led design-build services, enabling integrated project delivery from design through ongoing maintenance.

The company serves enterprise clients across six organized market sectors — Business (commercial, logistics, mission critical data centers), Community (civic, higher education, K-12, science & technology), Grocery & Distribution, Health (hospitals, behavioral health, senior living), Retail, and Venue (sports, aviation, convention centers) — with notable projects including SoFi Stadium, Gillette Stadium, Q2 Stadium, Walmart (relationship since 1989), the FDA Atlanta Laboratory, Tampa International Airport, Cartier, and the University of Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena. GTM is direct enterprise field sales, relationship-driven, with dedicated sector executives and practice directors; 90% of projects come from repeat clients, the firm carries an NPS of 50, and maintains a 4.5/5 client satisfaction score. Headcount has expanded from 640 employees at the 2016 leadership transition to over 1,000 today, supported by 250+ Professional Engineers across 15 U.S. offices.

In February 2026, Henderson launched Strategic Consulting, a data-driven portfolio management offering that leverages 55 years of design and construction data to support client capital investment and operational decisions, signaling an extension into recurring, advisory-style engagements beyond project-based design. The firm is ranked among ENR's Top 500 Design Firms for 2026 and was named the 10th largest employee-owned company in the Kansas City region. Pricing is project-based professional services (multi-year contract cadence), billed through project-specific proposals rather than published rate cards.

Name

Henderson Engineers

Legal name

Henderson Companies, Inc.

Website

https://hendersonengineers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Henderson Engineers is a 100% employee-owned national building systems design firm delivering full-scope MEP engineering, construction management, and commissioning across six sectors (Business, Community, Grocery & Distribution, Health, Retail, Venue) from 15 U.S. offices, serving enterprise clients with 250+ Professional Engineers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Systems Engineering Design

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Program Management (Multi-site/Portfolio) (IMAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Building systems design
• MEP engineering services
• Fire protection engineering
• Construction management services
• Mission critical engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Lenexa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 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 Design Services: Professional engineering services for building systems including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, refrigeration, telecom, security, acoustics, and more. Project-based fees for design services across commercial, healthcare, retail, venue, and other sectors.
2. Construction Management: Turnkey construction management and commissioning services through Henderson Building Solutions, providing seamless bridge between design and construction
3. Commissioning Services: Commissioning and retro-commissioning services to rigorously test building equipment and confirm proper integration with base building systems

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Henderson Engineers provides full-scope building systems design services across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and life safety, refrigeration, telecom, security, acoustics, architectural lighting, and vertical transportation disciplines. Through its sister company Henderson Building Solutions, it offers turnkey construction management and commissioning services, creating a single-source design-build offering for enterprise clients across six market sectors (Business, Community, Grocery & Distribution, Health, Retail, Venue). It also offers Strategic Consulting, a data-driven portfolio management service launched in 2026.

Product overview

Henderson Engineers operates as a national building systems design firm under Henderson Companies, offering a unified platform of engineering and construction services. The core offering consists of Henderson Engineers (full-scope MEP engineering design services) and Henderson Building Solutions (turnkey construction management and commissioning), which work together to provide single-source solutions from design through construction. Supporting these core brands are specialized service modules including Acoustics, Architectural Lighting, Audio-Video, Broadcast Services, Code Consulting, Electrical, Energy Modeling, Engineer-Led Design-Build, Fire & Life Safety, Integrated Automation, Mechanical, Plumbing, Refrigeration, Security, Telecom, and Vertical & Horizontal Transportation. The company also offers Strategic Consulting as a data-driven portfolio management service. Services are organized across six market sectors: Business, Community, Grocery & Distribution, Health, Retail, and Venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Henderson Engineers (Building Systems Design Services) National building systems design firm providing full-scope engineering services including mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and life safety, refrigeration, telecom, security, acoustics, architectural lighting, and vertical transportation across six market sectors (Business, Community, Grocery & Distribution, Health, Retail, Venue).
• Henderson Building Solutions (Construction Management and Commissioning) Turnkey construction management and commissioning services that provide a seamless bridge between design, construction, and ongoing maintenance, working alongside Henderson Engineers under the Henderson Companies umbrella.
• Strategic Consulting Data-driven portfolio management service that captures, analyzes, and advises on building performance data to help clients make informed capital investment and operational decisions, optimize facilities, and achieve long-term planning goals.
• Mission Critical Data Center Engineering Comprehensive MEP design for data centers including liquid cooling rack strategies, on-site power generation, closed-loop plumbing systems, and resilient power distribution supporting rack capacities of 100-300 kW.
• Facility Condition Assessments (FCA) for Healthcare Five common FCA types for healthcare facilities including comprehensive, modeled/system screening, preventive-maintenance-focused, system specific, and compliance and regulatory assessments.
• Engineer-Led Design-Build Integrated design-build delivery method providing a seamless bridge between design, construction, and ongoing maintenance through the partnership of Henderson Engineers and Henderson Building Solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of projects are from repeat clients, demonstrating exceptional client retention and satisfaction
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Affiliated Engineers (AEI): National MEP and building systems engineering design firm with comparable scope across higher education, science, healthcare, and cultural projects. Closest direct peer to Henderson in terms of service mix, project types, and client base.
• ME Engineers: Specialty MEP, lighting, and acoustics engineering firm serving entertainment, sports, cultural, and high-performance building projects. Direct peer in the venue and entertainment vertical, including stadium and arena work that overlaps with Henderson's Venue sector.
• SmithGroup: Integrated design firm combining architecture, engineering (MEP), and planning across workplace, healthcare, education, and science & technology — directly comparable to Henderson's full-scope building systems offering across the Community and Health sectors.
• Page (Page Southerland Page): Architecture and engineering firm with deep MEP and building systems capabilities serving healthcare, higher education, science, and government clients. Comparable to Henderson in scope, sector mix, and project complexity.
• Syska Hennessy Group: National MEP, technology, and commissioning engineering firm serving mission-critical, healthcare, aviation, and commercial buildings. Highly comparable service offering and sector mix to Henderson, especially in Mission Critical and Health.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering, design, and advisory firm with a strong building systems (MEP, acoustics, lighting, fire) practice serving iconic venues, healthcare, and commercial projects. Broad incumbent with deeper international reach but overlapping core MEP design capabilities.
• Burns & McDonnell: Large employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction firm with a building systems practice serving commercial, healthcare, and mission-critical facilities. Comparable in ESOP ownership structure and broad building engineering scope.
• Stantec: Global professional services firm with a sizable Buildings practice offering MEP, structural, and architectural lighting design across healthcare, retail, community, and commercial sectors — overlapping with multiple Henderson sectors at greater scale.
• WSP: Global engineering and professional services firm with extensive buildings practice including MEP design, vertical transportation, and acoustics. Operates at much larger scale than Henderson across the same end-markets.
• HDR: Architectural, engineering, and consulting firm with strong healthcare, civic, and mission-critical building practices. Comparable end-market mix to Henderson's Health and Community sectors, with broader service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Henderson Engineers