Design Engineers
Design Engineers is a privately-held MEPFT engineering consultancy founded in 1983 and headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. With three offices, it serves higher education, K-12, healthcare, and municipal clients across the Midwest, specializing in sustainable, high-performance, and zero-energy building systems design.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersCedar Rapids, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Design Engineers does
Design Engineers is a privately-held mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEPFT) engineering consultancy founded in 1983 and headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The firm designs intelligent building systems for higher education, K-12, healthcare, municipal, and commercial clients, with deep specialization in sustainable and zero-energy building design. Its technical portfolio includes thermally activated bubble deck slab systems (first in the western hemisphere), geothermal heat pump systems, energy recovery ventilation, displacement ventilation, and underfloor air distribution. Operating across three offices (Cedar Rapids, Ankeny, Middleton/Madison), DE has delivered 280+ K-12 projects, 23+ BSL-3 laboratory renovations, and multiple LEED Platinum/Gold/Silver certified buildings including the University of Iowa Visual Arts Building, Voxman School of Music, and Cedar Rapids Public Library.
The firm's business model is professional services consulting, billing project-based fees for design, construction administration, and commissioning services. Revenue is generated through direct contracts with building owners and as MEP subconsultant to architectural firms including Steven Holl Architects, LMN Architects, BNIM, OPN Architects, and Neumann-Monson. The go-to-market is relationship-driven, relying on 40+ years of brand equity, repeat institutional clients (notably University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa), industry awards, and thought leadership in sustainability. Customer outcomes include 55–69% energy reductions versus ASHRAE code-compliant baselines, $115,000–$300,000+ annual utility cost savings per project, and incentive payments above $550,000 from utilities for verified energy performance.
DE operates as an independent, partner-controlled firm with no disclosed private equity or venture capital backing and no acquisitions. The firm recently expanded its leadership bench through multiple 2026 promotions, including Jared Ramthun's elevation to Principal and Board of Directors, signaling an active generational succession process. With 11–50 employees and a Midwest regional footprint, DE competes as a specialty MEP consultant on complex institutional projects where sustainable design and integrated architectural-MEP coordination drive project wins.
Design Engineers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design Engineers
- Legal name
- Design Engineers
- Website
- https://designengineers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Design Engineers is a privately-held MEPFT engineering consultancy founded in 1983 and headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. With three offices, it serves higher education, K-12, healthcare, and municipal clients across the Midwest, specializing in sustainable, high-performance, and zero-energy building systems design.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design Engineers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Engineering Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Engineering Services (54133)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)
Keywords
Where Design Engineers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cedar Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Design Engineers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Engineering Consulting Services: DE generates revenue through professional engineering consulting fees for MEPFT system design on construction projects. Services are billed on a project basis, typically as part of architectural/construction project contracts. Revenue is earned through design fees, construction administration, and commissioning services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional consulting services quoted per project |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Design Engineers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design Engineers provides MEPFT (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection) engineering consulting services for high-performance, sustainable buildings. The firm's core offerings include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, sustainable design, and integrated design services for higher education, K-12, healthcare, municipal, and corporate clients across the Midwest. They specialize in energy-efficient systems including thermally activated bubble deck slabs, geothermal heat pumps, displacement ventilation, and integrated building automation.
Product overview
Design Engineers is a full-service MEPFT (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection/Thermal) engineering consultancy. Their core offering consists of integrated engineering services where Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering form the primary service pillars, supplemented by Sustainable Design Services and Integrated Design Services. The company designs intelligent MEPFT systems so buildings can run efficiently and effectively, serving markets including Higher Education, K-12 Education, Healthcare, Municipal, Corporate/Commercial, and Hospitality sectors. Their approach emphasizes proactive, collaborative, and tenacious problem-solving for complex building engineering challenges.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MEPFT Engineering Services Core mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering consulting services for buildings, designing intelligent building systems so structures can run efficiently and effectively across higher education, K-12, healthcare, municipal, and corporate markets.
- Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering services including HVAC system design, heating and cooling systems, ventilation, thermal modeling for commercial, educational, healthcare, and municipal buildings, including advanced systems such as thermally activated bubble deck slabs, geothermal heat pumps, displacement ventilation, and energy recovery ventilation.
- Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering services including power distribution, lighting design, fire alarm systems, and emergency power systems design for commercial, educational, healthcare, municipal, and research facilities.
- Sustainable Design Services Sustainable and energy-efficient design services incorporating LEED certification standards, renewable energy systems, and environmentally conscious building solutions that have produced 55-69% energy reductions versus code-compliant buildings.
- Integrated Design Services Collaborative integrated design approach working alongside architects, contractors, and specialty consultants to coordinate complex MEP systems with architectural goals, optimizing efficiency while preserving architectural vision.
Quantifiable outcome
- Buildings use 60% less energy than ASHRAE 90.1 compliant buildings
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Design Engineers
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Design Engineers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Design Engineers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Steven Holl ArchitectscoreCollaborated as architect on the award-winning University of Iowa Visual Arts Building. DE integrated MEP systems into Steven Holl's innovative architectural design featuring thermally activated bubble deck slab and porous vertical structure.
