Horner & Shifrin, Inc.

What Horner & Shifrin, Inc. does

Horner & Shifrin, Inc. is a multidisciplinary civil engineering professional services firm founded in October 1933 in St. Louis, Missouri by Wesley Horner and Hymen Shifrin. The firm is structured as 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and operates from nine offices across Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas with a headcount in the 101–250 range. Its service portfolio spans 14 distinct lines including Transportation, Water, Wastewater, Water Resources, Drinking Water, Building Services (MEP/FP engineering), Construction Services, Surveying, Geospatial/GIS, Site Development, Environmental Planning and Permitting, Public Involvement, and Structural Engineering, plus dedicated Design-Build delivery for transportation infrastructure.

The firm's core technology platform combines proprietary Skyview Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and City Management Systems (CMS) web-based asset-management tools with ESRI ArcGIS (Bronze Partner) and VertiGIS technology, complemented by advanced field-data acquisition methods including UAS aerial drones, handheld LiDAR scanning, and a Bathymetric Survey Service launched in April 2025 using a remote-controlled drone boat with multi-beam echo sounders and RTK GNSS. Projects range from the I-64 Design-Build (largest transportation project in Missouri history, $525M total contract value) and water treatment plant design-builds to campus housing, hospital facilities, and lead service line inventories across more than 220 Arkansas water systems.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees on multi-year contracts, with the firm acting as prime consultant, subconsultant, or design-build teammate to government agencies (primarily MoDOT, IDOT, counties, and municipalities), utilities, healthcare systems, and educational institutions. The firm has been named a Greater St. Louis Top Workplace for ten consecutive years, ranked No. 57 on Zweig Group's 2026 Hot Firm List of fastest-growing AEC firms, and maintains an 80% client repeat-assignment rate. Curt Peitzman was appointed as the firm's eighth President in February 2026 following the resignation of Steve Donahue.

Name

Horner & Shifrin, Inc.

Legal name

Horner & Shifrin, Inc.

Website

https://hornershifrin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Horner & Shifrin is a 100% employee-owned, multidisciplinary civil engineering firm founded in 1933, serving government, utilities, healthcare, and education clients across the Midwest and South via 14 service lines and design-build delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Transportation engineering design
• Water and wastewater infrastructure
• Geospatial GIS services
• Design-build consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 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 and Consulting Services: Professional engineering services including design, planning, survey, environmental planning, construction administration, and GIS mapping services. Revenue is generated through project fees, which vary based on project scope, complexity, and duration. Services are provided to government agencies, municipalities, and private sector clients on a project-by-project basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Horner & Shifrin is a multidisciplinary engineering firm delivering professional design, planning, survey, environmental, and construction administration services for transportation, water, wastewater, building, and site development projects. The firm serves government agencies, municipalities, utilities, healthcare, education, and private sector clients as a prime consultant, subconsultant, and design-build teammate. It also offers proprietary Skyview GIS and City Management Systems (CMS) platforms for asset and infrastructure data management.

Product overview

Horner & Shifrin is a multidisciplinary professional services firm offering a comprehensive suite of engineering services. The firm's core product portfolio centers on its Skyview Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and City Management Systems (CMS) platforms, which provide customizable web-based asset management and spatial data visualization accessible via computer, tablet, or smartphone. These GIS platforms are complemented by 14 distinct service lines: Building Services (MEP/FP engineering), Construction Services, Drinking Water, Environmental Planning and Permitting, Geospatial/GIS Services, Public Involvement, Site Development, Surveying, Transportation, Wastewater, Water Resources, and Additional Expertise (including Airports, Structural Engineering, and Funding Application). The firm also offers specialized Design-Build services for transportation infrastructure projects. As a 100% employee-owned firm founded in 1933, H&S delivers services across education, emergency, government, healthcare, private, and utilities markets throughout the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Services MEP/FP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing/fire protection) engineering and civil site engineering for new construction, adaptive reuse, and historic renovation of buildings across education, healthcare, government, and private sectors.
• Construction Services Construction inspection and observation with full administration including contractor coordination, construction surveillance, and stakeholder cooperation throughout project delivery.
• Drinking Water Services Design and improvement of water treatment, conveyance, and storage systems from source to tap, including pump stations, UV treatment, water lines, tanks, and full treatment design.
• Environmental Planning and Permitting Environmental documentation including EAs, EISs, NEPA compliance, and coordination with federal and state environmental regulatory agencies for transportation and utility infrastructure projects.
• Geospatial (GIS) Services GIS capabilities including asset management, data collection, data conversion, data integration, drone-based earthwork verification, GIS hosting, GIS mapping, and LiDAR acquisition.
• Public Involvement Public awareness, correspondence, and meeting facilitation services, including Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) implementation for IDOT projects.
• Site Development Site planning and development services including parks, trails, and site design with utility coordination and permitting.
• Surveying Traditional and advanced survey methods including LiDAR scanning, aerial mapping, bathymetric surveys, boundary surveys, topographic surveys, and construction surveys.
• Transportation Services Roadway and bridge engineering including active transportation, bridge design/inspection/rehab/replacement, ADA compliance, intersection design, lighting, overlay, parking, pedestrian bridges, railroad coordination, roundabout, safety, traffic signalization, and traffic studies.
• Wastewater Services Wastewater treatment and conveyance design including combined sewer, infiltration/inflow, lagoon, lift station, pump station, sanitary sewer, solids/biosolids, and wastewater treatment.
• Water Resources Stormwater and flood protection engineering including creek bank stabilization, flood protection/levee systems, hydraulics, hydrology, storm sewer, and stormwater management.
• Transportation Infrastructure Design-Build Design-build project delivery method for transportation infrastructure, with Horner & Shifrin serving as prime design consultant or subconsultant; eight MoDOT design-build projects completed since 2006.
• Additional Expertise Services Additional services including airports, alternate project delivery, funding application assistance, and structural engineering.
• Bathymetric Survey Service with Remote Drone Boat Surveying service that uses advanced sonar and GNSS technologies on a remote drone boat to provide detailed underwater topography for environmental studies, dredging operations, and infrastructure development.
• Skyview GIS and City Management Systems (CMS) Platforms Customizable web-based GIS and CMS platforms allowing asset data and spatial location to be collected, visualized for review and interpretation, reported on, and maintained throughout the asset lifecycle. Accessible via computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% employee retention rate with 9.5 years average tenure (2.5x US private sector average)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ESRIcoreTechnology or IntegrationESRI Bronze Partner, leveraging ESRI's ArcGIS platform for GIS solutions. As an ESRI Bronze Partner, Horner & Shifrin utilizes ArcGIS applications and technology for geospatial mapping, asset management, and data visualization for clients.
• VertiGIScoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment in VertiGIS technology platform as the interactive GIS mapping portal for clients. Staff receives continual training on the latest advances in GIS technologies through this partnership.
• Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorner & Shifrin has worked extensively with MoDOT since the initial passage of Missouri design-build legislation in 2004. Selected on eight total MoDOT design-build projects, four as prime design consultant. The New I-64 was the first MoDOT project to use the design-build delivery method. Partnership involves collaborative project delivery to save time and money.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global sustainable design and engineering firm with strong US water, environmental, and community development practices. Comparable to H&S in water/wastewater and environmental service lines, though with significantly broader geographic and service reach.
• Black & Veatch: Employee-owned global engineering, procurement, and construction firm with strong water and wastewater practices. Comparable to H&S in ownership model and water infrastructure focus, though B&V operates at significantly larger scale with EPC capabilities.
• Tetra Tech: Leading consulting and engineering firm specializing in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure. Directly comparable to H&S in water/wastewater and environmental consulting services, with deeper federal/international exposure.
• Burns & McDonnell: 100% employee-owned AEC firm offering full-service engineering, architecture, and consulting across power, infrastructure, water, and transportation — directly comparable to H&S in ownership structure, multi-disciplinary scope, and design-build execution, though at significantly larger scale.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with substantial US presence in transportation, water, and environmental engineering. Competes with H&S for state DOT and municipal design work, with significantly greater scale and design-build delivery capabilities.
• HDR Inc. Large employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with deep practices in transportation, water, and environmental services. Directly comparable to H&S in core service lines and ESOP structure, but with national/international scale.
• WSP USA: Global professional services firm with major US transportation, water, and buildings practices. Comparable to H&S in core service lines and public-sector client mix, though operating at much larger scale with full multidisciplinary capability.

Direct peers

• Clark Dietz: Employee-owned Midwest engineering firm specializing in transportation, water, wastewater, and structural engineering for public-sector clients. Closely comparable to H&S in size, ownership, geography, and public-works focus.
• Hanson Professional Services: Mid-sized, employee-owned engineering and consulting firm headquartered in Illinois with strong transportation, water, and environmental practices across the Midwest. Closest direct peer to H&S in size, ownership structure, geography, and service portfolio.
• Oates Associates: Mid-sized Midwest civil and structural engineering firm with focus on transportation, municipal infrastructure, and bridges. Comparable to H&S in regional Midwestern footprint and structural/transportation practice areas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horner-shifrin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Horner & Shifrin, Inc.