WHKS & Co
WHKS & Co is an employee-owned civil engineering consulting firm founded in 1948, providing engineering, planning, and land surveying services to municipal, county, and state government clients across the upper Midwest from eight offices in four states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1948
- HeadquartersMason City, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What WHKS & Co does
WHKS & Co is a private, employee-owned civil engineering consulting firm headquartered in Mason City, Iowa, founded in 1948 as Wallace Engineering Company. The firm delivers engineering, planning, and land surveying services across 16 service categories, including bridges and highway structures, wastewater and water systems, transportation and traffic engineering, municipal underground utilities, land development, drainage and stormwater management, GIS, and forensic engineering. WHKS primarily serves municipal, county, and state government clients in the upper Midwest, with a selective private-sector book covering commercial and agricultural site development. Notable project categories include FEMA-funded flood mitigation, state DOT bridge rehabilitation, and multi-municipality wastewater treatment facility upgrades.
The firm's technical platform centers on advanced survey and modeling — LiDAR, 3D mobile scanning, drones, real-time GPS, NBIS-certified bridge inspection, and Bentley CONNECT plus Civil 3D for 2D and 4D bridge modeling. GIS is integrated with engineering workflows to deliver web-based platforms for utility mapping, hydrologic modeling, and asset management. WHKS operates eight offices across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and North Dakota and is staffed by 130+ employees with cross-disciplinary expertise in structural, civil, water resources, and environmental engineering.
WHKS generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements spanning initial planning, grant and loan administration, design, construction administration, and observation. Public-sector work is secured through qualifications-based selection and public letting processes, with revenue concentrated among long-tenured municipal clients and three state DOTs (Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota). The firm has received PSMJ's Premier Award for Client Satisfaction at least six times between 2016 and 2024, indicating strong client retention, and has been recognized as a Top Workplace in Iowa by the Des Moines Register annually since 2019.
WHKS & Co firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WHKS & Co
- Legal name
- WHKS & Co.
- Website
- https://whks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1948
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- WHKS & Co is an employee-owned civil engineering consulting firm founded in 1948, providing engineering, planning, and land surveying services to municipal, county, and state government clients across the upper Midwest from eight offices in four states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WHKS & Co industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)
Keywords
Where WHKS & Co is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mason City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
WHKS & Co business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering, planning, and land surveying consulting services provided to municipalities, counties, state DOTs, and private clients. Services are rendered on a project basis from initial planning through design and construction observation.
- Construction-Related Services: Construction administration, observation, and related services during project implementation phases
- Grant and Loan Administration Assistance: Assistance with grant and low-interest loan administration for public infrastructure projects, including FEMA funding applications
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Administrative Assistant - Part-time Springfield, IL |
| Other | Annual | Construction Observer - Dubuque, Iowa |
| Other | Annual | Civil Engineer - Springfield, Illinois |
| Other | Annual | Entry Level Civil Engineer - Dubuque, Iowa |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
WHKS & Co product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WHKS & Co. is a full-service civil engineering, planning, and land surveying consulting firm delivering professional services across 16 disciplines including bridges and highway structures, transportation and traffic engineering, water and wastewater systems, drainage and stormwater management, GIS, survey, municipal underground utilities, land development, and forensic engineering. The firm serves municipalities, counties, state Departments of Transportation, and private clients from initial planning and funding stages through design, construction observation, and grant administration across the upper Midwest.
