Digital Engineering

What Digital Engineering does

Digital Engineering & Imaging, Inc. (operating as Digital Engineering) is a privately held, employee-owned civil engineering and program management firm founded in 1990 and headquartered in Kenner, Louisiana, in the greater New Orleans area. The firm delivers infrastructure consulting services to public-sector clients across the Gulf Coast region through four offices in Louisiana and Mississippi (Kenner, Baton Rouge, Mandeville, and Waveland), with a 60+ person technical staff organized into six practice areas: Transportation, Water Resources, Aviation, Federal, Ports, and Program Delivery. Its service mix spans planning, engineering design, modeling and analysis, construction administration, resident inspection, and multi-year program management, with a stated 'cradle-to-grave' delivery model that positions the firm as a single point of accountability from project ideation through construction. The work is performed using industry-standard third-party tools—AutoCAD Civil 3D, FAARFIELD (FAA pavement design), HEC-HMS (hydrology), VISSM and Synchro (traffic/microsimulation), and GIS platforms—rather than proprietary technology, and the firm differentiates on domain specialization in coastal, water resources, and multimodal transportation engineering rather than on software or AI capabilities.

The firm generates revenue almost exclusively through project-based and multi-year program management contracts with government clients, including LADOTD, FHWA, FEMA, USDOT, EPA, USACE, FAA, MDEQ, LDEQ, and numerous Louisiana and Mississippi parish and municipal governments. Notable engagements include a $35 million Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund program for St. Bernard Parish (recognized with the 2019 EPA Aquarius Award), 34 LADOTD Safe Routes to School and Local Road Safety projects moved to construction since 2009, ongoing program management at the Port of Gulfport, and multi-modal corridor work (e.g., Port of Lake Providence 91-mile freight corridor as sub-consultant to HDR). Pricing is quote-driven and negotiated per engagement, with multi-year program management contracts providing a recurring revenue tail; the firm also assists clients with federal and state grant acquisition, embedding itself in the funding and compliance workflow.

Digital Engineering completed a generational leadership transition in 2024-2025: founder-era leader Kurt Evans, P.E. retired in 2024 after 31 years, and David LeBreton, Jr., P.E., PTOE, PTP, RSP1 was elevated to Principal and CEO alongside an expanded principal bench that includes L. Bruce Newton (CFO), Robert Delaune, Jr. (COO), Fannie Marcotte-Bennett (CSO), and three practice leads for Water Resources, CE&I, and Transportation. The firm has no external parent company, no disclosed institutional funding, and no M&A activity on record; growth has historically been funded organically through office expansion (Waveland 2001, Baton Rouge 2016, Mandeville 2020) and capability extension (Coastal Engineering in 2012, Federal and Ports practices added in subsequent years). The company carries multiple ASCE, ACEC, and ENR awards and has been named a New Orleans City Business 'Best Places to Work' nine times.

Name

Digital Engineering

Legal name

Digital Engineering & Imaging, Inc.

Website

https://deii.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Digital Engineering is an employee-owned civil engineering and program management firm serving government agencies across the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, with four offices and 60+ staff delivering water resources, transportation, aviation, port, and federal infrastructure services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Traffic Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA), Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI), Sustainability & Environmental Compliance Digital Solutions (Emissions, MRV, Waste, Noise) (TLAHAOAN)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Water resources engineering
• Transportation engineering
• Program management services
• Construction administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenner

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 and Consulting Services: Professional engineering services including planning, design, modeling, analysis, construction administration, and program management for infrastructure projects. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts with government agencies and municipalities.
2. Program Management Services: Ongoing program management contracts, often multi-year engagements with government agencies for infrastructure program oversight, grant administration, and project delivery coordination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Digital Engineering is a professional engineering services firm providing planning, design, modeling, analysis, construction administration, and program management for public infrastructure across six practice areas: transportation, water resources, aviation, federal, ports, and program delivery. The firm delivers cradle-to-grave infrastructure solutions to government agencies, parishes, municipalities, and port authorities primarily along the U.S. Gulf Coast, using industry-standard civil engineering and modeling tools.

