Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering

What Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering does

Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering (RFS Engineering) is a privately held engineering firm founded in 1972 and headquartered in Laconia, New Hampshire, United States. The company provides specialized fire protection and telecommunications engineering services and operates with a workforce of 101-250 employees. As a mid-sized specialty engineering consultancy, RFS Engineering serves clients requiring technical design and consulting in two adjacent but distinct infrastructure domains: fire protection engineering and telecommunications infrastructure engineering.

The firm's service offerings center on the design, specification, and engineering oversight of fire protection systems (such as sprinkler systems, alarm systems, and life safety code compliance) and telecommunications infrastructure (such as structured cabling, network design, and low-voltage systems). These services are typically delivered on a project basis to commercial, institutional, and likely governmental clients requiring licensed Professional Engineer credentials, code-compliance expertise, and stamped drawings. The combination of two regulated, code-driven disciplines under one firm suggests cross-selling potential across building projects that require both life-safety and low-voltage scopes.

Business model details — including pricing model, customer mix, geographic reach beyond the Laconia base, certifications, and revenue mechanics — are not available in the current data set. The company website (rfsengineering.com) was inaccessible at the time of data collection, displaying a verification/loading screen rather than substantive company content, which limits due diligence on service line specifics, licensing credentials, customer references, partnerships, and growth signals. The firm's 50+ year operating history and stable 101-250 employee headcount indicate an established, regionally anchored specialty consultancy rather than a high-growth venture-backed operation.

Name

Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering

Website

https://rfsengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering is a privately held specialty engineering firm founded in 1972 in Laconia, New Hampshire, providing fire protection and telecommunications engineering services with a workforce of 101-250 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Protection and Telecommunications Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire Alarm Systems (Design/Install/Service/Monitoring) (BPABAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fire Sprinkler & Standpipe Systems (Design/Install/Service/Testing) (BPABAHAB), Security, Safety & Fire/Life Safety Management (BPABAAAE), Fire Protection Systems Contracting (Sprinklers, Alarms, Suppression) (IMAFALAD)

Keywords

• Fire protection engineering
• Telecommunications engineering
• Building systems design
• MEP engineering services
• Life safety design

Headquarters

HQ city

Laconia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering is a private engineering firm that provides fire protection engineering and telecommunications engineering services. The firm designs building systems for life safety, fire suppression/alarm, and low-voltage communications infrastructure, primarily serving construction and built-environment projects. Service delivery is project-based, with engineering consulting, system design, and technical documentation offered to property owners, architects, contractors, and developers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Protection Engineering
• Telecommunications Engineering

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Broad incumbents

• SmithGroup: Integrated architecture and engineering firm with fire protection and MEP design capabilities serving healthcare, higher education, and workplace clients.
• WSP: Global engineering professional services firm with active fire protection and life-safety design practices in the U.S. through acquisitions of specialist firms.
• Stantec: Large multi-discipline engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with significant building engineering and code services exposure.
• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with a sizeable fire engineering practice; competes for large institutional and commercial projects but operates as a broad multi-discipline incumbent.

Direct peers

• Jensen Hughes: Largest pure-play fire protection and life-safety engineering consultancy in North America, providing code consulting, fire protection design, and risk analysis — the closest direct competitor to RFS's fire protection practice.
• TLC Engineering Solutions: Multi-discipline MEP and fire protection engineering consultancy with overlapping building services and life-safety design capabilities.
• Koffel Associates: Specialty fire protection and life-safety code consulting and engineering firm with a similar focus on healthcare, higher education, and government facilities.
• Coffman Engineers: Multi-discipline engineering firm with a dedicated fire protection group delivering alarm, sprinkler, and life-safety design, comparable in size and service mix to Rist-Frost-Shumway.
• Cosentini Associates: MEP and fire protection engineering consultancy serving commercial, institutional, and mission-critical facilities, directly comparable in fire protection scope.
• Code Consultants Inc. (CCI): Specialty fire protection engineering and code consulting firm providing sprinkler, alarm, and life-safety design services for the built environment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rfs-engineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering