Speight, Marshall & Francis
Speight, Marshall & Francis is a privately held structural engineering professional services firm founded in 1994, serving architects, developers, contractors, and government agencies across healthcare, education, industrial, and commercial sectors in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersVirginia Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Speight, Marshall & Francis does
Speight, Marshall & Francis (SMF) is a privately held structural engineering professional services firm founded in 1994 and headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The firm provides structural design, construction documents, cost estimating, special inspections (Agent 1), construction-phase services, and structural investigations and studies for new construction and existing facilities. Its practice spans healthcare, higher education, K-12, multi-family/senior living, industrial, aviation, and government sectors, serving architects, developers, contractors, and public agencies through traditional design-bid-build, design-build, and PPEA delivery methods. The firm uses REVIT BIM as its core design documentation platform.
SMF generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements billed directly to clients on a project-by-project basis. Its customer mix is diversified across enterprise end-users (e.g., Dollar Tree, Liebherr USA, Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, Old Dominion University), large developers (e.g., Armada Hoffler), and federal, state, and municipal government clients including NAVFAC contracts and Virginia Beach municipal work. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.
The firm operates from three offices: Virginia Beach (HQ, established 1994), Richmond, Virginia (opened 2009, led by Principal Danny Rudd), and Charlotte, North Carolina (opened May 6, 2025, led by Doug Sweeney, PE SE). Leadership includes President Danny Speight, PE, and principals Steve Cowan, Jon Walesczyk, Earl Inge, and Danny Rudd. SMF has earned sustained regional recognition, including four consecutive "Best Engineering Firm" wins in the CoVA BIZ Magazine BOB Awards and multiple HRACRE Excellence in Development Design Awards, and is presently pursuing geographic and capability expansion anchored by the Charlotte launch.
Speight, Marshall & Francis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Speight, Marshall & Francis
- Legal name
- Speight, Marshall & Francis, P.C.
- Website
- https://smandf.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Speight, Marshall & Francis is a privately held structural engineering professional services firm founded in 1994, serving architects, developers, contractors, and government agencies across healthcare, education, industrial, and commercial sectors in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Speight, Marshall & Francis industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Structural Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)
Keywords
Where Speight, Marshall & Francis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Virginia Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Speight, Marshall & Francis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Structural Engineering Design Services: Project-based structural engineering design services for new construction and renovation projects across commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential sectors.
- Special Inspections: Agent 1 special inspection services provided during construction phase to ensure compliance with design specifications and building codes.
- Construction Administration: Construction phase services including shop drawing review, site visits, and field inspection to support project execution.
- Structural Investigation and Consulting: Assessment and consulting services for existing structures, including condition assessments and feasibility studies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Speight, Marshall & Francis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Speight, Marshall & Francis is a structural engineering professional services firm that provides structural design, construction phase services, special inspections (Agent 1), and structural investigation/studies for new construction and existing facilities. Services span healthcare, industrial, aviation, higher education, multi-family, senior living, and government sectors across the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States.
Product overview
Speight, Marshall & Francis (SMF) is a structural engineering professional services firm offering a unified portfolio of engineering consulting services. The core offerings include Structural Design Services for new construction across healthcare, industrial, aviation, higher education, multi-family, and senior living markets; Construction Phase Services for on-site inspection and construction administration; Special Inspections (Agent 1) for code compliance verification; and Structural Investigation/Studies for evaluating existing structures. These services are delivered as professional consulting engagements, not as software products or platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Structural Design Services Comprehensive structural engineering design services for new construction and existing facilities across commercial, residential, industrial, and institutional project types. Service is delivered to architects, developers, owners, and government agencies.
- Construction Phase Services On-site inspection, shop drawing review, and construction administration services to ensure structural integrity during the building phase. Service is delivered to general contractors and project owners.
- Special Inspections (Agent 1) Special inspection services as defined by building codes, serving as Agent 1 to verify compliance with approved construction documents. Service supports code compliance verification for architects, contractors, and government agencies.
- Structural Investigation/Studies Engineering analysis and evaluation of existing structures to assess condition, load capacity, and recommend remediation or strengthening solutions. Service is delivered to building owners, property managers, and government agencies.
Companies that use Speight, Marshall & Francis
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Speight, Marshall & Francis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Speight, Marshall & Francis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.
