The WEBBER/SMITH Group

What The WEBBER/SMITH Group does

The WEBBER/SMITH Group is an independent, privately-held engineering and building design firm founded in 1978 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that specializes exclusively in food & beverage processing and distribution facilities. Operating through three branded entities (WEBBER/SMITH Associates, Inc., AE Design, Inc. acquired in 2005, and EA Design Concepts, Inc. founded in 2014), the firm provides full in-house engineering disciplines covering building design, structural, mechanical, electrical, refrigeration, process, packaging, material handling, and project management. Its client base spans large food manufacturers, grocery distributors, cold storage operators, and select pharmaceutical/industrial clients, with named enterprise customers including Taylor Farms, Byrne Dairy, FAGE USA, Hershey's Ice Cream, ALDI, Kroger, Hy-Vee, Herbruck's Poultry Ranch, Graycor, Don's Prepared Foods, and Samuels & Son Seafood. The firm has explicitly declined acquisition offers from larger engineering firms, maintaining independence through ownership succession from founders Joe Webber (retired 1995) and Garry Smith (retired 2017) to current President & CEO Keith Shollenberger, P.E. (since 2004).

The firm's core technical approach is Building Information Modeling (BIM), adopted as standard methodology since 2008, enabling 3D data-rich virtual models used throughout design. Differentiated technical capabilities include food-safe environment design compliant with FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP/HARPC, SQF, BRC, and cGMP standards, advanced refrigeration system design spanning cascade, CO2, and ammonia systems, OSHA PSM/EPA RMP compliance services for ammonia refrigeration above the 10,000 lb threshold, and a niche forensic/expert witness practice. The firm holds LEED AP staff accreditation and has delivered LEED Silver-certified projects, including an ALDI West Coast distribution facility.

The firm operates as a B2B professional services business on a project-by-project engagement model, generating revenue through consulting and project fees. With approximately 40 employees headquartered in Lititz, PA, the company serves clients throughout the United States and selectively internationally (notably a 2010 greenfield dairy facility for Toni Dairy in Ecuador). GTM is relationship-led and enterprise-focused, with associates embedding into client teams; the firm supplements referrals with active participation in industry trade shows (IBIE, IPPE, PACK EXPO, ProMat, Food Automation, BakingTech, Petfood Forum in 2025) and a maintained presence across LinkedIn, Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram. Revenue, funding, and ownership structure beyond named principals are not publicly disclosed.

Name

The WEBBER/SMITH Group

Legal name

WEBBER/SMITH Associates, Inc.

Website

https://webbersmith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The WEBBER/SMITH Group is a privately-held engineering and building design firm founded in 1978, specializing exclusively in food & beverage processing and distribution facility design for enterprise clients across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lititz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Building Design Services: Professional engineering services revenue model. The company provides comprehensive engineering and building design solutions including structural, mechanical, electrical, refrigeration, process, packaging, material handling, and project management services on a project-by-project basis. Services are offered for new facilities, facility renovations, expansions, master planning, and remedial design. Revenue is generated through consulting fees and project-based engagements with Food & Beverage manufacturers and distributors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The WEBBER/SMITH Group is a portfolio of three independent full-service engineering and building design firms (WEBBER/SMITH Associates, Inc., AE Design, Inc., and EA Design Concepts, Inc.) providing comprehensive in-house engineering services — including building, structural, mechanical, electrical, refrigeration, process, packaging, material handling, and project management — exclusively to the Food & Beverage and related industries. Services span new facilities, renovations, expansions, master planning, food-safety/PSM/RMP compliance consulting, and forensic expert witness support.

