Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford

What Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford does

Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc., doing business as van Zelm Engineers, is a privately held mechanical and electrical (MEP) consulting engineering firm founded in 1930 and headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut, with additional offices in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and Mooresville, North Carolina. The firm provides integrated mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and technology systems consulting — covering HVAC design (including radiant systems, DOAS, heat recovery ventilation, ground source heat pumps, and geothermal), building automation and DDC controls, electrical distribution, energy modeling, commissioning, and sustainable/LEED/Living Building Challenge/Passive House design. The firm completes projects in excess of $700 million in mechanical and electrical construction value annually, with a portfolio concentrated in higher education (Harvard, Dartmouth, UConn, Amherst, Yale, Smith, Quinnipiac, Macalester), healthcare (Yale-New Haven Hospital, Griffin Hospital), government (MassWildlife, City of Hartford), and industrial/mission-critical (Paragon Medical) facilities.

The firm earns revenue through project-based professional service fees negotiated on an individual basis based on scope, complexity, and scale, with no subscription, per-seat, or product pricing. Customer acquisition is relationship-driven and project-based, secured through direct engagement with institutional end clients (colleges, universities, hospitals, government agencies) and as a sub-consultant to architectural firms leading major construction projects. Marketing is limited to industry awards, professional society engagement (AIA, USGBC, ASHRAE, IESNA, IEEE, NFPA, BICSI), and a portfolio-driven website. Leadership comprises CEO Steve S. Krawczynski, President Edward D. Allen, and Senior Vice President David W. Madigan — all long-tenured principals. The firm carries no proprietary software, algorithms, or technology products; all IP resides in human expertise, project methodologies, and the institutional relationships that have accumulated over nearly a century.

Name

Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford

Legal name

Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc.

Website

https://vanzelm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford is a privately held MEP consulting engineering firm founded in 1930, specializing in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and sustainable design for higher education, healthcare, government, and industrial clients across the Northeast and Southeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MEP Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Mechanical engineering design
• Electrical engineering services
• HVAC system design
• Sustainable building design
• MEP consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Farmington Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. MEP Engineering Consulting Services: van Zelm generates revenue by providing professional mechanical and electrical engineering design services on construction projects. Fees are earned through project-based consulting engagements with institutional, academic, and healthcare clients. Revenue is proportional to project scale and complexity, with projects ranging from small studies to large facilities. The firm completes projects in excess of $700 million in mechanical and electrical construction value each year.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford is a mechanical and electrical (MEP) consulting engineering firm founded in 1930 that provides engineering design services for the built environment. The firm focuses on higher education, healthcare, government, and industrial-sector facilities, delivering mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire protection, and sustainable-design engineering consulting.

Product overview

Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc. (van Zelm Engineers) is a mechanical and electrical (MEP) consulting engineering firm founded in 1930. The company offers a unified portfolio of engineering consulting services organized around the planning, study, and design of mechanical and electrical systems for the built environment. Core service offerings include Sustainable Design, Master Planning, Mechanical Engineering (HVAC Systems and Controls), Electrical Engineering, Plumbing Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Commissioning Services, Construction Services, and Technology Systems Consulting. These services are delivered as integrated consulting offerings rather than discrete software products, focused on markets including education (higher education and K-12), healthcare, science/research laboratories, cultural institutions, industrial facilities, and commercial buildings. The firm is particularly recognized for high-performance sustainable building design, with extensive experience in LEED, Living Building Challenge, and Passive House certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Engineering Design Mechanical engineering design services for institutional and built-environment projects, including HVAC and mechanical systems design for higher education, healthcare, government, and industrial facilities.
• Electrical Engineering Design Electrical engineering design services for institutional facilities, covering power distribution, lighting, and electrical systems design for higher education, healthcare, government, and industrial buildings.
• Plumbing Engineering Design Plumbing engineering design services for institutional and built-environment projects, addressing domestic water, sanitary, and specialty plumbing systems.
• Fire Protection Engineering Fire protection engineering design services for institutional facilities, including suppression, alarm, and life-safety systems.
• Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Building Design Sustainable building design consulting focused on energy efficiency and environmentally responsible MEP design for institutional and built-environment projects.
• HVAC System Design HVAC system design services for institutional facilities, including heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems for higher education, healthcare, government, and industrial buildings.

Quantifiable outcome

• MassWildlife Field Headquarters achieved zero-net energy performance with 290 kW photovoltaic system
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ME Engineers: National MEP consulting engineering firm specializing in high-performance, sustainable building design across higher education, healthcare, science & technology, and cultural markets — directly comparable in service mix, client base, and sustainability leadership to van Zelm.
• Affiliated Engineers (AEI): Mid-sized MEP consulting engineering firm with strong higher-education, healthcare, and science/lab portfolio; recognized for high-performance and research-intensive building design, paralleling van Zelm's positioning.
• BR+A Consulting Engineers: Boston-based MEP engineering firm serving higher education, healthcare, science & technology, and cultural clients with a similar project-based, sustainability-focused delivery model to van Zelm.
• Newcomb & Boyd: Atlanta-based full-service MEP firm with comparable size and similar higher-education and institutional client base, providing similar consulting engineering services in the built environment.
• Jaros, Baum & Bolles: NYC-based MEP consulting engineering firm with deep higher education, healthcare, science/lab, and cultural institution portfolio — directly comparable in technical capabilities and institutional client mix.
• AKF Group: Mid-Atlantic/Northeast MEP and fire protection engineering consulting firm with comparable higher-education, healthcare, science, and public-sector client mix and similar project-based delivery.
• Environmental Systems Design (ESD): Chicago-based MEP engineering firm with strong higher-education, healthcare, science/lab, and mission-critical portfolio — comparable in scope and sustainability positioning to van Zelm.

Broad incumbents

• Syska Hennessy Group: Large national MEP and critical systems engineering firm with much broader geographic reach and wider service portfolio (including mission-critical, data center, healthcare systems integration) — a larger incumbent competing in van Zelm's core higher-ed and lab markets.
• Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy offering MEP, structural, and facade engineering — competes with van Zelm on flagship sustainable higher-ed and cultural projects but operates at significantly larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with deep sustainability, building services (MEP), and higher-education portfolio — competes on flagship sustainable campus projects but is materially larger and broader than van Zelm.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vanZelmEngrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford