What KDM Engineering does

KDM Engineering is a privately held, woman- and minority-owned professional engineering consultancy founded in 2012 by Kimberly Moore and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm delivers full-service electrical, natural gas, civil, and telecommunications design services to U.S. electric and gas utilities, with a portfolio spanning distribution engineering, substation design and upgrades, joint use/make-ready analysis, voltage optimization, permitting, AutoCAD drafting, and utility coordination. Named enterprise clients include American Electric Power (AEP), Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), ComEd, Ameren, and Pepco, and the firm operates as a direct enterprise services provider bidding on utility projects and serving as a prime contractor on multi-year engagements such as the AEP joint use/utility coordination program and Pepco's substation Facilities Expansion Program.

The business is built on a delivery model of PE-licensed, multi-state-credentialed engineers (with licensure cited in Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, and Georgia) supported by drafting and project management staff. KDM has scaled from a single Chicago office to four U.S. locations—Chicago (HQ), Linthicum Heights MD, South Bend IN, and Middletown DE—deliberately co-locating field engineers within client service territories. The firm is certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) and is a member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), providing access to supplier-diversity procurement channels at major utilities. KDM's workforce composition (32% women employees, 14 languages spoken, 5,000 cumulative designs) is a core element of its market positioning.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on project-based contracts, with no public pricing or revenue disclosure. Operational scale is supported by a multi-year partnership with Unanet ERP AE for project accounting, time tracking, and HR management. The company has received eight consecutive years of Chicago's Best and Brightest Companies to Work For recognition (through 2023) and added Gregory Bruton as Vice President of Special Projects in November 2025 to lead its next growth phase. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability; the technology footprint centers on AutoCAD/GIS, ADMS, and grid-modernization design standards rather than proprietary AI models.

Name

KDM Engineering

Legal name

KDM Engineering

Website

https://kdmengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KDM Engineering is a woman- and minority-owned engineering consulting firm founded in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, providing distribution, substation, natural gas, and telecommunications design services to U.S. electric and gas utilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Power Plant Electrical Systems EPC (Switchyard, Transformers, Protection & Controls) (EUAEAAAM), Power Plant I&C / SCADA / DCS EPC (EUAEAAAN)

Keywords

• Utility engineering services
• Distribution engineering design
• Substation engineering design
• Telecommunications infrastructure design
• Natural gas distribution design

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 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: KDM generates revenue through professional engineering consulting fees for design services. As a full-service engineering consulting firm, they provide distribution engineering, natural gas distribution design, substation design, telecommunications design, civil engineering, AutoCAD/drafting, permitting, and utility coordination services to utility clients throughout the U.S.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KDM Engineering is a professional engineering consulting firm that delivers full-service design, drafting, permitting, and project management for electric, natural gas, and telecommunications infrastructure. The firm provides distribution engineering, substation design, civil engineering, AutoCAD/drafting, permitting, utility coordination, joint use/make-ready analysis, voltage optimization, and facility relocation services to enterprise utility clients across the United States.

Product overview

KDM Engineering is a professional services firm offering full-service electrical engineering consulting and design. The company provides a comprehensive suite of utility and telecommunications engineering services including Distribution Engineering, Natural Gas Distribution Design, Civil Engineering, AutoCAD/Drafting, Permitting, and Utility Coordination. The firm specializes in power distribution design, substation engineering, telecommunications infrastructure, joint use/make-ready analysis, and voltage optimization for utility clients. Services are delivered throughout the U.S. with project management capabilities supporting the entire project lifecycle from design through permitting and construction support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Distribution Engineering Power distribution design services for electric utility clients, covering engineering analysis and design work for overhead and underground distribution systems. Sold to mid- to high-voltage electric utilities.
• Natural Gas Distribution Design Engineering design services for natural gas distribution systems, supporting infrastructure development and permitting for natural gas utilities.
• Civil Engineering Civil engineering support services for utility infrastructure projects, including site development and structural considerations.
• AutoCAD/Drafting Computer-aided design and drafting services using AutoCAD for utility and telecommunications engineering projects.
• Permitting Permitting services for utility infrastructure projects, navigating regulatory requirements and approvals on behalf of utility clients.
• Utility Coordination Joint use and multi-utility coordination services that manage interactions between different utility providers on shared infrastructure projects.
• Telecommunications Design Telecommunications infrastructure design services, including fiber optic and cable systems design and make-ready engineering for providers deploying on utility poles.
• Substation Engineering Substation design services including protection and control systems for substations, plus complete substation upgrade capabilities such as Facilities Expansion Programs.
• Joint Use/Make-Ready Analysis Analysis services for utility pole load capacity and preparation for additional attachments, including fiber make-ready projects for telecom attachers.
• Voltage Optimization Design Design services for utility voltage optimization programs, including field data collection, design to client standards, and post-construction walkdowns for system optimization.
• Facility Relocation Engineering design for facility relocation work performed in advance of upcoming construction for utility clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33% reduction in customer complaints for utility partner implementing real-time voltage monitoring
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Electric Power (AEP) / Indiana Michigan PowercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 August 2022KDM Engineering partnered with Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), part of the AEP family, to provide power distribution design services. This partnership extends KDM's distribution engineering design services to utility companies in the Midwest. KDM assists I&M with its joint use/utility coordination program and hired engineers in the South Bend area to provide local expertise on projects.
• UnanetcoreTechnology or IntegrationKDM Engineering partnered with Unanet ERP AE to implement an enterprise resource planning system providing real-time reports for managing projects, tracking hours, financial accounting, and human resource management including PTO tracking. The partnership has been in place for over five years and supports company growth.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ENTRUST Solutions Group: Mid-sized specialty engineering firm providing distribution, substation, gas, and telecom engineering services to utility clients across the U.S. Closest comparable in scale, service mix, and utility-vertical focus.
• Sigma Technologies: Specialty engineering services firm focused on utility infrastructure design, including distribution, substation, and telecom engineering for investor-owned and cooperative utilities. Highly comparable niche and customer base to KDM.
• POWER Engineering Services: Engineering consulting firm providing power system design, substation engineering, and distribution services to electric utilities. Comparable specialty focus and customer segment to KDM's core distribution engineering practice.
• TRC Companies: Engineering and consulting firm with a dedicated utility practice spanning distribution engineering, grid modernization, substation design, and telecom infrastructure. Now part of Leidos but operates comparable service lines to KDM.
• Aldridge Group: Specialty contractor and engineering firm delivering substation, distribution, and telecom infrastructure services to utilities. Comparable mid-market specialty services focus and utility customer base.
• GPD Group: Multi-discipline engineering and architectural firm with a power utilities practice covering distribution, substation, and communications design. Comparable specialty services and utility client overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Burns & McDonnell: Large, full-service engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting firm with a substantial power utility practice including distribution and substation design. Competes with KDM on the same utility RFPs but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Black & Veatch: Global engineering, procurement, construction, and consulting company with deep utility-sector presence across power generation, T&D, and gas. Overlaps with KDM in distribution and substation design but at substantially larger scale.
• Quanta Services: Large publicly traded utility infrastructure services company providing electric power, gas, and telecom construction and engineering solutions across North America. Comparable services to KDM but at vastly greater scale and broader geographic footprint.
• MasTec: Major publicly traded infrastructure construction company with significant utility services including power distribution, substation, and communications engineering. Competes for similar utility contract work but operates at much larger scale.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KDMEngineering
• Facebookfacebook.com/KDMEngineering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kdm-engineering
• Instagraminstagram.com/kdmengineering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 KDM Engineering