What GRAEF does

GRAEF is an employee-owned (ESOP), full-service engineering, planning, and design firm headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 1961 as Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer–Consulting Engineers. The firm delivers professional consulting services across 15+ disciplines organized into five service families — Facility (structural, MEP, parking, industrial architecture, commissioning, operations consulting), Water (water resources, environmental, coastal/marine), Community (planning, municipal, GIS), Transportation (transportation, bridge, traffic, construction inspection), and Site (civil, landscape, surveying). It serves federal, state, and local government agencies; healthcare systems; aviation operators; industrial and manufacturing firms; developers; and educational institutions across the U.S. Midwest, Southeast, and Caribbean, with nine offices in Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Turks and Caicos.

The firm's core proprietary technology is GRAEFaccelerāte®, an integrated Building Information Modeling workflow built on Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Advance Steel that consolidates structural engineering, steel detailing, and connection design into a single concurrent process, reportedly saving weeks to months on construction timelines. A second differentiator is the SE 2050 commitment program, which uses Tally, TallyCAT, and EC3 to perform lifecycle embodied-carbon analysis on structural projects toward a net-zero target by 2050. The firm has been ranked #359 in ENR's Top 500 Design Firms and #28 in BD+C's Top Engineering-Architecture firms.

GRAEF generates revenue on a project-based, fee-for-service professional services model, with pricing determined by project scope and complexity. The go-to-market is sales-led, with office-level business development leaders, market area leaders, and practice area leaders driving direct client engagement through RFP responses, qualifications-based selection, and relationship-based pursuits. The firm has executed four tuck-in acquisitions since 2018 (Czarnecki Engineering, Consulting Engineering & Science, ECE/CDE in 2022, and Ken Boitz & Associates in 2024), most recently a long-tenured CEO transition in April 2026 when John Kissinger retired after 40 years.

Name

GRAEF

Legal name

GRAEF USA

Website

https://graef-usa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

GRAEF is an employee-owned, full-service engineering, planning, and design firm founded in 1961, headquartered in Milwaukee with nine offices across the U.S. Midwest, Southeast, and Caribbean. It delivers multi-disciplinary engineering, BIM-driven structural design via its proprietary GRAEFaccelerāte® workflow, and consulting services to government agencies, healthcare systems, aviation operators, and industrial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Compliance Technology, GRC Platforms & Controls Automation Advisory (BPAHAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

ESG, Sustainability Reporting & Compliance (BPAEAPAM)

Keywords

• Engineering consulting services
• Structural engineering design
• Civil infrastructure engineering
• Building information modeling
• Coastal marine engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 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 and Design Consulting Services: GRAEF generates revenue through professional engineering, planning, and design consulting services across structural, civil, MEP, transportation, coastal, water resources, environmental, and other engineering disciplines. Revenue is project-based, typically billed on a fee-per-project basis for government agencies, corporations, healthcare systems, developers, and other clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GRAEF provides multi-disciplinary engineering, planning, and design consulting services across structural, civil, MEP, transportation, coastal, water resources, environmental, and surveying disciplines. Projects are delivered under one roof with proprietary GRAEFaccelerāte® BIM-enabled concurrent structural design workflows. Clients include government agencies, healthcare systems, developers, and corporations seeking integrated design delivery for buildings, infrastructure, and waterfront facilities.

Product overview

GRAEF is a full-service engineering, planning, and design firm founded in 1961, providing professional consulting services across multiple disciplines. The company's offerings include core structural engineering services enhanced by GRAEFaccelerāte®, an integrated BIM workflow methodology using Autodesk Revit and Advance Steel that enables concurrent structural design and construction documentation. GRAEF also operates the SE 2050 initiative for embodied carbon reduction. The firm offers facility services (structural, MEP, parking structures, commissioning, industrial architecture), water services (water resources, environmental, coastal/marine engineering), community services (planning, municipal engineering, GIS), transportation services (engineering, bridges, traffic, construction inspection), and site services (civil engineering, landscape architecture, surveying). The GRAEF Foundation supports STEM education and engineering scholarships at five universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRAEFaccelerāte: Integrated BIM workflows using Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Advance Steel for structural engineering, allowing designs to be produced concurrently with construction documents.