Product overview
WHKS & Co is a full-service engineering, planning, and land surveying consulting firm that provides a comprehensive portfolio of professional services to clients throughout the upper Midwest. Rather than offering a unified software product, the company delivers expert consulting services across multiple engineering disciplines organized into 16 distinct service categories: Bridges and Highway Structures, Buildings and Structures, Construction-Related Services, Drainage/Hydraulics/Storm Water Management, Forensic Engineering, GIS Services, Inflow/Infiltration, Land Development, Municipal Underground Utilities, Park and Recreation Facilities, Streets and Streetscapes, Survey, Transportation and Traffic, Wastewater, Water, and Water Resources. These services range from initial planning and funding stages through project design and construction observation. The firm serves municipal, county, state, and private clients across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and North Dakota with seven office locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bridges and Highway Structures Services
- Buildings and Structures Services
- Construction-Related Services
- Drainage, Hydraulics, and Storm Water Management Services
- Forensic Engineering Services
- GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Services
- Inflow and Infiltration Services
- Land Development Services
- Municipal Underground Utilities Services
- Park and Recreation Facilities Services
- Streets and Streetscapes Services
- Survey Services
- Transportation and Traffic Services
- Wastewater Services
- Water Services
- Water Resources Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Rehabilitation of Lacon Bridge improved Load Rating Factor to 0.95
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use WHKS & Co
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WHKS & Co technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
WHKS & Co partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Woodruff ConstructioncoreGeneral contractor for the City of Algona wastewater treatment facility project. WHKS provides project engineering while Woodruff Construction serves as the general contractor managing construction.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights4 records
WHKS & Co competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WSB: Fast-growing Midwest-based engineering and consulting firm with comparable municipal infrastructure, transportation, water resources, and surveying services and similar public-sector GTM.
- Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH): Employee-owned Midwestern engineering, architecture, and planning firm with a similar municipal/government client base and overlapping service portfolio in transportation, water, and structural engineering.
- MSA Professional Services: Regional civil engineering and architecture firm headquartered in the upper Midwest, providing comparable municipal infrastructure, water/wastewater, transportation, and surveying services to public-sector clients.
- Bolton & Menk: Mid-size Midwest-based civil engineering, planning, and surveying firm serving municipal, county, and state DOT clients with comparable full-service offerings and similar geographic focus.
- Stanley Consultants: Employee-owned engineering consulting firm with strong Midwest presence providing comparable transportation, water, and municipal infrastructure services to public-sector clients.
- Foth: Engineering and science consulting firm headquartered in the upper Midwest offering municipal infrastructure, environmental, and surveying services comparable to WHKS's portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- HDR Inc. Nationally scaled employee-owned engineering firm that competes with WHKS on Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota DOT contracts and major municipal programs, offering overlapping capabilities at much larger scale.
- Kimley-Horn: Nationally ranked engineering consulting firm with growing Midwest presence offering comparable transportation, water, and land development services to public-sector clients.
- Tetra Tech: Global engineering and consulting firm with deep water, wastewater, and environmental expertise that competes with WHKS on water/wastewater and environmental infrastructure work in the Midwest.
- AECOM: Global engineering and infrastructure consulting firm that competes with WHKS for large state DOT and major municipal contracts across the upper Midwest as part of a much broader portfolio.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks2 records
Key highlights2 records
Customer concentration
WHKS & Co social profiles
Digital presenceWHKS & Co financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WHKS & Co leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
WHKS & Co funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WHKS & Co 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 WHKS & Co
What does WHKS & Co do?
WHKS & Co. is a full-service civil engineering, planning, and land surveying consulting firm delivering professional services across 16 disciplines including bridges and highway structures, transportation and traffic engineering, water and wastewater systems, drainage and stormwater management, GIS, survey, municipal underground utilities, land development, and forensic engineering. The firm serves municipalities, counties, state Departments of Transportation, and private clients from initial planning and funding stages through design, construction observation, and grant administration across the upper Midwest.
Is WHKS & Co a public or private company?
WHKS & Co is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was WHKS & Co founded?
WHKS & Co was founded in 1948. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is WHKS & Co based?
WHKS & Co is headquartered in Mason City, United States, in the North America region.
How does WHKS & Co make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Engineering Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are construction-Related Services and grant and Loan Administration Assistance.
Who are WHKS & Co's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WSB, Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH), MSA Professional Services, Bolton & Menk, Stanley Consultants and Foth. Broad incumbents are HDR Inc., Kimley-Horn, Tetra Tech and AECOM.
Does WHKS & Co have an API?
No public API is recorded for WHKS & Co.
What industry is WHKS & Co in?
WHKS & Co's product category is Civil Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAA, Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAIAB, Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting. Its NAICS code is 5413 and its SIC code is 8711.