Froehling & Robertson, Inc.

What Froehling & Robertson, Inc. does

Froehling & Robertson, Inc. (F&R) is a privately held civil engineering consulting firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1881 as a chemical laboratory and coal mine consulting business and incorporated in Virginia on October 11, 1924. The company is the nation's oldest continually operating independent testing/engineering firm and operates as a third-generation minority-owned business under the Proctor family (Samuel Proctor as CEO and Chairman). F&R is organized around six integrated service lines: geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, construction materials testing and special inspections (CMT/SI), drilling services, geostructural monitoring, and specialty services (nondestructive testing, welding inspections, forensic analysis, expert witness support). Technical capabilities include an in-house drilling fleet equipped with GPS/GIS technology, AASHTO-accredited full-service materials laboratories, and real-time web-based monitoring systems for vibration, noise, and structural threshold exceedance alerting.

The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements, with pricing determined per-project based on scope, complexity, and technical requirements. Revenue is delivered through 11 branch offices strategically positioned across the Mid-Atlantic region — Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington DC — each led by a Branch Manager with assigned business development professionals covering defined territories. F&R maintains certifications including Virginia SWaM (Minority-Owned) and North Carolina HUB, and performs Special Inspections per IBC Chapter 17. Customer mix spans healthcare (Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital), higher education (University of Virginia, Fayetteville State University, Washington & Lee, Wake County Public Schools), water/wastewater utilities (Stowe RWRRF, Yadkin River Water Supply), transportation (NCDOT I-95 widening, Long Bridge Expansion), and cultural/governmental projects (National Desert Storm Memorial, City of Fayetteville). Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, heavily reliant on long-tenured client relationships, repeat business, and integration into design-build consortia with engineering primes such as Hazen & Sawyer and construction firms such as Garney and Crowder. Marketing supplements this with technical thought-leadership content (the "Speaking in Code," "Practice Good Industrial Hygiene," and "Digging Deeper" series) and participation in ACEC and AASHTO industry forums.

Name

Froehling & Robertson, Inc.

Legal name

Froehling & Robertson, Inc.

Website

https://fandr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Froehling & Robertson is a privately held, third-generation minority-owned civil engineering consulting firm founded in 1881 and headquartered in Richmond, VA. It provides integrated geotechnical, environmental, drilling, construction materials testing, and geostructural monitoring services to infrastructure, institutional, and government clients across the Mid-Atlantic via 11 branch offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Geotechnical engineering services
• Construction materials testing
• Environmental site assessment
• Special inspections engineering
• Subsurface drilling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Engineering Services: Professional consulting services including subsurface investigations, foundation design recommendations, geotechnical engineering analysis, and geostructural monitoring for construction and infrastructure projects.
2. Environmental Consulting Services: Environmental assessment, risk management, and regulatory compliance consulting including Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, industrial hygiene services, and wetland delineations.
3. Construction Materials Testing & Special Inspections: Testing and inspection services to verify construction materials meet design requirements and building codes. Services include soils testing, concrete testing, structural steel inspection, and special inspections per IBC Chapter 17 requirements.
4. Drilling Services: In-house drilling operations including standard penetration testing, in-situ testing, over-water barge drilling, groundwater monitoring well installation, and instrumentation services.
5. Specialty Services: Nondestructive testing (MT, PT, RT, UT), welding inspections, forensic analysis, expert witness litigation support, metals laboratory testing, and employee/staff training and certification programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Froehling & Robertson (F&R) provides integrated civil engineering consulting services spanning geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, construction materials testing and special inspections, drilling, and geostructural monitoring for construction and infrastructure projects. The firm serves commercial developers, government agencies, and institutional clients through 11 branch offices across the Mid-Atlantic, delivering the full project lifecycle from subsurface investigation through construction quality assurance.

