RZ Design Associates

What RZ Design Associates does

RZ Design Associates, a GM2 Company, is a privately held Connecticut-based consulting engineering firm providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection (MEP/FP), and structural engineering design services. The firm traces its lineage to the 1952 founding of the Legnos & Cramer consulting engineering practice and was formally organized as RZ Design Associates, Inc. around 2012. Its professional engineers are licensed across 16 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and the firm has engineered more than 10,000 projects spanning new construction, renovations, historic preservation, additions, and utility retrofits across K-12 and higher education, healthcare, retail, hospitality, automotive, municipal, public safety, and commercial/industrial markets.

The firm's delivery stack is built on Building Information Modeling (BIM) using Revit and AutoCAD, augmented by FAA-certified drone/UAV capabilities for site documentation, pre-planning, and bidding support. Core deliverables include HVAC/mechanical design, electrical power and lighting, plumbing, fire protection, structural engineering in concrete/steel/masonry/wood, and voice/data telecommunications. Clients range from state agencies and housing authorities to enterprise retailers (Dollar General, CVS), hospital systems, universities, casino resorts, and broadcast media facilities, typically engaged through architecture firm partnerships on design-bid-build or design-build deliveries.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees — primarily fixed-fee and time-and-materials — sold via direct B2B engagement with government, institutional, and commercial clients; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based per project. Following GM2 Associates, Inc.'s acquisition of RZ Design Associates, Inc. on May 6, 2024, RZ continues to operate as a subsidiary under its own brand from Rocky Hill (CT), Franklin (MA), and Tampa (FL), while gaining access to GM2's broader 12-office footprint and complementary transportation/infrastructure capabilities.

Name

RZ Design Associates

Legal name

RZ Design Associates, Inc.

Website

https://rzdesignassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RZ Design Associates, a GM2 Company, is a Connecticut-based consulting engineering firm delivering mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and structural design services to government, institutional, healthcare, education, retail, and commercial clients across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rocky Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 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 and Design Services: Professional engineering services billed as consulting fees for design services. Services include mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and structural engineering design for new construction, renovations, historical buildings, additions, and utility retrofits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RZ Design Associates is a multi-discipline consulting engineering firm delivering mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), fire protection, and structural engineering design services for new construction and renovation projects. The firm traces its roots to Legnos & Cramer (founded 1952) and now operates as a subsidiary of GM2 Associates, Inc. following an acquisition on May 6, 2024. It serves government, institutional, commercial, healthcare, educational, residential, and utility clients across 16 states/jurisdictions.

Product overview

RZ Design Associates, a GM2 Company, is a consulting engineering firm providing a unified suite of MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) and structural engineering design services. The core product portfolio includes Mechanical Engineering Design Services (HVAC, heating, cooling, ventilation), Electrical Engineering Design Services (power, lighting, telecommunications), Plumbing Engineering Design Services, Fire Protection Engineering Design Services, and Structural Engineering Design Services. These services are offered across multiple building sectors including municipal, educational, commercial/industrial, retail/restaurant, residential/hospitality, healthcare, and community centers. The firm also provides drone-assisted engineering design as an add-on capability to enhance site assessment and project planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Engineering Design
• Electrical Engineering Design
• Plumbing Engineering Design
• Fire Protection Engineering Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully engineered and designed in excess of 10,000 projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 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

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GM2 Associates, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2024On May 6, 2024, GM2 Associates, Inc. of Glastonbury, CT acquired RZ Design Associates, Inc. By integrating RZ's expertise in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire safety engineering, GM2 expands its service offerings and enhances its capabilities in vertical structures. RZ Design Associates, a GM2 company, continues to provide services out of Rocky Hill, Franklin, and Tampa locations.
• Santo Domingo Engineering LLCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022On April 1, 2022, Hartford's Santo Domingo Engineering LLC structural engineering firm merged with RZ Design Associates. The remaining staff integrated with RZ Design's team in Rocky Hill headquarters.
• QA+M ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership on multiple projects including Bristol Memorial Boulevard Intradistrict Arts Magnet School, The Residences at Quarry Walk, and Bristol Arts & Innovation Magnet School
• Amenta Emma ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for West Hartford Housing Authority project (52-unit mixed-use, multi-family project) and 540 New Park Ave transit-oriented development
• Studio Q ArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Avidia Bank project in Framingham, MA which won 2020 Excellence Award
• Kenneth Boroson ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Summer Place Senior Housing in Stamford, CT which won 2020 Merit Award from Connecticut Building Congress
• H2M architects + engineersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Saratoga County's Paul E. Lent Public Safety Facility which earned multiple design awards
• Newman ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Fairfield University's new Student Wellness Center in Jogues Hall
• Dewright Design LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Stonington Free Library new addition with accessibility focus
• Maier Design GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Gengras Volvo expansion project in East Hartford
• Friar Architecture Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Windham High School major renovation providing MEP and Fire Protection engineering and design
• Quisenberry Arcari Malik, LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership as engineering members of a/e/c team for Naugatuck Valley Community College's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center
• COREminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Dollar General new construction projects including East Lyme, CT location
• AWHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Ascend store restaurant to retail conversion in Springfield, IL
• BKA ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Ascend store restaurant to retail conversion in Springfield, IL

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GM2 Associates, Inc. Parent company of RZ Design Associates since May 6, 2024. GM2 is a multi-disciplinary engineering firm covering site/civil, permitting, survey, traffic, geotechnical, building infrastructure, and structural engineering - directly comparable to RZ's MEP/FP and structural services and the integrating platform for RZ's future growth.
• CannonDesign: Integrated design firm combining architecture, engineering (MEP/structural), and planning for healthcare, education, commercial, and science clients. Comparable to a forward-looking RZ+GM2 combination in offering integrated building design services.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm providing MEP/structural design among broader services for buildings, infrastructure, and environment. Represents a much larger scaled incumbent competing for the same institutional and government RFPs RZ pursues.
• WSP USA: Global professional services firm providing MEP, structural, fire protection, and building systems design alongside broader property & buildings, transportation, and environmental services. A scaled incumbent competing for large institutional, healthcare, and government projects similar to RZ's portfolio.
• Arup: Global engineering consulting firm providing structural, MEP, and specialty building systems design for iconic buildings, healthcare, education, and cultural facilities. Comparable in MEP/FP/structural consulting service mix to RZ, though at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Kohler Ronan LLC: Connecticut-based MEP consulting engineering firm serving commercial, institutional, healthcare, and educational clients. Directly comparable to RZ Design Associates in scope (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection design), regional footprint (CT/NY/NJ), and target verticals.
• Loring Consulting Engineers, Inc. Mid-sized MEP/FP consulting firm with comparable service mix (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, technology design) serving healthcare, education, commercial, and government clients - a close head-to-head competitor for institutional building projects similar to RZ's portfolio.
• AKF Group: Mid-sized MEP/FP and technology design firm serving healthcare, higher education, science & technology, and commercial real estate - highly comparable to RZ Design Associates on service scope, vertical mix, and project scale.
• ME Engineers: MEP/FP and technology systems consulting engineering firm serving commercial real estate, sports/entertainment, cultural, and institutional clients. Similar profile to RZ Design Associates on building-system focus and consulting fee model.
• BVH Integrated Services: Multi-discipline engineering firm (MEP, structural, civil, technology) serving higher education, healthcare, and cultural clients. Closely matches RZ Design's integrated service offering post-Santo Domingo merger and its institutional vertical mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RZDesignAssociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rz-design-associates-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 RZ Design Associates