What SMEUSA does

SME (Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc.) is a privately held, employee-owned engineering and consulting firm headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, founded in 1964 in Detroit. The firm operates 14 office locations across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, serving the Great Lakes Megaregion with an integrated portfolio of nine practice areas: geotechnical engineering, environmental services, building materials, civil design, pavement, construction materials testing, steel/coatings/nondestructive testing, survey, and construction engineering inspection. Its technical capabilities are anchored by state-of-the-art in-house laboratories for soils, concrete, aggregate, and Hot Mix Asphalt testing, advanced drilling operations, and proprietary field technologies including gyroscope laser scanning for underground void mapping, LiDAR-based reality capture, geophysical subsurface assessments, and CPT drilling.

SME's business model is project-based professional services delivered through consultative engagements with enterprise and public-sector clients. The firm serves developers and property owners, state and local transportation agencies (MDOT, INDOT, ODOT), industrial and manufacturing organizations, and healthcare and education institutions, with documented project work spanning battery plants, mixed-use towers, healthcare facilities, university campuses, solar and wind farms, brownfield redevelopments, and major bridge infrastructure. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales through the 14 regional offices, supplemented by thought leadership via the Build+Revitalize podcast, industry conferences, and a strong employer brand. The firm holds MDOT prequalification across multiple categories and counts marquee clients including General Motors/Ultium Cells, NextEra Energy, DTE Energy, University of Notre Dame, U-M Health, Bedrock Properties, Toll Brothers, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame among its project portfolio.

SME is led by Mark Kramer, PE, who succeeded his father Ken Kramer as President and CEO in the 2000s, and remains independently owned with no disclosed institutional investor or parent company. The firm has executed three acquisitions over its history (Stoll, Evans, Woods in the 1980s; GR Kunkle Associates in the 1990s; EDP Associates in the 2010s) to enter new markets and add capabilities, and has steadily expanded its service portfolio and geographic reach over six decades while maintaining its regional focus on the Midwest.

Name

SMEUSA

Legal name

Soil and Materials Engineers Inc.

Website

https://sme-usa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

SME (Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc.) is a privately held, employee-owned engineering and consulting firm headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, providing integrated geotechnical, environmental, construction materials, civil design, pavement, survey, and inspection services to developers, government agencies, and industrial clients across the Great Lakes Megaregion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bay City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 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 and consulting fees for geotechnical, environmental, building materials, pavement, civil design, and surveying services. Revenue is project-based with fees earned through the project lifecycle from design through construction observation.
2. Construction Materials Testing and Inspection: Testing and inspection services during construction including soils, concrete, Hot Mix Asphalt, and specialty testing. Services include field density testing, concrete testing, and special inspections.
3. MDOT Prequalified Construction Engineering Inspection: Construction engineering inspection and testing services prequalified by MDOT for roadway and bridge projects, fabrications shop inspection, and MS4 permitting requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SME provides integrated professional engineering and consulting services across nine disciplines: geotechnical engineering, environmental services, building materials, civil design, pavement engineering, construction materials testing, construction engineering inspection, steel/coatings/NDT, and surveying. The firm serves developers, property owners, government transportation agencies, and industrial organizations across the Great Lakes Megaregion, delivering services from project acquisition through design, construction observation, operation, maintenance, and restoration. Revenue is earned through project-based professional service fees.

Product overview

SMEUSA is an engineering and consulting services firm offering a multiservice approach across nine core practice areas: Building Materials Services, Civil Design, Construction Engineering Inspection, Construction Materials Services, Environmental Services, Geotechnical Engineering, Pavement Services, Steel/Coatings/Nondestructive Testing, and Survey Services. The firm operates as a unified portfolio of integrated engineering disciplines rather than a single product or software platform, allowing multidisciplinary teams to address project challenges from site acquisition through construction and operations. SME also produces the Build+Revitalize Podcast as a content channel for industry thought leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Build+Revitalize Podcast: An SME podcast focused on solving problems and building better communities, featuring conversations on overcoming obstacles in the AEC industry, opportunities for engineering consultants and students, and emerging technologies.

