Gipe Associates

What Gipe Associates does

Gipe Associates, Inc. is a Mid-Atlantic MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection) engineering consulting firm founded in 1977 and headquartered in Towson, Maryland with a second office in Easton on the Eastern Shore. The firm employs approximately 40 professional and technical staff and operates as a 100% employee-owned corporation, having completed its ESOP transition in 2002. Gipe provides full-lifecycle engineering services for high-performance building systems to public and private sector clients, spanning mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, communications systems, commissioning, LEED and sustainable design, master planning, facility assessments, and expert witness services. Its core technical capabilities include deep specialization in geothermal systems (since 1999), VRV/VRF systems, energy modeling and life cycle cost analysis, Living Building Challenge design, and AABC-based commissioning. The firm has a record of category-defining sustainable design milestones, including the first LEED v4 Gold K-12 school in Maryland (Easton Elementary, 2020), the first Net Zero design (2008, USGBC Wintergreen Award), and a Living Building Challenge Petal Certification (Semans Griswold Environmental Hall, 2022).

Gipe's go-to-market is sales-led and built on direct engagement and competitive bidding for public sector contracts. It serves Federal clients (NAVFAC Washington, Aberdeen Proving Ground, U.S. Naval Academy, Andrews Air Force Base, Naval Research Laboratory), State agencies, and Local governments, with K-12 and Higher Education flagged as primary verticals alongside Civic, Public Safety, Healthcare, Environmental/Utilities, Federal, Commercial, and Residential segments. Revenue is generated through professional services fees tied to project scope, complexity, and engineering hours, with projects typically won through RFP and procurement processes and spanning multi-year design and construction administration cycles. The largest engagement in firm history is the $130M Renovation & Micro Grid Project in Frederick County, awarded in 2023.

The firm holds 47+ years of operating history, has expanded from 4 founders to roughly 40 staff, and is led by President David Hoffman (appointed 2013) with a senior leadership team of two Senior VPs (Dina Dixon, Adam Kegan) and two VPs (Mike Notarange, Dan Booze). Marketing is conducted primarily through a curated project portfolio, industry awards, professional credentials, and continuing education seminars rather than paid acquisition. The ownership model and sustainability leadership create reputational and talent moats within the regional Mid-Atlantic public-sector AEC market.

Name

Gipe Associates

Legal name

Gipe Associates, Inc.

Website

https://gipe.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gipe Associates is a 100% employee-owned MEP engineering consulting firm founded in 1977, serving Federal, State, and local government clients across the Mid-Atlantic with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and commissioning services for high-performance buildings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Towson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering services for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for new construction and renovation projects. Services range from peer reviews, planning and assessments to full systems design, contract administration, commissioning, and expert investigation/witness services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gipe Associates is a consulting engineering firm providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection (MEP) engineering design and consulting services for public and private sector clients. The firm delivers custom, client-centered engineering solutions from planning and feasibility through detailed design, contract administration, and commissioning, with particular expertise in high-performance, energy-efficient, and LEED-certified building systems including geothermal and net zero design.

