Benton Associates

What Benton Associates does

Benton Associates, doing business as Benton Engineering, is a private civil engineering and land surveying consulting firm headquartered in Jacksonville, Illinois. Founded May 1, 1970 by Bob Benton and incorporated in 1974 as a subchapter S corporation, the firm provides a broad portfolio of infrastructure services — civil/site development, drinking water, wastewater, water resources, structural engineering, electrical, transportation, subsurface utility engineering, surveying and geomatics, rural water, pools and recreation — plus funding-assistance (grant administration) and project management. The firm operates from five offices across Illinois (Jacksonville, Macomb, Taylorville) and Missouri (Kirksville, Rolla) and serves municipal, county, public transportation, and rural water cooperative clients exclusively. Its proprietary technology footprint is modest: GPS surveying equipment acquired in 2003 is the most distinctive technical asset, and the firm completed a voluntary Organizational Peer Review in 2008 to reinforce quality practices.

The business model is fee-for-service professional engineering: revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements priced on scope, complexity, and negotiated terms, with no disclosed pricing or subscription offering. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging 55+ years of operating history, multi-generational Benton family leadership, long-tenured staff (e.g., Jamie Headen, 28 years), and direct outreach to municipal clients — supplemented by a modernized website (relaunched 2025), LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube channels. The customer base is fully concentrated in the government vertical (cities, villages, counties, public transportation, water cooperatives), creating high cohort stability but full sector exposure to municipal capital budgets. Named clients include the City of Sullivan (MO), Village of Pleasant Plains (IL), McDonough County Public Transportation, City of Kirksville (MO), Exeter-Merritt Water Cooperative, and City of White Hall (IL).

The firm underwent a leadership transition in 2022 (Jamie Headen became President, Reg Benton became Chairman) and a rebrand to Benton Engineering in 2025 to modernize its market-facing identity. The company remains privately held by founding family and long-term management, with no disclosed institutional investors, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the available data.

Name

Benton Associates

Legal name

Benton & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://bentonassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Benton Associates, dba Benton Engineering, is a private civil engineering and land surveying consulting firm serving municipalities, counties, and water cooperatives across Illinois and Missouri from five regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Civil engineering consulting
• Land surveying services
• Municipal infrastructure engineering
• Water resources engineering
• Structural engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 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 Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting engineering, surveying, and project management services provided to government and municipal clients. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements for infrastructure planning, design, and construction observation services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Benton Associates (now operating as Benton Engineering) is a consulting engineering firm that delivers civil/site development, drinking water, electrical, structural, transportation, wastewater, water resources, rural water, pools and recreation, subsurface utility engineering, surveying and geomatics, funding assistance (grant administration), and project management services. The firm serves municipal, county, and rural cooperative clients across Illinois and Missouri from five regional office locations.

Product overview

Benton Engineering (formerly Benton & Associates, Inc.) is a consulting engineering firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure-related professional services. The company provides civil/site development, drinking water, electrical, surveying and geomatics, pools and recreation, rural water, structural engineering, subsurface utility engineering, transportation, wastewater, and water resources services. Additional offerings include funding assistance (grant administration) and project management services. The firm serves municipal, county, and cooperative clients across Illinois and Missouri, operating from five office locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil/Site Development Services Civil engineering and site development consulting services for municipal and private infrastructure projects, including site planning, grading, and development design for clients across Illinois and Missouri.
• Drinking Water Services Engineering services for drinking water systems and treatment infrastructure, including distribution and treatment system design, repair, and upgrades for municipal and cooperative water utilities.
• Electrical Services Electrical engineering and controls services supporting infrastructure projects, including power, controls, and electrical system design for municipal and industrial clients.
• Surveying and Geomatics Services
• Pools & Recreation Services
• Rural Water Services
• Structural Engineering Services
• Subsurface Utility Engineering Services
• Transportation Services
• Wastewater Services
• Water Resources Services
• Funding Assistance Services
• Project Management Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Water system repairs insuring 25+ years of additional service life for critical infrastructure components

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Crawford, Murphy & Tilly: Illinois-headquartered civil engineering consulting firm serving municipal, transportation, and water clients across the Midwest. Closely comparable to Benton in size, geography, service mix (water/wastewater/transportation/surveying), and municipal-client orientation.
• MSA Professional Services: Midwest-based (Wisconsin) engineering, architecture, and planning firm serving municipal water, wastewater, transportation, and rural-community clients. Directly comparable to Benton in scale (~250 employees), regional Midwest focus, and full-service municipal delivery model.
• HR Green: Midwest-rooted engineering and consulting firm providing water, transportation, civil, and surveying services to municipal clients. Comparable to Benton in geography (IL/MO/Iowa-adjacent), service breadth, and reliance on long-term municipal relationships.
• Baxter & Woodman: Illinois-based civil engineering and water/wastewater consulting firm serving municipalities and counties. Closely comparable to Benton in municipal water focus, Midwest geography, and project-based professional-services model.
• Fehr Graham: Midwest engineering and environmental consulting firm serving municipal water, wastewater, transportation, and rural infrastructure clients from offices in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Comparable to Benton in regional focus, municipal-client concentration, and full-service infrastructure delivery.
• Clark Dietz: Midwest engineering firm specializing in water/wastewater, transportation, civil/site development, and structural services for municipal clients. Directly comparable to Benton in size, Illinois footprint, and service-line mix.
• Farnsworth Group: Illinois-based engineering, architecture, and surveying firm serving municipal, commercial, and institutional clients across the Midwest. Comparable to Benton in regional geography, multi-disciplinary delivery, and municipal water/transportation capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Burns & McDonnell: Kansas City-headquartered global engineering, architecture, and construction firm with major water, environmental, and transportation practices serving Midwest municipalities. Comparable to Benton in core service lines but operates at vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• HDR: Global engineering consulting firm with deep water, transportation, and municipal infrastructure practices and offices throughout the Midwest. Comparable to Benton in municipal water/transportation focus but as a much larger, multi-national incumbent.
• Black & Veatch: Global engineering and construction firm with a dominant municipal water/wastewater practice serving utilities across the U.S. Comparable to Benton in core water/wastewater engineering capability but operates at substantially larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bentoneng
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Benton-Associates-Inc/100089981769674
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bentonassociatesinc/posts/?feedView=all

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Benton Associates