What JBW Consulting Engineers does

JBW Consulting Engineers is a multi-disciplined consulting engineering firm founded in 2018 and headquartered in Hermantown, Minnesota (Duluth area). The firm delivers mechanical, process, structural, civil, and electrical engineering services to industrial, energy, and infrastructure clients across the United States and Canada, with project values ranging from under $50,000 to over $150 million. Specialty services overlay the core disciplines and include Dust Hazard Analysis (NFPA 68/69/664/652-compliant), Arc Flash Studies (IEEE 1584-2018 / NFPA 70E), BIM Coordination, 3D Scanning and Point Cloud modeling, and piping stress analysis per ASME B31.3.

The company executes its work using mainstream engineering software — Revit, AutoCAD 3D, Plant 3D, Inventor, BIM360, Navisworks, Bluebeam, RISA for structural/seismic analysis, AutoPipe for piping stress, and SKM PowerWorld for arc flash and short-circuit studies. Specialist capabilities include seismic design for nuclear facilities (e.g., WIPP HVAC and fan cooling design for the US Department of Energy), combustible dust hazard mitigation for wood products, ethanol, and grain facilities, and hazardous area classification per NFPA 70. Naming 20+ enterprise and government customers across wood products (LP Building Solutions, Resolute Forest Products), mining (Kinross, Sibanye-Stillwater), oil & gas (Sinclair Oil), power generation (Black Hills Energy, Minnesota Power), nuclear (US DOE WIPP), pulp & paper (Domtar), food manufacturing (Jack Links), ethanol (GreenField Global), and aerospace, JBW operates at the intersection of regulatory-driven industrial engineering and capital-project execution.

JBW runs as a privately held B2B professional services firm on a project-based fee model, with a sales-led go-to-market anchored on direct relationships, referrals, and repeat business. The firm employs 11–50 people distributed across four offices — Hermantown (Duluth, MN), Minneapolis (MN), Gillette (WY), and Bozeman (MT) — under founder-led ownership with no disclosed institutional investors or parent company. Founder, President, and CEO Bryn Johnston leads the company. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagement economics vary materially by project scope and complexity.

Name

JBW Consulting Engineers

Legal name

JBW Consulting Engineers

Website

https://jbwconsult.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JBW Consulting Engineers is a multi-disciplined engineering consulting firm delivering mechanical, structural, civil, and electrical design services to industrial, energy, and infrastructure clients across the United States and Canada from offices in Minnesota, Wyoming, and Montana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reliability, Safety & Risk Engineering (RAMS/PSM) Consulting (BPAHAIAK), Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

Keywords

• Industrial engineering consulting
• Mechanical process engineering
• Structural engineering services
• Electrical controls engineering
• Facility evaluation engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: JBW provides professional engineering and design services for industrial, energy, and infrastructure projects. Revenue is generated through project-based professional service fees for mechanical, process, structural, civil, and electrical engineering engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JBW Consulting Engineers is a multi-disciplined consulting engineering firm that provides mechanical & process, structural, civil, electrical & controls, and process & facility evaluation engineering services for industrial, energy, and infrastructure clients across the United States and Canada. The firm supports projects from concept through construction administration and commissioning, including specialty capabilities such as Dust Hazard Analysis, Arc Flash studies, BIM coordination, point cloud 3D scanning, and piping stress analysis. Project values range from under $50,000 to over $150 million for clients in wood products, nuclear, oil and gas, mining, power generation, pulp and paper, food manufacturing, ethanol, recycling, and grain.

Product overview

JBW Consulting Engineers is a multi-disciplined engineering consulting firm that provides a comprehensive portfolio of engineering services primarily serving industrial, energy, and infrastructure sectors. The company offers five core service disciplines: Mechanical & Process Engineering, Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical & Controls Engineering, and Process & Facility Evaluation. These core services are supported by specialty offerings including Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA), Arc Flash Studies, BIM Coordination, 3D Scanning & Point Cloud Services, and Piping Analysis. The firm serves clients across the United States and Canada, with project values ranging from under $50,000 to over $150 million. JBW operates from four office locations in Minnesota, Wyoming, and Montana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical & Process Engineering Services Full engineering design services for sustainable equipment and processes, including HVAC systems, dust collection, process piping, and material handling systems for industrial, energy, and infrastructure clients.
• Structural Engineering Services Structural analysis and design for foundations, platforms, supports, and facility structures using RISA software, including seismic analysis and design for nuclear and industrial facilities.
• Civil Engineering Services Civil design services for site grading, drainage, stormwater management, underground piping systems, and facility site improvements for industrial and infrastructure clients.
• Electrical & Controls Engineering Services Electrical engineering design for energy and industrial clients, including electrical infrastructure, PLC/HMI controls, arc flash studies, and hazardous area classification per NFPA 70.
• Process & Facility Evaluation Services Comprehensive facility analyses including Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA), process hazard analysis, facility classification updates, and equipment evaluation services for industrial and energy operators.
• Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) Systematic identification and documentation of deflagration, fire, and flash fire hazards associated with dust-generating equipment for industrial clients handling combustible dust, compliant with NFPA 664, 68, 69, and 652 standards.
• Arc Flash Studies Comprehensive electrical safety assessments using SKM PowerWorld including arc flash incident energy analysis using IEEE 1584-2018, short circuit evaluation, and relay coordination per NFPA 70E requirements.
• BIM Coordination Building Information Modeling coordination services using Navisworks for 3D visualization, clash detection, and design-to-construction bridging across disciplines on industrial projects.
• 3D Scanning & Point Cloud Services Facility scanning using point cloud technology to create detailed 3D models of existing facilities for design, renovation, and construction planning purposes.
• Piping Analysis Piping stress analysis and support specification using AutoPipe software per ASME B31.3, integrated with structural analysis to verify integrity under all operating scenarios.

Quantifiable outcome

• Engineered wood siding mill expansion projects with overall values greater than $180MM
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 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

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Foth Companies: Mid-size US engineering consulting firm delivering multi-discipline (mechanical, structural, civil, electrical, environmental) services to industrial, energy, and infrastructure clients. Closely comparable in size, horizontal service model, and target end markets to JBW.
• Morrison-Maierle: Privately held, multi-discipline engineering firm headquartered in the Mountain West with offices across MT, WY, ID, and AZ serving industrial, energy, and infrastructure clients. Highly comparable in scale, regional footprint, and public-sector/industrial client mix to JBW.
• WSB (formerly Wenck Engineering): Mid-market engineering and consulting firm with multi-discipline capabilities (civil, structural, water, environmental, transportation) across the upper Midwest. Comparable in size, geography, and horizontal engineering service model to JBW.
• Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH): 100% employee-owned engineering firm with multi-discipline services (civil, structural, water resources, electrical) across the Midwest and Mountain West. Directly comparable in ownership structure, scale, and horizontal engineering delivery to JBW.
• POWER Engineering: Engineering firm focused on power generation, substations, and electrical infrastructure for utilities and industrial clients. Comparable in electrical/power delivery scope and target client base (Black Hills Energy, etc.) to JBW's electrical discipline.
• Hanson Professional Services: Employee-owned engineering consulting firm with mechanical, structural, electrical, and civil capabilities serving industrial, power, and government clients across the central US. Comparable in scale, ownership structure, and multi-discipline delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Kleinfelder: Larger, multi-discipline engineering, construction management, and scientific services firm serving industrial, energy, water, and government clients. Comparable in service breadth but meaningfully larger scale; competes with JBW in DHA, structural, and civil scopes.
• TRC Companies: Public technical consulting and engineering firm with strong energy, environmental, and infrastructure practices. Comparable in arc flash, NFPA compliance, and process safety consulting services that overlap JBW's specialty offerings.
• Burns & McDonnell: Large, employee-owned engineering, construction, and consulting firm with deep industrial, power, oil & gas, and government practices. Competes with JBW for the same enterprise and utility clients (Sinclair, Black Hills, mining operators) but at vastly greater scale.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with substantial industrial, energy, and infrastructure practices in North America. Competes with JBW in multi-discipline industrial engineering and is a frequent counter-bidder for JBW's client projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jbwconsulting
• Facebookfacebook.com/JBWconsult

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 JBW Consulting Engineers