What Bell Engineering does

Bell Engineering, operating legally as Howard K. Bell Consulting Engineers, Inc., is a 110-year-old, employee-owned civil engineering and landscape architecture firm headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, with additional regional offices in Hopkinsville and Somerset. Founded in 1914 by University of Kentucky graduate Howard K. Bell, the firm has operated continuously except for a brief WWII-era pause, providing water, wastewater, stormwater, transportation, and civil site engineering services to municipal, county, and educational clients across Kentucky and parts of West Virginia. Its service portfolio spans water and wastewater treatment plant design (with specialized membrane filtration expertise, including the first Kentucky deployment of PALL Membrane Technology at the Campton facility), stormwater management, transportation infrastructure (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet prequalified for rural/urban roadway and pedestrian/bicycle facility design), landscape architecture and urban design, mechanical engineering, energy and natural gas solutions (supported by proprietary KYGAS software), and a distinctive funding assistance practice. The funding assistance line, staffed by professionals with 30+ years of regulatory agency experience, navigates USDA Rural Development, FEMA, KIA, CDBG, EDA, and EPA funding programs on behalf of municipal clients, effectively serving as a financing intermediary alongside the engineering work.

Bell Engineering makes money through project-based professional services engagements with government clients. Revenue is generated via design fees, construction administration, and project management services, with pricing negotiated per project rather than disclosed publicly. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales: the firm pursues work through direct engagement with municipalities, county governments, special utility districts, and universities, typically responding to government RFPs and maintaining relationships with funding agencies and municipal decision-makers. Marketing channels include a corporate website, active social media presence (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X), and industry conference participation (KY/TN Water Professionals Conference, AZ Water Association). The customer base is concentrated in Kentucky's municipal and county government vertical, with the University of Kentucky serving as a notable repeat higher-education client, while the firm's three regional offices support local responsiveness across the state.

Name

Bell Engineering

Legal name

Howard K. Bell Consulting Engineers, Inc.

Website

https://hkbell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bell Engineering is a 110-year-old, employee-owned civil engineering and landscape architecture firm headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, providing water, wastewater, transportation, and infrastructure design services to municipal, county, and higher education clients across Kentucky.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA), Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GI/LID) (Bioretention, Permeable Pavements, Green Roofs) (EUANAEAE)

Keywords

• Civil engineering services
• Water and wastewater design
• Landscape architecture
• Stormwater management
• Transportation engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering and landscape architecture consulting services delivered on a project basis for government clients. Revenue is generated through design fees, construction administration, and project management services for municipal infrastructure projects. Projects are typically funded through a combination of client funds and government grants/loans.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bell Engineering is a civil engineering and landscape architecture consulting firm that designs municipal water and wastewater treatment plants, stormwater management systems, transportation infrastructure, parks, and campus facilities. The firm also provides funding assistance to help government clients secure grants and low-interest loans from agencies such as USDA Rural Development, KIA, FEMA, CDBG, and EDA. Services are delivered on a project basis from planning through construction administration.

Product overview

Bell Engineering is a civil engineering and landscape architecture firm offering a comprehensive suite of engineering services. The company provides stormwater management, water and wastewater treatment plant design, landscape architecture and urban design, civil site engineering, mechanical engineering, transportation engineering, energy and natural gas solutions, and funding assistance services. Their portfolio spans municipal water systems, wastewater treatment facilities, parks and recreational facilities, campus infrastructure, and disaster recovery projects across Kentucky.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water & Wastewater Engineering Design of water and wastewater treatment plants and conveyance systems for municipal utilities, including membrane filtration, conventional treatment, and oxidation ditch systems. Delivered for Kentucky municipalities and water/wastewater districts from planning through construction administration.
• Stormwater Services Stormwater management and conveyance design including detention basins, bio-infiltration swales, bioretention, hydrodynamic separators, permeable pavements, and stream restoration for municipalities and universities.
• Landscape Architecture & Urban Design Landscape architecture and urban design services including parks design, campus planning, streetscapes, playgrounds, trails, and urban design for mixed-use districts, for municipalities, universities, and community clients.
• Higher Education Engineering Services Engineering and landscape architecture services tailored to colleges and universities, including campus infrastructure, pedestrian corridors, and flood mitigation projects.
• Civil Engineering Civil site infrastructure design including roadway conversions to pedestrian corridors, parking lots, utilities, and site grading for public-sector clients.
• Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering services for building systems and industrial facilities delivered to public-sector and industrial clients.
• Transportation Engineering Transportation infrastructure design including roadways, sidewalks, multi-use trail systems, rail systems, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities for municipalities and universities; firm is prequalified with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
• Energy & Natural Gas Solutions Natural gas engineering services including air permitting, NPDES permitting, equipment specifications, water/wastewater/stormwater management, and KYGAS proprietary software; plus coal and power industry services such as dust suppression, dewatering, and process design.
• Funding Assistance Services Funding assistance services including rate analysis, wholesale rate analysis, system development charges, wastewater user charge reviews, and coordination with agencies such as USDA Rural Development, EPA, Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, CDBG, EDA, and Appalachian Regional Commission to assemble grant and loan packages for municipal infrastructure projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed $25 million Somerset WTP project - the largest ARRA water project in the United States
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• CDM SmithminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead design firm on Alumni Drive roadway realignment project at University of Kentucky where Bell served as subconsultant for civil/site work including stormwater relocation and LEED-required rainwater recycling units.
• Game TimeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlayground equipment manufacturer providing 50% match funding for Owen County all-inclusive playground through ARPA funds.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a substantial North American municipal water practice. Overlaps with Bell on water treatment design, wastewater, and community development projects.
• Tetra Tech: Engineering and consulting firm with a leading water and environment practice serving US municipalities and federal agencies. Comparable to Bell on water/wastewater and FEMA-funded projects, but at significantly larger scale.
• GHD: Global engineering and environmental consultancy with a sizable US water and municipal infrastructure practice. Competes with Bell for municipal water/wastewater engineering contracts across the Southeast.
• CDM Smith: Major engineering and construction services firm with deep expertise in water, environment, and transportation for municipal and federal clients. Already a known counterparty of Bell (Bell served as subconsultant on a UK project), making it a directly comparable competitor for lead design roles.
• Woolpert: Architecture, engineering, and geospatial firm with a strong public sector practice including water infrastructure, transportation, and facilities. Overlaps with Bell in municipal and higher education infrastructure work.
• HDR Inc. Large global engineering firm with a strong municipal water, transportation, and environmental practice. Competes with Bell on larger municipal programs and is a likely prime competitor on major Kentucky utility and transportation projects.
• O'Brien & Gere (now part of Arcadis): Engineering services firm with deep municipal water and wastewater practice serving US utilities. Comparable to Bell in core water infrastructure services but operates at much larger scale as part of a global consultancy.

Direct peers

• Hazen and Sawyer: Specialist environmental engineering firm focused on water and wastewater treatment plant design for municipal clients across the US. Highly comparable to Bell on water and wastewater plant engineering, though at a broader geographic scale.
• Strand Associates: Mid-sized civil and environmental engineering firm focused on water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure for municipal clients across the Midwest and Southeast. Highly comparable to Bell in service mix, customer base, and project size.
• GRW Engineers: Regional civil engineering firm providing water, wastewater, structural, and transportation design for municipal clients primarily in Kentucky and the surrounding region. Direct overlap with Bell in size, geography, and water/wastewater focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BellEngineers
• Facebookfacebook.com/BellEngineers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bellengineers
• Instagraminstagram.com/bellengineers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Bell Engineering