Product overview

The WEBBER/SMITH Group is a portfolio of three independent full-service engineering and building design firms (WEBBER/SMITH Associates, Inc., AE Design, Inc., and EA Design Concepts, Inc.) providing comprehensive engineering and building design solutions exclusively to the Food & Beverage industry and related industries. The company offers all engineering disciplines in-house including Building Design, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, Refrigeration, Process & Packaging, Material Handling, Project Management, and Food Safety Consulting. Their integrated multidisciplinary approach covers the entire facility lifecycle from site evaluations and feasibility studies through building design, engineering services, and compliance consulting (PSM/RMP). They specialize in food-safe environment design for various market segments including prepared foods/produce, dairy, meat/poultry/eggs/seafood, confectionery, bakery/snacks, pet food, beverage, ingredients, distribution (grocery, food service, convenience store, cold storage), and pharmaceutical/general industrial sectors. Notable projects include FAGE USA (430,000 SF Greek Yogurt Facility), Hershey's Ice Cream (174,000 SF addition), Herbruck's Poultry Ranch (650,000+ SF cage-free egg facility), and ALDI distribution centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building & Site Evaluations Site analysis and feasibility studies for food and beverage facility clients, including site selection, conceptual site layouts, and overall master planning layouts.
• Building Design Comprehensive building design services for Food & Beverage clients, including food-safe design, low temperature design, and LEED certification support.
• Low Temperature Design Specialized design for cold storage and cold processing spaces requiring washdown and sanitation, with vapor pressure management and condensation mitigation for food-safe environments.
• Structural Engineering Structural frame design including foundations, expansion/contraction considerations, seismic zone requirements, and chemical-resistant components for washdown areas in food & beverage facilities.
• Mechanical Engineering Design of HVAC systems, industrial ventilation, plumbing systems, central plant distribution systems, and fire protection systems for food-safe environments.
• Electrical Engineering Power distribution, lighting, fire alarm, communication, gas monitoring, lightning protection, and emergency power generation systems design for food & beverage facilities.
• Refrigeration Systems Design Refrigeration system design including coolers, freezers, process cooling, blast freezers, controls design, and underfloor heating systems — covering ammonia, CO2, cascade, critically charged, packaged, and distributed refrigeration systems.
• PSM & RMP Compliance OSHA Process Safety Management and EPA Risk Management Planning compliance services, including mechanical integrity audits, compliance audits, process hazard analysis, and risk management plans for ammonia refrigeration systems over the 10,000 lb threshold.
• Process & Packaging Systems Design Full process and packaging systems design from ingredient reception to final shipment preparation, including CIP (Clean-In-Place) design, plant sanitation requirements, and packaging line integration.
• Food Safety Consulting Food safety consulting including preemptive food-safe design, building surveys focused on sanitation and condensation issues, and pathogen/vermin intrusion prevention for food & beverage clients.
• Material Handling Optimization Warehouse and transportation operations analysis, lean manufacturing alternatives, Six Sigma and Kaizen principles implementation to improve operational efficiency for food & beverage clients.
• Forensic / Expert Witness Services Third-party engineering expert services for structural, mechanical, refrigeration, and processing system issues in litigation support for food & beverage and industrial clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of successful food & beverage facility design projects completed worldwide in over 40 years of operation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Stewart & Tate ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner for Herbruck's Poultry Ranch project ($100M+ sustainable cage-free egg-laying facility in Mercersburg, PA). Stewart & Tate served as the general contractor for this major agricultural construction project.
• Galbraith/Pre-Design Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCarlisle-based pre-engineered metal building contractor for Herbruck's Poultry Ranch project. Provided some of the building construction for the eight 60,000 sq. ft. production barns and other facilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stellar: Stellar is a Jacksonville, FL-based engineering, architecture, and construction firm specializing in food and beverage processing facilities. It is the closest publicly known competitor to WEBBER/SMITH in food-facility engineering design and full-facility delivery.
• CRB: CRB is a Kansas City-based engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with a major food and beverage practice alongside life sciences. It competes directly with WEBBER/SMITH for food processing facility design projects across North America.
• SSOE Group: SSOE Group is a Toledo, OH-based full-service engineering and architecture firm with a significant food and beverage process facility practice. It offers comparable multidisciplinary engineering services to WEBBER/SMITH's blue-chip food manufacturer clients.
• Hixson Architecture & Engineering: Hixson is a Cincinnati-based architecture and engineering firm focused on food, beverage, and consumer products manufacturing facilities. It competes directly for design-build and master planning projects similar to WEBBER/SMITH's portfolio.
• Affiliated Engineers (AEI): AEI is a Madison, WI-based engineering firm with strong food, beverage, and industrial process practices. Its MEP and process engineering services overlap materially with WEBBER/SMITH's structural, mechanical, and refrigeration offerings.
• Shambaugh & Son: Shambaugh & Son is a Fort Wayne, IN-based mechanical contractor and engineering firm with a major food processing practice. Its process piping, refrigeration, and facility engineering services overlap materially with WEBBER/SMITH's food plant capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Burns & McDonnell: Burns & McDonnell is a large Kansas City-based employee-owned engineering firm serving food and beverage manufacturers among many industries. It overlaps with WEBBER/SMITH on food facility design as part of a much broader multi-industry portfolio.
• POWER Engineers: POWER Engineers is a multi-disciplinary engineering firm with a food and beverage facility practice that competes for similar projects to WEBBER/SMITH, though its core focus spans energy, environmental, and federal markets.
• Exyte: Exyte (formerly M+W Group) is a global high-tech facility engineering and construction firm with food and life sciences practices. It competes with WEBBER/SMITH on larger industrial food facility builds from a broader global delivery platform.
• Haskell: Haskell is a Jacksonville, FL-based architecture, engineering, and construction firm with a consumer products and food processing facility practice. It offers integrated design-build services comparable to WEBBER/SMITH's full-facility scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/webbersmithinc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WEBBERSMITH
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheWebberSmithGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/webber-smith-associates
• Instagraminstagram.com/webbersmithgroup

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 The WEBBER/SMITH Group