R.A. Smith Inc.
R.A. Smith Inc. is a multi-disciplinary civil, structural, and transportation engineering and land surveying consulting firm with 220+ employees across six offices in Wisconsin, Illinois, and California, serving both public-sector municipalities and private developers nationwide with PE-stamped capabilities in 48 states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersBrookfield, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What R.A. Smith Inc. does
R.A. Smith Inc. (raSmith) is a multi-disciplinary engineering and land surveying consulting firm founded in 1978 by Richard A. Smith, M.S., P.E., F.ASCE, and headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The firm is now led by second-generation owner Richard A. Smith Jr. as President, with a staff of more than 220 employees including 30+ licensed land surveyors and 6 FAA Part 107-certified UAS pilots. The company operates from six office locations across Wisconsin (Brookfield, Appleton, Cedarburg, Madison), Illinois (Naperville), and California (Irvine), with professional engineers licensed to stamp drawings in 48 states.
raSmith delivers professional consulting services across civil engineering, structural engineering, transportation and traffic engineering, water/wastewater engineering, land surveying, GIS, landscape architecture, ecological services, floodplain management, stormwater, grant writing, construction management, and real estate acquisition. The firm has been an early adopter of advanced surveying technologies, deploying static LiDAR (3D laser scanning) since 2007, UAS (drone) mapping with both photogrammetric and survey-grade LiDAR payloads since 2014-2015, and hydrographic multi-beam echo sounder systems. Its structural engineering practice, strengthened by the 2018 acquisition of Matsen Ford Design Associates, is a recognized leader in cold-formed steel and tilt-up design, evidenced by 15+ CFSEI Design Excellence Awards between 2017 and 2025.
The firm's revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees billed to a split book of public-sector clients (Wisconsin municipalities, WisDOT, WDNR, FEMA, USACE) and private-sector clients across healthcare, education, retail, real estate, energy, and industrial verticals. Named customers include Educators Credit Union, Pullman Bank & Trust, Kwik Trip, Amazon, Oshkosh Corporation, Wangard Partners, OneEnergy Renewables, Froedtert Health, Gundersen Health System, Northwestern Medicine, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The firm holds engineer-of-record status with multiple Wisconsin municipalities since 1979 and operates a public-sector grants advisory practice anchored by a proprietary directory of approximately 250 funding programs from nearly 100 agencies.
R.A. Smith Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- R.A. Smith Inc.
- Legal name
- R.A. Smith, Inc.
- Website
- https://rasmith.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- R.A. Smith Inc. is a multi-disciplinary civil, structural, and transportation engineering and land surveying consulting firm with 220+ employees across six offices in Wisconsin, Illinois, and California, serving both public-sector municipalities and private developers nationwide with PE-stamped capabilities in 48 states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
R.A. Smith Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil Engineering Consulting
- akta.pro primary industry
- Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)
Keywords
Where R.A. Smith Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brookfield
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
R.A. Smith Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Engineering and Consulting Services: Professional consulting services in civil engineering, structural engineering, land surveying, municipal engineering, transportation engineering, water/wastewater engineering, and related disciplines. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for government and private sector clients
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
R.A. Smith Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
raSmith is a multi-disciplinary engineering consulting firm providing civil engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering, land surveying, GIS, and related geospatial services. The firm serves both private and public sector clients nationwide, delivering project-based professional services including site design, municipal engineering, water/wastewater systems, cold-formed steel design, tilt-up design, and construction management.
Product overview
R.A. Smith Inc. (raSmith) is a multi-disciplinary civil engineering and land surveying consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional services organized into distinct practice areas. The firm operates as a single unified consulting practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core service lines include Land Surveying & Geospatial (encompassing hydrographic surveying, static LiDAR 3D laser scanning, UAS/drone mapping, and traditional land surveying since 1929); Municipal Services (municipal engineering, water/wastewater, stormwater management, GIS, grant writing, and park master planning); Site & Development Services (site design, landscape architecture, ecological services, floodplain management, and development management); Structural Engineering (building design, cold-formed steel engineering, and tilt-up design); Transportation Engineering (traffic engineering and transportation engineering); and Construction Services. These services are delivered by civil engineers, structural engineers, traffic engineers, land surveyors, landscape architects, ecologists, and construction inspectors from offices in Wisconsin (Brookfield, Appleton, Cedarburg, Madison), Illinois (Naperville), and California (Irvine) to clients nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Land Surveying Services
- Hydrographic Surveying
- Static LiDAR (3D Laser Scanning)
- UAS (Drone) Mapping Services
- Municipal Engineering Services
- Structural Engineering Services
- Cold-Formed Steel Engineering
- Tilt-Up Design Services
- Traffic Engineering
- Transportation Engineering
- Water and Wastewater Engineering
- Stormwater Management Services
- GIS Geographic Information Systems
- Site Design Services
- Landscape Architecture
- Ecological Services
- Floodplain Management
- Grant Writing Services
- Construction Services
- Development Management
- Park Master Planning
- Real Estate Acquisition Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked #5 Top Workplace by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use R.A. Smith Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments14 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
R.A. Smith Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
R.A. Smith Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Esri (ArcGIS Platform)coreStrategic use of ArcGIS Platform including ArcGIS Online deployment and integration. ArcGIS Online Specialty certification. Integration with Field Maps, Survey123, and custom web applications for GIS solutions.
- Matsen Ford Design AssociatescoreAcquired in 2018, Matsen Ford was a respected leader in cold-formed steel engineering since 1987. Many current staff joined raSmith through this acquisition, contributing deep technical knowledge and legacy of innovation in cold-formed steel market.
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)coreLong-term partnership for transportation engineering projects. raSmith works with WisDOT on state highway projects, interchanges, and transportation infrastructure improvements.
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)coreRegular coordination with WDNR for wetland delineation, permitting, waterway projects, and environmental compliance. Strong relationships for floodplain management, stormwater, and ecological projects.
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)coreDeep experience with FEMA floodplain management, LOMR/CLOMR permitting, and NFIP compliance. Staff includes Certified Floodplain Managers (CFM).
- Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA)coreActive participation in SFIA. raSmith contributed to case studies prepared by SFIA. Leaders Jeff Derra and Pat Hainault have been active members of SFIA and CFSEI.
- Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI)coreActive participation in CFSEI. Multiple Design Excellence Awards received. Pat Hainault serves on CFSEI Executive Council. Staff members active in association leadership.
- United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)coreRegular coordination with USACE for wetland permitting, ecological restoration projects, and environmental compliance support.
- American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)minorIndustry association membership and recognition. raSmith's structural engineers have earned recognition from ACEC.
- Structural Engineers Association (SEA)minorIndustry association membership and recognition. Staff have earned recognition from SEA of Wisconsin.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
R.A. Smith Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ayres Associates: Wisconsin-based multi-disciplinary engineering, surveying, GIS and architecture consulting firm with comparable size, geographic footprint and service portfolio (civil, structural, transportation, water resources, aerial mapping) — directly competes with raSmith across Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.
- Mead & Hunt: Midwest-headquartered multi-disciplinary consulting firm providing planning, architecture, engineering, surveying and environmental services to public and private clients nationwide — same multi-state practice model, similar client mix, and comparable breadth of service lines.
- MSA Professional Services: Wisconsin-based (Baraboo) consulting firm delivering civil engineering, structural, surveying, GIS, water/wastewater and municipal services — directly comparable in size, geography and public-sector municipal engineering focus.
- Clark Dietz: Midwest-focused multi-disciplinary civil/structural/environmental engineering and construction services firm with similar municipal, transportation and water/wastewater practice mix — direct mid-market competitor for public-sector RFPs.
- Baxter & Woodman: Illinois-based civil engineering firm offering water/wastewater, transportation, municipal and structural engineering to public and private clients — directly comparable in scale and service mix, particularly for Illinois and Midwest public-sector work.
- J. T. Engineering: Wisconsin-headquartered civil engineering and surveying firm providing transportation, structural, municipal and construction services — directly competes with raSmith for Wisconsin DOT, county and municipal assignments.
Regional players
- Kapur & Associates: Wisconsin/Midwest multi-disciplinary engineering, land surveying, planning and environmental consulting firm — comparable service breadth but geographically focused on the upper Midwest market with limited national reach.
- Larson Engineering: Upper-Midwest structural, cold-formed steel and civil engineering firm — directly relevant peer specifically for raSmith's cold-formed steel and structural engineering practice, though with a more regional presence.
Broad incumbents
- HNTB Corporation: Large national engineering and architecture firm with deep transportation and infrastructure practice that competes for the same WisDOT, WisDOT-adjacent and municipal RFPs as raSmith — much larger scale but overlapping service lines and client base.
- Stantec: Global engineering, architecture and environmental consulting firm with municipal, transportation, water and structural practices — competes for the same institutional and public-sector clients at a much larger scale across the U.S.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
R.A. Smith Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceR.A. Smith Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
R.A. Smith Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
R.A. Smith Inc. subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
R.A. Smith Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
R.A. Smith Inc. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about R.A. Smith Inc.
What does R.A. Smith Inc. do?
raSmith is a multi-disciplinary engineering consulting firm providing civil engineering, structural engineering, transportation engineering, land surveying, GIS, and related geospatial services. The firm serves both private and public sector clients nationwide, delivering project-based professional services including site design, municipal engineering, water/wastewater systems, cold-formed steel design, tilt-up design, and construction management.
Is R.A. Smith Inc. a public or private company?
R.A. Smith Inc. is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was R.A. Smith Inc. founded?
R.A. Smith Inc. was founded in 1978. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is R.A. Smith Inc. based?
R.A. Smith Inc. is headquartered in Brookfield, United States, in the North America region.
How does R.A. Smith Inc. make money?
One revenue line is on record: engineering and Consulting Services.
Who are R.A. Smith Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ayres Associates, Mead & Hunt, MSA Professional Services, Clark Dietz, Baxter & Woodman and J. T. Engineering. Regional players are Kapur & Associates and Larson Engineering. Broad incumbents are HNTB Corporation and Stantec.
Does R.A. Smith Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for R.A. Smith Inc..
What industry is R.A. Smith Inc. in?
R.A. Smith Inc.'s product category is Civil Engineering Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAB, Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting.