What Providence Engineering Corporation does

Providence Engineering Corporation is a privately held structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1992 by Dan Fichtner, P.E., the firm serves architects, building owners, general contractors, and end-clients across the commercial, healthcare, education, industrial, multifamily/residential, food processing, cold storage, municipal/government, religious, hospitality, parking, and performing arts sectors. It maintains professional licensure in 49 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, enabling project delivery across nearly the entire North American market.

The firm delivers services through a multi-disciplinary engineering practice built around structural engineering as its historical core, supplemented by full MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection) design services launched in 2022. Its underlying technical platform centers on Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools — primarily AutoCAD and Revit — operated by a dedicated Virtual Design Services (VDS) team that supports 3D coordination for building design and construction. Specialized capabilities include food processing facility design, cold storage warehouse engineering with complete building insulation and vapor barrier envelope design, cold-formed steel bearing wall and shear wall lateral systems, and historic building renovations. As of 2024, the firm employs 50+ engineers and operates from eight offices: Lancaster (HQ), York, Doylestown, Carlisle, State College, Lewisburg, Pittsburgh, and a recently established Florida location.

Providence Engineering generates revenue through project-based professional services fees negotiated directly with clients, with project scope ranging from small repairs to complex multi-story developments, renovations, and additions. Pricing is quote-based and customized per project rather than publicly listed. The firm transitioned to 100% employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in October 2021, with David Bernhardt, P.E. serving as CEO since 2015 following Dan Fichtner's planned succession. Its distribution model is relationship-driven enterprise field sales — projects are secured through architect and design team partnerships, general contractor relationships, and industry reputation, with the firm's geographic office footprint serving as the primary delivery channel.

Name

Providence Engineering Corporation

Legal name

Providence Engineering Corporation

Website

https://proveng.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Providence Engineering Corporation is a privately held, 100% employee-owned structural and MEP engineering firm founded in 1992, serving architects, building owners, and general contractors across commercial, healthcare, food processing, and education sectors from eight offices in the Mid-Atlantic and Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural and MEP Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

Keywords

• Structural engineering services
• MEP engineering design
• Cold storage engineering
• Food processing facilities
• Building design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Design Services: Professional engineering services for structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for new construction, renovations, additions, and specialized engineering consulting. Projects range from small repairs to complex multi-story developments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Providence Engineering Corporation provides structural engineering and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering design services for new construction, renovations, and additions. The firm serves building owners, architects, developers, and general contractors across commercial, healthcare, education, industrial, multifamily housing, and food processing/cold storage sectors, and additionally offers structural condition assessments and cold-formed steel design.

Product overview

Providence Engineering Corporation is a structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering firm offering comprehensive engineering services rather than a software product. The company provides structural engineering as its core service, with MEP Engineering Services launched in 2022 as an expansion of their capabilities. Services span various market sectors including commercial, healthcare, multifamily, industrial, food processing, cold storage, and more. The firm operates across 8 office locations and maintains licensure in 49 states and Nova Scotia. As a 100% employee-owned company established in 1992, they serve as Engineer of Record for projects and offer specialized services such as Food Facility Design, Cold Storage Design, Virtual Design Services (VDS) using BIM technology, Structural Condition Assessment, and Renovations/Additions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Engineering
• MEP Engineering Services
• Food Process Design and Cold Storage Engineering
• Virtual Design Services (VDS)
• Cold-Formed Steel Design
• Structural Condition Assessment
• Renovations and Additions Engineering Design Structural and MEP engineering design services for renovations, adaptive reuse, and additions to existing buildings across the firm's served sectors. Sold to building owners, architects, and contractors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed over 5 million SF of multifamily space in the past 5 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments11 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

One partnership is on record.

• Hamilton Creative, LLCminorOthersCreative agency engaged for rebranding process including new logo design and website revamp to reflect company's evolution from Lancaster County firm to multi-faceted engineering firm.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• H.F. Lenz Company: Johnstown, PA-based multi-discipline engineering firm (structural, MEP, fire protection) of comparable size serving commercial, healthcare, education, and food/cold storage clients across the Mid-Atlantic. Closest direct peer to Providence on geography, service mix, and niche specialization.
• Pennoni: Philadelphia-headquartered multi-discipline engineering firm offering structural, MEP, civil, and environmental services across the Mid-Atlantic. Comparable size and geographic footprint, with overlapping building-sector client base.
• KCI Technologies: Sparks, MD-headquartered multi-discipline engineering firm (structural, MEP, civil, environmental) serving the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Comparable size range and building infrastructure overlap.
• CMTA Inc. National engineering firm specializing in MEP, energy, and commissioning for buildings (K-12, higher ed, healthcare, commercial). Comparable building-sector focus with similar niche depth in MEP design.
• Larson Engineering: Mid-sized multi-discipline engineering firm offering structural and MEP services across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Similar size and service profile to Providence, with comparable building-sector clientele.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a large Buildings practice offering structural and MEP design. Competes with Providence on mid-to-large commercial, healthcare, and education projects nationally.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): National structural engineering firm with deep expertise in building enclosures, cold storage, and specialty structures. Larger scale but directly comparable niche expertise in cold storage and food facility engineering.
• Burns & McDonnell: Large employee-owned multi-discipline engineering firm with a Global Facilities practice covering structural, MEP, and fire protection design for commercial, healthcare, and mission-critical buildings. Comparable employee-ownership model with much greater scale.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): National structural engineering firm specializing in investigation, rehabilitation, and design of existing structures. Larger than Providence but competes for similar structural engineering engagements in healthcare, education, and commercial sectors.
• Walter P Moore: National structural engineering and diagnostics firm serving healthcare, education, sports, and commercial markets. Significantly larger than Providence but competes in the same structural engineering space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/providenceengineering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/providence-engineering-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Providence Engineering Corporation