- BNIMcorePartnered on Visual Arts Building project with Design Engineers. BNIM served as architect of record collaborating on integrated design approach.
- TransSolarcoreCollaborated on Visual Arts Building to provide integrated climate engineering. TransSolar specializes in climate control and building physics.
- LMN ArchitectscoreSeattle-based architect of record for Voxman School of Music project. DE provided MEP engineering for this 188,000 sq ft facility featuring complex acoustic requirements.
- Neumann-MonsonminorArchitect of Record for Voxman School of Music - Iowa City based architectural firm.
- Mortenson ConstructioncoreConstruction manager for Voxman School of Music project. DE collaborated with Mortenson during construction administration.
- Jaffe Holden AcousticsminorAcoustics consultant on Voxman School of Music and other auditorium projects. Critical collaboration for achieving acoustic requirements.
- Fisher Dachs AssociatesminorTheater planning consultant on performing arts projects including Voxman School of Music.
- MKA (Magnusson Klemencic Associates)minorStructural engineers on Voxman School of Music. Collaboration required for integration of MEP systems with building structure.
- OPN ArchitectscoreArchitectural partner on award-winning Marion Fire Station and Linn-Mar Community School District Educational Leadership Center. OPN has received multiple AIA awards for projects with DE.
- Rohrbach Associates ArchitectsminorCollaborated with DE on Iowa City Fire Stations No. 2 and No. 4, both achieving LEED Gold certification.
- MidAmerican EnergyminorUtility company that verified energy savings and provided incentive payment of over $550,000 for Visual Arts Building.
- Alliant EnergyminorUtility provider for University of Dubuque campus. DE designed power systems coordinated with Alliant Energy for new power loop.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Design Engineers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Arup: Arup is a global engineering consultancy with renowned MEP/sustainability practices for cultural, civic, and higher-ed signature buildings (a tier above DE on flagship architect collaborations like BNIM, Steven Holl, LMN), and competes for premier institutional projects.
- WSP (Buildings division): WSP is a global engineering consultancy that competes for institutional and civic MEP commissions; broader portfolio and global scale, but overlapping capabilities with DE on high-performance public and higher-ed work.
Direct peers
- ME Engineers: ME Engineers is an MEP-focused engineering consulting firm with a strong sustainability and high-performance building practice, very similar in size, market positioning, and project complexity to Design Engineers. Both compete for institutional and civic high-performance projects.
- Smith Seckman Reid (SSR): Smith Seckman Reid is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm providing MEP, structural, and technology services across higher education, healthcare, and government — comparable consulting model and vertical mix to DE.
- ESD (now part of Stantec): ESD is a MEP/sustainability/technology engineering consultancy serving similar institutional and commercial clients; comparable high-performance building portfolio and consulting-firm structure.
- Syska Hennessy Group: Syska Hennessy is a larger MEP consulting firm serving mission-critical, healthcare, and higher education markets with a strong sustainability practice; comparable business model and service mix to DE despite greater scale.
- CMTA: CMTA is an MEP engineering consulting firm nationally recognized for zero-energy design, ASHRAE 90.1 leadership, and education-sector work, directly comparable to DE's net-zero and K-12 focus. Both are deeply integrated with sustainability advocacy bodies.
- IMEG (formerly KJWW Engineering Consultants): IMEG is a Midwestern-headquartered MEP engineering consulting firm with strong higher education, healthcare, and K-12 practices — directly competitive with DE in Iowa and Wisconsin project pursuits.
- Vanderweil Engineers: Vanderweil Engineers is a privately-held MEP/technology consulting firm serving higher education, healthcare, cultural, and science clients — a comparable specialty-consulting model to DE with overlapping vertical focus.
- TLC Engineering Solutions (now Salas O'Brien): TLC Engineering Solutions provides MEP, fire protection, and technology consulting with an institutional client mix (education, healthcare, government) — a closely comparable specialty-consulting competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Design Engineers social profiles
Digital presenceDesign Engineers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design Engineers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Design Engineers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design Engineers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design Engineers
What does Design Engineers do?
Design Engineers provides MEPFT (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection) engineering consulting services for high-performance, sustainable buildings. The firm's core offerings include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, sustainable design, and integrated design services for higher education, K-12, healthcare, municipal, and corporate clients across the Midwest. They specialize in energy-efficient systems including thermally activated bubble deck slabs, geothermal heat pumps, displacement ventilation, and integrated building automation.
Is Design Engineers a public or private company?
Design Engineers is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Design Engineers founded?
Design Engineers was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Design Engineers based?
Design Engineers is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does Design Engineers make money?
One revenue line is on record: engineering Consulting Services.
Who are Design Engineers's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Arup and WSP (Buildings division). Direct peers are ME Engineers, Smith Seckman Reid (SSR), ESD (now part of Stantec), Syska Hennessy Group, CMTA, IMEG (formerly KJWW Engineering Consultants), Vanderweil Engineers and TLC Engineering Solutions (now Salas O'Brien).
Does Design Engineers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design Engineers.
What industry is Design Engineers in?
Design Engineers's product category is Engineering Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAE, MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAIAN, Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54133 and its SIC code is 8711.