Product overview

Froehling & Robertson (F&R) is an independent consulting engineering firm offering a unified portfolio of geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, and construction materials testing services. The company's six core service lines—Environmental Consulting, Geotechnical Engineering, Construction Materials Testing & Special Inspections, Drilling Services, Geostructural Monitoring, and Specialty Services—function as an integrated suite designed to support the full project lifecycle from subsurface investigation through construction quality assurance. F&R's in-house capabilities include drilling operations, accredited materials laboratories (AASHTO accredited), and multidisciplinary teams of engineers, geologists, industrial hygienists, and technicians. The firm is the oldest independent testing/engineering firm in the U.S., established in 1881, and serves the Mid-Atlantic region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• 15-fold cost savings for client through targeted subsurface investigation approach at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital project in complex karst geology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hazen & SawyercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHazen & Sawyer led the design of the Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility. F&R worked with Hazen & Sawyer to develop the geotechnical design for this 79-acre wastewater treatment facility. F&R served as Geotechnical Engineer-of-Record in coordination with the Hazen team.
• Crowder-Hazen (Design-Build Team)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrowder-Hazen was the design-build team leading the Stowe Regional Water Resource Recovery Facility project. F&R provided geotechnical engineering and CMT/SI services as part of the design-build team.
• Garney-HazencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign-build partnership with Garney-Hazen team for the Yadkin River Water Supply project. F&R provided subsurface investigation, geotechnical engineering consulting, and over-water drilling services for the Norwood Pump Station and Raw Water Intake project.
• Fleming and Associates (F&A)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFleming and Associates provided steel and reinforcing steel inspections for the Fayetteville State University Bronco Pride Residential Hall project. F&R worked closely with the F&A team for the CMT and special inspections scope.
• Virginia Chamber of Commerce VA250 CampaignminorOthersF&R is a proud supporter of the VA Chamber of Commerce's VA250 campaign celebrating Virginia's 250th anniversary.
• VA SWaM Certified Business NetworkminorOthersAs a Virginia-certified SWaM (Minority-Owned) Business, F&R participates in the minority business ecosystem and seeks opportunities to support fellow WBE/MBE/DBE-certified industry peers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NV5 Global, Inc. NV5 is a publicly-traded engineering and consulting firm with strong geospatial, environmental, and infrastructure practices. Competes with F&R on infrastructure, environmental, and geotechnical engagements and has been an aggressive acquirer in this space.
• Arcadis North America: Arcadis is a global design and consultancy firm offering environmental, geotechnical, and water infrastructure advisory services. Competes with F&R on environmental and infrastructure projects, especially in water/wastewater.
• WSP USA (including Golder): WSP is a major global engineering consultancy that acquired Golder, providing geotechnical, environmental, and construction services. Larger and more diversified than F&R but actively competes in subsurface/geoengineering work in the Mid-Atlantic.

Direct peers

• Kleinfelder: Kleinfelder is an engineering, scientific, and construction management firm offering geotechnical, environmental, and materials testing services nationally. Overlaps with F&R on geotechnical, CMT, and special inspection work.
• Professional Service Industries (PSI) / Intertek: PSI (now Intertek PSI) provides geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, and environmental consulting nationwide. Direct competitor on F&R's core CMT/SI and geotechnical engineering lines.
• S&ME, Inc. S&ME is a private civil/environmental/geotechnical engineering firm with strong Mid-Atlantic and Southeast presence, providing materials testing, geotechnical, and environmental services. Closest peer in scale and geography to F&R.
• Terracon Consultants, Inc. Terracon is the largest US employee-owned geotechnical, environmental, and construction materials engineering firm offering nearly identical service lines (geotechnical, CMT/SI, drilling, environmental). Comparable in offering mix to F&R but operates nationally at much greater scale.
• ECS Group of Companies: ECS provides geotechnical, environmental, CMT, and facilities engineering services across the Eastern US. Direct competitor on the same scope of services with a comparable range of offices in Mid-Atlantic states.
• TRC Companies, Inc. TRC is a national engineering consulting firm providing geotechnical, environmental, and construction management services. Overlaps with F&R on environmental site assessment, geotechnical, and infrastructure inspection work.
• Schnabel Engineering: Schnabel is an employee-owned geotechnical, dam engineering, and tunnel/marine engineering firm with Mid-Atlantic and Southeast operations. Comparable geotechnical and subsurface capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/froehling-robertson-inc-88974684540
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/froehling-&-robertson-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/froehlingandrobertson

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Froehling & Robertson, Inc.