What Lakeshore Engineering does

Lakeshore Engineering, LLC is a Chicago-based, founder-owned civil and structural engineering consulting firm founded in 2011 that provides planning, design, and construction management services for transportation infrastructure. Its service portfolio spans Transportation Studies – Railway Engineering, Construction Inspection, Construction Management, Program Management, and Civil/Structural Engineering Design, all delivered as professional services rather than software or products. The firm's core client base is regional and state government transportation agencies in Illinois and Northwest Indiana, including Metra, NICTD, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois Tollway, the Chicago Department of Transportation, and the Chicago Transit Authority, on whose projects it serves as either prime consultant or subconsultant.

The firm is prequalified by the Illinois Department of Transportation in two specialty categories (Railway Engineering and Construction Inspection) and is licensed as a civil/structural engineering design firm in Illinois. It holds DBE and MBE certifications, which provide a procurement advantage in government contracting where diversity goals apply. Leadership is concentrated in a small team of licensed professional engineers, including President Sainath Reddivari, PE and Vice President Rail Nathanael Morriss, PE, SE, supported by senior project managers, structural engineers, and a PMP-certified senior construction manager.

Lakeshore's business model is professional services revenue earned through competitive RFP/RFQ procurement processes and negotiated contracts with government clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined through bid evaluation and contract negotiation. The firm markets through industry awards (2023 ACEC-Illinois Small Firm of the Year, 2018 Metra DBE Award, 2018 CTA Battle of the Bids win) and professional association engagement, and distributes services through direct contract pursuit with transportation authorities in the Chicago metropolitan area and surrounding Midwest region.

Name

Lakeshore Engineering

Legal name

Lakeshore Engineering, LLC

Website

https://lse-eng.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lakeshore Engineering is a small Chicago-based civil and structural engineering consulting firm providing planning, design, construction management, and inspection services to Illinois and Northwest Indiana government transportation agencies including IDOT, Metra, NICTD, CTA, CDOT, and the Illinois Tollway, under DBE and MBE certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transportation Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Engineering Services (541330), Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (23731)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Engineering design services (line design, substation design, civil/structural) (EUADAKAG)

Keywords

• Transportation engineering services
• Civil engineering consulting
• Construction management services
• Infrastructure design services
• Highway engineering consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Professional Services: Provides planning, design, and construction management services for transportation infrastructure projects. Revenue is derived from professional services contracts with government transportation agencies, working as both prime consultant and subconsultant on projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Lakeshore Engineering provides professional civil and structural engineering consulting services for transportation infrastructure, including roadway and transit facility design, construction management, construction inspection, program management, and railway transportation studies. The firm delivers these services as either prime consultant or subconsultant to government transportation agencies across highways, transit systems, and public facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area and Illinois region. Services are performed by licensed civil and structural engineers, architects, and construction managers under IDOT prequalifications and State of Illinois engineering licensure.

Product overview

Lakeshore Engineering is a professional engineering consulting firm offering a unified suite of transportation-focused engineering services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings consist of Transportation Studies – Railway Engineering, Construction Inspection Services, Construction Management, Program Management, and Civil/Structural Engineering Design. These services are delivered by a team of licensed civil and structural engineers, architects, and construction managers, and the firm holds prequalification from the Illinois Department of Transportation and licensure from the State of Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation Studies – Railway Engineering Railway engineering transportation studies prequalified by the Illinois Department of Transportation, encompassing rail corridor planning, NEPA-related studies, and analysis for transit and rail infrastructure projects. Delivered to government transportation agencies including Metra, NICTD, and IDOT.
• Construction Inspection Services Phase III construction inspection services prequalified by IDOT, covering quality assurance and compliance verification for transportation infrastructure projects. Delivered as subconsultant on projects for IDOT, Illinois Tollway, CDOT, and CTA.
• Construction Management Construction management services for transportation and transit-related projects, including oversight of daily activities, contractor performance, and compliance with plans and specifications. Delivered to transit and transportation agencies such as CTA, Metra, NICTD, and CDOT.
• Program Management Program management services for multi-project transportation infrastructure programs, including project administration and coordination across agencies. Includes management of design and NEPA consultants for clients such as Metra and NICTD.
• Civil/Structural Engineering Design Civil and structural engineering design services licensed by the State of Illinois, covering roadway, bridge, and transit facility design. Delivered as prime consultant or subconsultant on projects such as Illinois Tollway Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) bridge rehabilitation and CDOT Burley Avenue design.