Products and services

• Building Materials Services Building materials consulting including building enclosure commissioning, structural materials evaluation, field performance testing, rehabilitation and repair, and concrete/masonry/timber nondestructive testing. Services target developers, owners, and institutional clients requiring specialized building materials expertise.
• Civil Design Services Site civil design solutions including site planning, site layout and grading, utility design, stormwater management, permitting, pavements, and construction phase support.
• Construction Engineering Inspection Construction engineering inspection and testing services for local agencies and private sector clients, MDOT prequalified for roadway and bridge projects, fabrications shop inspection, HMA pavement, concrete testing, and MS4 permitting requirements.
• Construction Materials Services Construction materials observation, testing, and consulting including soils and foundations, masonry, concrete testing, and full-service laboratory services backed by state-of-the-art in-house laboratories.
• Environmental Services Environmental consulting including due diligence, remediation, economic development and brownfield projects, and water resources management.
• Geotechnical Engineering Geotechnical engineering services including earth retention systems, subsurface evaluation, ground improvement, slopes and embankments, foundations, geophysical assessments, and groundwater management.
• Pavement Services Pavement consulting including pavement management, pavement evaluation, construction engineering, pavement design, and Federal Highway Administration research.
• Steel, Coatings, and Nondestructive Testing Steel inspection and nondestructive testing including structural connections, coatings inspection, metals testing, metals laboratory, fabrication quality assurance, and conveyor evaluation. Includes ultrasonic weld testing capability.
• Survey Services Surveying and geospatial services including boundary and ALTA surveys, topographic surveys, reality capture with 3D laser scanning and UAV/LiDAR, GIS services, construction layout, and as-built surveys.

Quantifiable outcome

• SME's ground improvement solution for The 87 Apartments project enabled conventional spread foundations instead of expensive deep foundations, reducing project costs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Walsh ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME worked with Walsh Construction during replacement of the first I-90 Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland. Provided slope monitoring services during demolition and construction of bridges extending over 4,000 feet.
• Trumbull, Great Lakes Construction, and Ruhlin (TGR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME partnered with TGR joint venture during construction of the second I-90 Innerbelt Bridge. Provided ongoing slope monitoring services during the project.
• Barton MalowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME has worked with Barton Malow on multiple projects including DTE Energy Turrill Array, ARAUCO Particleboard Plant, and Notre Dame Campus Crossroads. Served as lead geotechnical designer for Notre Dame's $400M Campus Crossroads project.
• Lochmueller GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Jeffersonville North WWTP Expansion project where SME led evaluation of underground cave discovery using innovative gyroscope laser scanning technology.
• RACER TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME worked closely with RACER Trust to understand environmental conditions, ongoing cleanup and monitoring activities, and potential restrictions for construction at the former GM M1 Concourse site in Pontiac, Michigan. RACER Trust is the entity responsible for cleaning up and redeveloping former GM properties.
• Project Management ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSME teamed up with Project Management Consultants to provide multiple services for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame expansion project in Cleveland, Ohio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP USA: WSP (including legacy Golder) is a major global engineering consultancy with strong geotechnical, environmental, and transportation practices. It competes for large DOT, energy, and real estate development mandates across SME's Great Lakes footprint.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm. While substantially larger and broader than SME, it competes for the same transportation, environmental, and land development work, especially in Michigan and Ohio.
• AECOM: AECOM is one of the largest global infrastructure consulting firms, offering transportation, environmental, geotechnical, and construction services. It competes with SME for major DOT and large developer engagements in the Midwest.
• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a global consulting and engineering firm with deep environmental and water practices. It overlaps with SME's environmental consulting and site assessment work for industrial, energy, and government clients across the Midwest.

Direct peers

• Terracon Consultants: Terracon is one of the largest U.S. employee-owned geotechnical, environmental, construction materials, and facilities engineering consulting firms with national reach. It is highly comparable to SME in service mix (geotechnical, environmental, materials testing, facilities) and in being employee-owned, though at materially larger scale.
• TRC Companies: TRC delivers engineering, environmental, and construction management consulting to power, infrastructure, and industrial clients. Overlap with SME is strongest in environmental due diligence, remediation, and infrastructure/CEI work for utility and government customers.
• ECS Group of Companies: ECS provides geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, environmental consulting, and facilities engineering across the eastern and central U.S. It is a close comparable to SME in terms of services offered, mid-size regional office model, and DOT/government client base.
• Haley & Aldrich: Haley & Aldrich is a national geotechnical and environmental engineering consulting firm serving real estate, energy, and infrastructure clients. Its service mix (subsurface, environmental, construction support) directly overlaps SME's core offerings, with similar project-based professional services delivery.
• Professional Service Industries (Intertek PSI): Intertek PSI provides geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, environmental consulting, and building enclosure services nationwide. It competes directly with SME's construction materials, geotechnical, and building materials service lines for DOT, developer, and industrial clients.

Regional players

• Mannik & Smith Group: Mannik & Smith Group is a Midwest-based multi-disciplinary engineering, environmental, and surveying firm serving Michigan, Ohio, and surrounding states. It is a strong regional comparable to SME given overlapping geographies, service mix, and government/developer client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/SMEUSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/smeusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soil-and-materials-engineers-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sme_usa
• Xx.com/sme_usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 SMEUSA