Metro Engineering Solutions

What Metro Engineering Solutions does

Metro Engineering Solutions, Inc. (MES) is a Michigan-based, WBENC-certified Woman-Owned engineering services firm founded in 2006 that delivers planning, design, project management, permitting, surveying, and construction-support services to electric and gas utilities and telecommunications carriers across the Midwest. The company operates from a Detroit office and a newly expanded Northville headquarters (relocated 2025), is majority-owned by CEO Cherri Helsel, and is led day-to-day by President Mark Helsel, Jr. and VP Bob Carson.

MES sells an integrated engineering services portfolio — Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Project Management, Traffic Control, Telecommunication, Permitting, Surveying, GIS/ESRI, Drone Inspection, Outdoor Lighting, and EV Charger services — under contract structures ranging from fixed-price to multi-year blanket agreements. Named enterprise customers include DTE Energy (Electric and Gas), Consumers Energy, ITC Transmission, AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, WOW, NiSource, SEMCO, Exelon, MasTec, Henkels & McCoy, and the University of Michigan, with municipal work for the Public Lighting Authority of Detroit.

Its technology stack is built on Esri ArcGIS, SQL databases, Primavera P6, MS Project, and internally developed systems including a Fiber Inventory Management (FIM) platform and a custom Esri-based field data and completion reporting application accessible on tablets and smartphones. The drone program uses a DJI Matrice 210 V2 with IR, 30x optical zoom, and high-megapixel cameras for utility inspection. The revenue model is professional services — primarily staff-hours and fixed-price engineering deliverables — distributed via direct enterprise sales rather than channel partners, supplemented by a website, portfolio of case studies, and service-specific contact forms for lead capture.

Name

Metro Engineering Solutions

Legal name

Metro Engineering Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://metroes.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Metro Engineering Solutions is a Michigan-based, WBENC-certified Woman-Owned engineering services firm providing design, permitting, surveying, GIS, project management, and drone inspection to electric, gas, and telecom utilities across the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility and Telecommunications Engineering Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

Keywords

• Utility engineering services
• Telecommunications design
• Civil engineering consulting
• Project management services
• GIS surveying solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Livonia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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 and Design Services: Professional engineering services including electrical engineering, civil engineering, surveying, permitting, traffic control, and GIS/ESRI services. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts ranging from fixed price to multi-year blanket agreements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Metro Engineering Solutions (MES) is a Certified Woman-Owned engineering firm delivering planning, design, engineering, permitting, and project management services to utility and telecommunications clients. The company combines geospatial/GIS technology, drone inspection, and PMP-certified project management to execute end-to-end infrastructure projects in the Midwest U.S., spanning electrical, civil, telecom, outdoor lighting, and EV charger deployments.