Product overview

Digital Engineering (DE) is an engineering services firm, not a software product company. It operates as a unified service offering with specialized practice areas covering Transportation Engineering Services, Water Resources Services, Aviation Services, Federal Services, Ports Services, and Program Delivery Services. These integrated service lines work together to deliver cradle-to-grave infrastructure solutions from planning and design through construction administration and program management, primarily serving clients along the Gulf Coast region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation Engineering Services Full-service transportation engineering including planning, modeling and analysis, engineering design, traffic engineering, construction administration, resident inspection, and program management for transportation projects across the Gulf Coast.
• Water Resources Services Comprehensive water resources engineering covering water treatment, water distribution, wastewater, stormwater/drainage, coastal engineering, flood protection, planning, modeling, and environmental services.
• Aviation Services Aviation infrastructure support including airfield infrastructure, aviation planning, program management, and funding assistance for airport systems.
• Federal Services Federal market support including project funding and grants, planning and program development, engineering and design, and program and project management working with agencies such as USDOT, FHWA, and FEMA.
• Ports Services Maritime gateway engineering including planning and analysis, infrastructure design, resiliency and compliance, and program and construction management for port environments.
• Program Delivery Services Comprehensive program delivery including asset management, program management, alternative project delivery (Construction Manager at Risk), funding assistance and management, disaster recovery, and construction services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 43,000 residents through St. Bernard Parish water system rehabilitation program, which received EPA's 2019 Aquarius Award recognizing 'Exceptional Project' status (one of 10 nationally)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - New Orleans DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Digital Engineering earned its first federal contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District in 2007, establishing a key federal agency relationship that has continued to support post-disaster rebuilding and infrastructure projects along the Gulf Coast.
• HDRmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDE serves as sub-consultant to HDR on the Port of Lake Providence Rail Extension project, part of a transformative multimodal freight corridor spanning 91 miles along the Mississippi River. DE contributes Segment C work including rail infrastructure rehabilitation and highway-rail grade crossing upgrades.
• Cypress-DE Joint VenturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Engineering participates in the Cypress-DE Joint Venture for the Big Creek-Bouie River Watershed Improvements project, providing comprehensive hydrology and hydraulic study services for flood mitigation in Rawl Springs, Mississippi.
• Kansas City Southern (KCS) RailwayminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDE coordinated closely with KCS on the Port of Gulfport secure rail-served facility project, extending 1,600 feet of KCS rail to a new 10-acre paved lot with dual spurs for simultaneous loading operations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HDR: National engineering firm where DE serves as sub-consultant on port and rail projects. Comparable in transportation, water, and federal program management.
• Stantec: Global engineering consulting firm providing water, transportation, environmental, and community development services to public agencies. Overlaps in core service lines and client base.
• CDM Smith: Large global engineering firm focused on water, environment, transportation, and federal infrastructure. Overlaps in water, federal, and coastal work for municipal clients.
• WSP USA: Global engineering professional services firm with major US presence in transportation, water, and environment. Comparable services and government client overlap.

Direct peers

• Kimley-Horn: Privately held, employee-owned engineering planning firm serving public and private sector clients across transportation, water, and community development. Direct comparable in culture, ownership structure, and practice breadth.
• Neel-Schaffer: Engineering and planning firm with deep Southeast US presence, offering transportation, water resources, aviation, and program management to state DOTs and municipalities. Closely comparable regional scale and service mix.
• T. Baker Smith: Louisiana-based engineering firm providing surveying, environmental, and infrastructure services to Gulf Coast public agencies. Strong overlap in geography, public-sector clientele, and infrastructure focus.
• Halff Associates: Employee-owned engineering planning firm serving municipalities and DOTs across Texas and the South. Comparable ownership model and transportation/water/aviation practice mix.

Regional players

• C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates: Louisiana engineering and surveying firm serving energy, transportation, water, and government clients across the Gulf Coast. Comparable in size, region, and public-sector focus.
• Trigon Associates: New Orleans area engineering firm serving port, coastal, maritime, and infrastructure clients in the Gulf region. Strong overlap in coastal/port engineering specialty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/digitalengineeringhq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Digital Engineering