- Outdoor Venture GroupnotableSMF served as structural engineer for the Nautilus Observation Tower at Owl Creek Landing project conceived by Outdoor Venture Group. The project utilized innovative Spinnanker foundation technology - a novel system mimicking tree roots for stable foundations with low environmental impact. Tower is 115-ft tall with spiral pathway, scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend 2025.
- SpinnankernotableAustrian firm whose innovative foundation system (mimicking tree roots) was deployed for the first time in the U.S. on the Nautilus Observation Tower project. SMF collaborated with Spinnanker as structural engineer on this pioneering application.
- GARC DesignnotableCollaborated with GARC Design on the Virginia Zoo's EdVenture Campus project. SMF is honored to be part of the team bringing this transformative educational campus to life, opening Spring 2026.
- Virginia ZoominorSMF participates in Virginia Zoo's Zoodoptions program, having adopted Imara the elephant. Principal Earl Inge is involved with the zoo. SMF worked on EdVenture Campus project.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Speight, Marshall & Francis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): National engineering and architectural forensics firm with a strong structural practice across new construction, investigation, and repair—directly comparable to SMF's structural design + investigation + special inspection service mix, but at a materially larger scale and broader national footprint.
- Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): National structural engineering firm with design, investigation, and building enclosure services—overlapping directly with SMF's structural design, investigation/studies, and special inspection work, but at much larger scale.
- Thornton Tomasetti / Structural Group: Large global engineering consultancy with structural design, investigation, and applied research practices—directly overlapping SMF's core service lines but serving mega-projects and national accounts.
Direct peers
- DeSimone Consulting Engineers: Mid-to-large structural engineering consultancy serving commercial, healthcare, education, and residential markets with design and investigation services—directly comparable in service portfolio, though with a larger geographic footprint than SMF.
- McNamara Salvia Structural Engineers: East Coast structural engineering firm focused on complex new construction in commercial, residential, and institutional sectors—directly comparable in core service lines and project types to SMF's healthcare, education, and multi-family portfolio.
- Severud Associates: Mid-sized structural engineering consultancy specializing in commercial, institutional, and residential design plus investigation—closely paralleling SMF's mix of design + investigation + special inspection work.
- DCI Engineers: Regional-to-national structural engineering firm with offices across the western and eastern US serving new construction markets including healthcare, education, multi-family, and commercial—directly comparable in service mix and target verticals to SMF.
- Clark Nexsen: Architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Virginia/North Carolina with structural engineering services serving healthcare, education, and government clients across the mid-Atlantic and Southeast—directly comparable in geography, verticals, and multi-office model to SMF.
Regional players
- Smislova Engineering: Mid-Atlantic structural engineering firm serving similar mid-Atlantic markets with comparable building sector breadth (commercial, institutional, residential)—a regional peer to SMF's Virginia-centric footprint.
Emerging players
- Hope Engineering: Smaller, similarly-positioned structural engineering consultancy serving commercial and institutional clients in the Mid-Atlantic—comparable in firm size and service scope, though with a smaller marketing footprint than SMF.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Speight, Marshall & Francis social profiles
Digital presenceSpeight, Marshall & Francis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Speight, Marshall & Francis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Speight, Marshall & Francis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Speight, Marshall & Francis 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 Speight, Marshall & Francis
What does Speight, Marshall & Francis do?
Speight, Marshall & Francis is a structural engineering professional services firm that provides structural design, construction phase services, special inspections (Agent 1), and structural investigation/studies for new construction and existing facilities. Services span healthcare, industrial, aviation, higher education, multi-family, senior living, and government sectors across the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States.
Is Speight, Marshall & Francis a public or private company?
Speight, Marshall & Francis is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Speight, Marshall & Francis founded?
Speight, Marshall & Francis was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Speight, Marshall & Francis based?
Speight, Marshall & Francis is headquartered in Virginia Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Speight, Marshall & Francis make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Structural Engineering Design Services are the primary driver. The others are special Inspections, construction Administration and structural Investigation and Consulting.
Who are Speight, Marshall & Francis's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE), Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) and Thornton Tomasetti / Structural Group. Direct peers are DeSimone Consulting Engineers, McNamara Salvia Structural Engineers, Severud Associates, DCI Engineers and Clark Nexsen. Smislova Engineering is listed as a regional player. Hope Engineering is listed as an emerging player.
Does Speight, Marshall & Francis have an API?
No public API is recorded for Speight, Marshall & Francis.
What industry is Speight, Marshall & Francis in?
Speight, Marshall & Francis's product category is Structural Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAA, Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541330 and its SIC code is 8711.