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MetracoreOthersMetra is the primary client relationship. Lakeshore Engineering managed two successive Metra project administration blanket contracts as prime consultant since the firm's inception in 2011. Served as extension of Metra's engineering staff from 2012 through 2016 and managed design and NEPA consultants.
• Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD)coreOthersServes as prime consultant for NICTD projects including Double Track NWI Project (Project Administration Services), West Lake Corridor Improvement (Design-Build), and Med 4th Main Construction Project.
• Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)coreOthersPrequalified by IDOT in Transportation Studies – Railway Engineering and Special Services – Construction Inspection. Performs various Phase III construction inspection and engineering services as subconsultant.
• Illinois TollwayminorOthersProvides engineering services on Illinois Tollway projects including Reagan Memorial Tollway bridge rehabilitation design and Elgin O'Hare Western Access construction.
• Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)minorOthersProvides construction and design services on CDOT projects including residential street lighting, Lincoln Yards PMO, and Burley Avenue design.
• Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)minorOthersProvides construction management and design services on CTA projects including Red Line Extension CM, Red Purple Modernization Phase I Design Build, and Congress Line/Racine Station Construction.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TranSystems: Established national transportation-focused engineering firm with rail, highway, and transit practices. Larger incumbent competing for the same IDOT, Metra, and Tollway programs where Lakeshore serves as prime or subconsultant.
• Burns & McDonnell: Large national engineering, construction, and consulting firm with significant transportation, rail, and transit practices. Competes for larger prime roles on the same Tollway, CTA, and IDOT mega-programs where Lakeshore participates.
• Benesch: Multi-disciplinary engineering firm with strong transportation, rail, and construction management practices across the Midwest. Competes for similar IDOT, Tollway, and municipal transportation assignments and serves as a likely prime or co-bidder.
• T.Y. Lin International: Global infrastructure engineering firm with a strong bridge, highway, and rail design practice. Competes for civil/structural design and CM work on the same Chicago-area highway and transit programs as Lakeshore.
• WSP USA: Global professional services firm with a large U.S. transportation infrastructure practice. A frequent prime consultant on IDOT, Tollway, CTA, and Metra programs, often engaging DBE subconsultants such as Lakeshore.

Direct peers

• Atlas Engineering Group: Midwest-based MBE/DBE transportation engineering firm with highway, bridge, and construction inspection practices. Overlapping service mix, certifications, and IDOT prequalification status with Lakeshore.
• Globetrotters Engineering Corporation: Chicago-based MBE-certified engineering firm with civil, structural, transportation, and construction management services. Comparable size and DBE/MBE positioning, with overlapping work for IDOT, CTA, Metra, and CDOT.
• d'Escoto Inc. Chicago-based MBE/DBE engineering firm focused on transportation, highways, and construction management. Highly comparable in size, certifications, and client mix (IDOT, Tollway, CDOT).
• Robinson Engineering: Illinois-based civil engineering and surveying firm serving municipal, county, and state transportation clients. Comparable in size and geography to Lakeshore, frequently prequalified alongside it for IDOT and local agency work.
• Milhouse Engineering & Construction: Chicago-headquartered engineering firm with transportation, transit, aviation, and infrastructure practices. Closely comparable in geography, service mix, and DBE/team positioning; competes for many of the same Chicago-area agency contracts as Lakeshore.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Lakeshore Engineering