What Bono Consulting does

Bono Consulting is a civil and environmental engineering consulting firm headquartered in Park Ridge, Illinois, operating since 1997. The firm specializes in land development services including site design, grading and drainage, stormwater detention engineering, floodplain development, permitting, topographic surveying, and construction oversight. Following its September 2022 acquisition by Sevee & Maher Engineers (SME), a multi-disciplinary firm headquartered in Cumberland, Maine, Bono's service portfolio has expanded to include power and utility engineering (solar arrays, wind farms, BESS, substations, transmission and distribution), water resources, site investigation and remediation, Phase I/II environmental site assessments, and environmental health and safety management.

The firm serves a heterogeneous client base across the public and private sectors — land developers, residential homeowners and builders, industrial and logistics companies, municipal and government entities, educational institutions, restaurants, retail operators, healthcare facilities, and developers of energy infrastructure. Engineering deliverables are produced by a multidisciplinary team of 130+ professionals (engineers, geologists, hydrogeologists, chemists, scientists, surveyors, industrial hygienists, and technicians) and delivered through project-based consulting engagements, with the firm emphasizing early identification of site construction challenges before property acquisition and streamlined permitting through established relationships with Illinois DOT, MWRD, IEPA, DNR, and other regulatory agencies.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees tied to project scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing or subscription model. Bono/SME is licensed for Professional Engineers in 36+ states and Professional Geologists in 8 states, and has completed over 9,600 projects since inception, including site plans for 3,500+ single-family homes. The firm now operates under the SME brand while retaining the Bono identity in the Midwest market.

Name

Bono Consulting

Legal name

Bono Consulting, Inc.

Website

https://bonoconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bono Consulting is a civil and environmental engineering consulting firm serving public and private clients across the United States with site design, stormwater management, floodplain engineering, permitting, surveying, and construction oversight services from offices in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD), Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB), EHS Management Systems & ISO Consulting (ISO 14001/45001) (BPAHAJAF)

Keywords

• Civil engineering consulting
• Land development services
• Stormwater management engineering
• Environmental site assessments
• Site permitting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Park Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Civil Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering services for land development projects including site design, permitting, construction oversight, surveying, and environmental assessments. Revenue generated through project-based consulting fees for private and public clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bono Consulting provides civil and environmental engineering consulting services for land development projects, including site design, grading and drainage, stormwater detention, surveying, permitting (MWRD, IDOT, EPA, DNR), floodplain development, construction oversight, environmental site assessments, site investigation and remediation, water resources, and power and utility engineering. The firm serves private developers, industrial clients, residential builders, and municipalities, primarily across the Midwest and broader United States.

Product overview

Bono Consulting (operating as Sevee & Maher Engineers or SME) is a civil and environmental engineering consulting firm that offers a broad portfolio of multidisciplinary services. The company's service offerings are organized as distinct, standalone engineering consulting service lines rather than a unified software product or platform. Core services include Civil & Site Engineering, Development in Floodplain, Grading & Drainage, Storm Water Detention Engineering, Construction Oversight, and Permitting (MWRD and IDOT). These are complemented by specialized services including Surveying, Power and Utility Engineering Services, Water Resources, Site Investigation & Remediation, Environmental Site Assessments (Phase I and Phase II), Environmental Health and Safety Management, and Community and Utility Solar Arrays. The firm primarily serves commercial, industrial, residential, and municipal clients across the United States, with deep expertise in the Chicago and Midwest markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil & Site Engineering

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed over 9,600 projects since 1997
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sevee & Maher Engineers (SME)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022In 2022, following a strategic partnership, Bono Consulting, Inc. was acquired by SME, a multi-disciplinary firm operating nationwide headquartered in Cumberland, Maine. The acquisition extended the depth and range of services Bono Consulting can offer clients in the greater Chicago area and other regions of the country. SME provides civil engineering, site investigation and remediation, water resource development, Brownfields redevelopment support, power and utility services, and other engineering and environmental consulting services.

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wight & Company: Illinois-based design and engineering firm offering civil/site engineering alongside architecture and structural services. Comparable Midwest footprint and overlapping client base in residential, education, and commercial development.
• Teska Associates: Civil engineering and land development firm headquartered in the Chicago suburbs serving developers, municipalities, and property owners. Closely comparable in service mix (site design, stormwater, permitting) and regional focus to Bono Consulting.
• Halff Associates: Employee-owned civil/environmental engineering and surveying firm serving public and private clients across the southern and central U.S. Comparable mix of land development, water resources, and environmental services.
• Civil & Environmental Consultants (CEC): Multi-disciplinary civil and environmental engineering firm providing site development, geotechnical, environmental, and surveying services. Highly comparable operating model to Bono/SME across the U.S.
• Christopher B. Burke Engineering: Large Illinois-based civil engineering firm providing site development, stormwater, transportation, and permitting services across the Chicago metro. Direct competitor to Bono/SME on land development and municipal infrastructure projects in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm specializing in water, environment, and sustainable infrastructure. Overlaps significantly with Bono/SME in water resources, environmental site assessment, and remediation work.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with major practices in water, environment, transportation, and power. Represents the largest competitive threat for multi-disciplinary engineering and environmental work.
• Kimley-Horn: Top U.S. private consulting engineering firm with deep practice in land development, transportation, and environmental services. Competes for the same developer and municipal clients with a much larger national footprint.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm. Competes on site development, municipal infrastructure, water, and environmental projects across North America.

Regional players

• Baxter & Woodman: Illinois-based civil engineering and consulting firm serving municipalities, developers, and water/wastewater clients. Closely comparable Midwest regional civil engineering focus to Bono Consulting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bono-consulting-inc.-civil-engineers

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 Bono Consulting