Product overview

Metro Engineering Solutions (MES) is a Certified Woman-Owned Enterprise providing engineering, design, and project management services through a portfolio of eleven distinct service offerings. The company operates from offices in Detroit and Northville, Michigan, with a staff of 180 design professionals, engineers, and PMP-certified project managers. MES serves the utility and telecom industries with capabilities spanning Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Project Management, Traffic Control, Telecommunication, Permitting, Surveying, GIS/ESRI, Drone Inspection, Outdoor Lighting, and EV Chargers. The service portfolio includes outside-plant utility design, subsurface utility engineering, conduit design, large-scale road relocation projects, 5G Network Design, and FTTP/FTTN fiber network design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electrical Engineering Services Delivers innovative solutions across the full spectrum of power system needs, including engineering and protection, power system studies, automation, electric vehicle integration, planning and design, overhead and underground distribution, system maintenance and hardening, new business planning, and renewables such as solar.
• Civil Engineering Services Provides site grading, geotechnical studies, sub-grade investigation, underground bore studies, site surveying, foundation study and design, and gas main and regulator station design for utility and infrastructure projects.
• Project Management Services Manages projects for utility clients using certified Project Management Professionals and a proven methodology, with fixed-price and multi-year blanket agreement contracts across private, utility, and public works sectors.
• Traffic Control Services Provides traffic control plans for projects in the public right-of-way, including permit acquisition, design, lane closure assistance, flagging, lane closures and shifts, road closures and detours, emergency traffic control services, and equipment rental.
• Telecommunication Engineering Services Offers planning, design, engineering, and project management for the telecom industry with a team of 26 telecom-specialist engineers, CAD/Esri professionals, providing fiber-optic, CRAN, and 5G network design services.
• Permitting Services Navigates federal, state, and municipal rules and regulations to manage approvals and obtain permits, including cultural resource review, threatened and endangered species review, wetland/floodplain permits, municipal permits, railroad permits, county permits, and drain permits.
• Surveying Services Provides topographical and utility mapping using mobile Lidar and conventional surveying techniques to identify utility conflicts early, minimizing costs by enabling design and route changes during the design phase.
• GIS / ESRI Services Uses Esri GIS mapping software and SQL databases to organize data points, workflow, crew routing, project reporting, invoicing, and quality, including custom mapping solutions, data management, customized routing solutions, and workflow management tools.
• Drone Inspection Services Provides energy and telecommunication companies with drone patrolling services using enterprise-grade DJI Matrice 210 V2 drone equipped with infrared, 30x optical zoom, and high-megapixel cameras to identify system improvements and capture aerial photos of critical infrastructure.
• Outdoor Lighting Services Offers complete outdoor lighting solutions for roadways and parking lots, including engineering, planning, permitting, construction, equipment commissioning, HID to LED conversions, and EV charger design, having surveyed, mapped, and created ESRI database design of over 100,000 streetlights.
• EV Charger Services Delivers complete turnkey EV charger engineering and installation services for commercial and government customers, including site surveys, electrical and site permitting, underground excavation, in-house power electrical engineering, EV charger specification and procurement, project management, and rebate support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed over 50 main extensions for DTE Gas Planning vendor
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TRC Companies: Engineering, consulting, and construction management firm focused on power, utilities, and infrastructure. Comparable to MES on utility engineering, program management, and EV infrastructure services, with national reach that competes for the same large utility accounts.
• POWER Engineers: Engineering services firm specializing in power delivery, telecom, and infrastructure for utilities and communications providers. Directly comparable to MES on the utility and telecom engineering design side, with similar project-based delivery and similar client profiles.
• Kimley-Horn: Employee-owned engineering and planning consultancy with significant utility, telecom, and public works practices. Comparable to MES in serving municipalities and utilities on infrastructure design, permitting, and program management, with a strong Midwest presence that overlaps MES's footprint.
• WSB: Midwest-based engineering and consulting firm delivering utility, municipal, transportation, and telecom infrastructure services. Headquartered in Minnesota with strong Michigan presence, WSB is one of MES's closest regional competitors for utility and municipal engineering contracts.
• Burns & McDonnell: Large US employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction firm delivering utility (T&D, gas) and telecom engineering services to many of the same client types MES serves, including investor-owned utilities and telecom providers. Comparable in service-line breadth and project-based delivery model, though materially larger and national.

Broad incumbents

• Black & Veatch: Global engineering, procurement, and construction firm with a large utility infrastructure business covering electric T&D, gas, and telecom. Overlaps with MES on electric and gas engineering design, but operates at much larger scale with full EPC capabilities.
• Tetra Tech: Engineering and consulting firm serving utilities, water, environment, and infrastructure clients. Comparable to MES on utility and infrastructure engineering services, though at significantly larger scale and with a much heavier environmental and water focus.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with large utilities, telecom, and transportation practices. Overlaps with MES on utility engineering and telecom infrastructure design, but competes from a national/global platform with much deeper bench and broader service offerings.
• HDR: Employee-owned engineering, architecture, and consulting firm serving utilities, telecom, and government clients. Comparable to MES in utility and telecom engineering services but with national reach and a much broader service portfolio spanning transportation, water, and healthcare.
• Stantec: Global engineering and consulting firm with significant energy, utilities, and infrastructure practices. Overlaps with MES on utility and community development engineering but operates at much larger scale across multiple geographies and verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Metro-Engineering-Solutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metro-engineering-solutions-llc

Compliance2 records

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 Metro Engineering Solutions