Products and services

• GRAEFaccelerāte® Integrated BIM workflow using Autodesk Revit and Autodesk Advance Steel that allows structural designs to be produced concurrently with construction documents. GRAEF performs all structural engineering, detailing, and connection design roles in-house within a single model, saving projects weeks to months in construction time.
• SE 2050 Sustainability commitment program committing GRAEF to reducing embodied carbon in structural engineering projects and working toward net zero embodied carbon structural systems by 2050, utilizing carbon calculation tools including Tally, TallyCAT, and EC3.
• Structural Engineering Services Comprehensive structural building design services spanning small additions to multi-million dollar structures, with expertise in concrete, masonry, steel, and wood structural systems, plus evaluation and restoration of existing facilities.
• Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineering Sustainable mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection designs focused on reducing operating costs, enhancing asset value, improving air quality, and sustainable design with energy expertise.
• Parking Structure Planning & Design Complete parking consulting services from planning, design, and restoration of parking facilities, including supply/demand studies, master planning, functional design, construction documents, and construction phase administration for above-ground, underground, standalone, and mixed-use facilities.
• Coastal and Marine Engineering Specialized coastal and marina facility planning, permitting, and design services including beach nourishment, shoreline revetments, seawalls, bulkheads, moorings, and recreational/commercial marina facilities. GRAEF has designed over 60,000 linear feet of new and rehabilitated seawall and over 4,000 marina slips.
• Bridge Engineering Wide range of bridge services for highway, railroad, pedestrian, and utility bridges, from structural consulting and maintenance inspections to complete project management, including design for older bridge repairs requiring blending of old and new structural systems.
• Operations & Process Consulting Industrial engineering services helping companies improve productivity through manufacturing process reinvention, waste elimination, bottleneck removal, and quality improvements using industrial engineering expertise.
• Water Resources Services Solutions for water supply and treatment including design of shallow and deep wells, treatment systems, storage facilities, water distribution systems, wastewater collection and treatment systems, and comprehensive permitting and compliance support.
• Environmental Services Brownfield remediation and redevelopment, asbestos and hazardous waste assessment, environmental planning and permitting, Environmental Impact Statements, noise and air quality services, and natural resource evaluation through design, implementation, and adaptive management phases.
• Civil Engineering Services Civil engineering services within GRAEF's Site services portfolio covering site development, grading, drainage, utilities coordination, and related civil works for building and infrastructure projects.
• Transportation Engineering Transportation engineering services supporting highway, roadway, intersection, and corridor projects within GRAEF's Transportation services portfolio.
• Municipal Engineering Municipal engineering services supporting cities, counties, and other local government clients with infrastructure planning, design, and delivery within GRAEF's Community services portfolio.
• Planning & Urban Design Planning and urban design services within GRAEF's Community services portfolio covering master planning, land use planning, and urban design for municipalities and developers.
• Surveying Surveying services within GRAEF's Site services portfolio providing land surveying, topographic surveys, and construction staking for engineering projects.
• Commissioning Services Building commissioning services within GRAEF's Facility services portfolio verifying that building systems are designed, installed, and operated to meet owner requirements and operational standards.
• Industrial Architecture Industrial architecture services within GRAEF's Facility services portfolio covering facility design for manufacturing, warehousing, and industrial operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves 2 weeks to 3 months in construction time depending on project scale through GRAEFaccelerāte® concurrent design process
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HDR, Inc. Large, employee-owned multi-disciplinary engineering and architecture firm. Closest scale and ownership-structure peer to GRAEF, with similar practices across transportation, water, healthcare, and federal/government end markets.
• Kimley-Horn: Privately held, employee-owned multi-disciplinary engineering, planning, and design firm. Directly comparable to GRAEF on ownership structure (ESOP-equivalent), multi-disciplinary services, and mid-to-large municipal/infrastructure focus.
• Burns & McDonnell: 100% employee-owned engineering, architecture, and construction firm. Comparable to GRAEF on ESOP structure, full-service multi-disciplinary delivery, and significant presence in aviation, government, and industrial markets.
• TRC Companies: Mid-sized US engineering, consulting, and construction management firm with comparable end-market mix in environmental, water, infrastructure, and energy. Direct competitor for similar-sized public-sector and private clients.
• Stanley Consultants: Privately held, employee-owned engineering, environmental, and construction services firm. Comparable to GRAEF in size, employee-ownership culture, and multi-disciplinary delivery to power, water, transportation, and federal clients.
• MSA Professional Services: Mid-sized employee-owned (ESOP) multi-disciplinary engineering, architecture, and planning firm headquartered in the Upper Midwest. Closely comparable to GRAEF in ESOP structure, size, geographic footprint, and service mix across municipal, water, transportation, and site/civil.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Large publicly traded global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm. Operates across the same disciplines (water, environmental, transportation, buildings) as GRAEF, but at materially greater scale and geographic reach.
• WSP Global: Global professional services firm with deep engineering and design capabilities across transportation, property & buildings, water, and environment. Overlaps with GRAEF's full-service delivery model and end-market focus at a much larger scale.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with engineering, design, and construction management services. Competes with GRAEF on large transportation, water, environmental, and federal pursuits but at significantly larger scale.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global professional services firm focused on critical infrastructure, water, transportation, and advanced facilities. Overlaps with GRAEF in municipal infrastructure, water, and transportation design work but at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Facebookfacebook.com/graef.usa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/graef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GRAEF