Product overview

Gipe Associates is a consulting engineering firm specializing in MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) and fire protection engineering services. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of interconnected engineering design and consulting services, including Mechanical Engineering (HVAC, geothermal, building controls), Electrical Engineering (power distribution, lighting, solar PV, safety systems), Plumbing Engineering, Fire Protection, Communications Systems, Commissioning, LEED & Sustainable Design, Expert Investigations, Facility Assessments, and Master Planning. These services work together to deliver high-performance building systems from planning through commissioning phases for public and private sector clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Engineering Services Engineering design and consulting for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems (HVAC), geothermal systems, direct digital controls, building management systems, HTHW & steam systems, and energy modeling for public and private sector facilities.
• Electrical Engineering Services Engineering design for medium and low voltage power distribution, emergency power supply, interior and site lighting, lighting controls, solar photovoltaic systems, metering, fire alarm, access control, intrusion detection, video surveillance, and rescue assistance systems.
• Plumbing Engineering Services Design of plumbing piping systems, high-efficiency water distribution systems, water storage, laboratory river-flow-through systems, and wells for commercial, institutional, and government facilities.
• Fire Protection Engineering Design of fire sprinkler systems and fire pump assessments for commercial and institutional facilities.
• Commissioning Services Third-party commissioning services based on AABC Commissioning Group best practices, including design reviews, construction document review, equipment start-up checklists, functional performance testing, and commissioning issue tracking.
• LEED & Sustainable Design Sustainability consulting using LEED strategies to achieve energy-efficient buildings while maintaining serviceability and simplicity, including energy modeling and sustainability documentation for LEED certification projects.
• Communications Systems Design Design of data networks, voice networks, paging and intercom systems, and clock systems for facilities.
• Expert Investigations & Expert Witness Expert investigations, testimony and advice for litigation involving plumbing, HVAC, and geothermal systems, provided to law firms, insurance companies, and owners.
• Facility Assessments & Feasibility Studies Field surveys, life cycle cost analyses, and systems evaluations to create roadmaps for prioritizing minor and capital projects based on urgency and budget.
• Master Planning MEP partnership in large-scale master plans including building systems condition assessments, campus utilities assessment, code compliance evaluations, and energy efficiency recommendations.
• Contract Administration Full contract administration services including shop drawing review, site visits during construction, and substantial completion inspections.

Quantifiable outcome

• First LEED v4 Gold certified K-12 school in Maryland (Easton Elementary School, 2020)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NAVFAC WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal government client for MEP engineering projects at Region 3 facilities. Gipe serves as prime firm/engineer-of-record for various federal projects.
• Aberdeen Proving GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Army installation where Gipe provides MEP engineering services for various military base projects.
• United States Naval AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGipe provided MEP engineering for Rip Miller Field improvements and Ricketts Hall athletic facility renovations.
• Andrews Air Force BasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal government client for MEP engineering projects at Air Force Base facilities in Region 3.
• Naval Research LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal laboratory client for MEP engineering design including lab renovation projects with specialized exhaust systems.
• Maryland School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearly every school district in Maryland served, providing MEP engineering for new construction and renovations.
• Delaware School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServing Delaware school districts with K-12 MEP engineering projects.
• Whiting Turner Contracting CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction management firm partner on Wor-Wic Community College Applied Technology Building project. Gipe serves as MEP designer with commissioning services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ME Engineers: MEP engineering consulting firm focused on high-performance building systems for education, government, healthcare, and cultural facilities. Highly comparable to Gipe in service portfolio, project complexity, and sustainability specialization.
• Newcomb & Boyd: Mid-sized MEP engineering consulting firm serving higher education, K-12, healthcare, and government clients with strong sustainable-design credentials. Directly comparable in scale, vertical mix, and technical service offering.
• DBR Engineering Consultants: MEP engineering consulting firm serving education, healthcare, government, and commercial clients across multiple regions. Comparable in scope of services, client vertical mix, and project complexity.
• Affiliated Engineers: Specialized MEP engineering consultancy with deep higher-education and laboratory/utility-system expertise. Comparable to Gipe's commissioning, MEP design, and sustainable building portfolio.
• Setty & Associates: MEP and fire protection engineering firm serving K-12, higher education, healthcare, and government clients with multi-office presence. Strongly comparable in service mix and public-sector focus.
• RMF Engineering: Multi-disciplinary engineering firm (MEP, structural, civil) with strong institutional-client (higher ed, healthcare, government) book of business. Comparable service mix with somewhat broader geographic reach.
• Dunham Associates: MEP engineering consulting firm focused on K-12, higher education, healthcare, and commercial clients. Comparable in size, vertical mix, and project type to Gipe.
• CMTA: Engineering firm with deep energy-efficiency and high-performance building focus, serving K-12, higher education, healthcare, and government clients nationally. Highly comparable in service philosophy and client verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Burns & McDonnell: Large national engineering, architecture, and construction firm with substantial MEP and federal infrastructure practice. Operates broadly in the same space as Gipe but with much larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• Stantec: Global design and consulting firm with significant building engineering (MEP) and federal/government infrastructure practices. Overlaps with Gipe in education and federal verticals but at a vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Gipe Associates