What Emanuelson-Podas, Inc. does

Emanuelson-Podas, Inc. (EP) is a privately held mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering consulting firm headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, founded in 1957 by the Emanuelson-Podas founding partners. The firm operates from offices in Edina, Minnesota and Brookings, South Dakota, and serves architects, general contractors, developers, building owners, and facility managers as an integrated engineering partner embedded within design and construction teams. EP delivers projects across twelve industry verticals including healthcare, education, housing, corporate, financial, fitness, retail, civic, worship, industrial, restaurants, and hospitality, with marquee engagements spanning Mall of America, Target nationwide remodels, Life Time Fitness facilities (100+ locations), University of St. Thomas, RBC Wealth Management offices, and Cummins Power Systems' headquarters, among others.

The technical platform is organized around five core engineering disciplines — mechanical (HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, building automation, ground source systems), electrical (lighting, power, alarm, low voltage/telecom), refrigeration (commercial cold storage), commissioning (BCxA Certified Commissioning Firm), and sustainable design (LEED, WELL, Minnesota B3, Green Communities) — supported by an engineer-led energy modeling group and bundled under a Building Performance Group. Engineering staff are credentialed as Professional Engineers in 49 states and seven Canadian provinces in several cases, with LEED AP, WELL AP, and RCDD accreditations concentrated in the partner group.

Revenue is generated on a project-based professional services model: fees are typically structured as a percentage of construction cost or hourly rates, with multi-year contract cadence tied to design and construction programs. Distribution is sales-led and architect-relationship-driven, primarily across the Midwest but extending to nationwide portfolios for repeat clients in fitness and retail. The firm is led by a multi-partner ownership structure (Matt Fults, John Nordstrom, Scott Vander Heiden, Troy Nystrom, Mike Webert, and additional partners) that was most recently expanded with four new partners announced in February 2024.

Name

Emanuelson-Podas, Inc.

Legal name

Emanuelson-Podas, Inc.

Website

https://epinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Emanuelson-Podas is a privately held MEP engineering consulting firm founded in 1957, headquartered in Edina, Minnesota. It serves architects, general contractors, developers, and facility owners across twelve verticals including healthcare, education, housing, retail, and fitness.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MEP Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Building Management & Facility Control Systems (BMS/BAS, Power Monitoring, EPMS) (EUAEAFAJ), Data Center MEP & Commissioning (Electrical, Mechanical, BMS, Integrated Systems Testing) (IMAFAIAH)

Keywords

• MEP engineering consulting
• Building systems design
• HVAC engineering services
• Electrical engineering design
• Building commissioning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. MEP Engineering Consulting Services: Professional engineering fees for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design services on construction projects. Services include HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, lighting design, power distribution, communications, life safety, power generation, and sustainable building systems. Revenue is project-based, typically billed as a percentage of construction cost or hourly fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Emanuelson-Podas, Inc. is a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering consulting firm that designs building systems for commercial construction projects. The firm delivers mechanical engineering (HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, building automation), electrical engineering (lighting, power, alarm, low-voltage/telecommunications), refrigeration engineering, building commissioning, energy modeling, and sustainable design services across multiple industry sectors.

Product overview

Emanuelson-Podas, Inc. is a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering consulting firm that provides expert building system design services. The company operates as a unified service organization organized around its core engineering disciplines: Mechanical Engineering Services (HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, building automation), Electrical Engineering Services (lighting, power, alarm systems, telecommunications), Refrigeration Engineering Services, Commissioning Services, Sustainable Design Services, and Energy Modeling Services. These services are delivered through specialized teams including a Building Performance Group that integrates energy modeling, commissioning, and sustainable design capabilities. Founded in 1957, the firm serves clients across multiple industry sectors including housing, education, healthcare, corporate, industrial, civic, financial, fitness, retail, worship, and hospitality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Engineering Services Provides mechanical engineering services including HVAC design, plumbing design, fire protection, building automation system design, and ground source system design for commercial buildings.
• Electrical Engineering Services Provides complete electrical engineering services including lighting design (interior/exterior, controls, photometric calculations), power distribution, alarm systems (fire alarm, intrusion, access control, CCTV), and low-voltage/telecommunications design (structured cabling, paging, A/V, distributed antenna systems).
• Refrigeration Engineering Services Provides commercial refrigeration system design for perishable food storage, grocery stores, hotels, manufacturing facilities, restaurants, medical facilities, ice rinks, and warehouses, including natural refrigerants, heat reclaim, and energy analysis.
• Commissioning Services Quality-focused process of verifying and documenting that building systems are designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to perform as intended. Led by certified commissioning professionals under the firm's BCxA Certified Commissioning Firm designation.
• Energy Modeling Services Provides intelligent, accurate modeling to analyze building energy performance, inform design decisions, and support B3 and Energy Star certifications through virtual representation of building systems, components, and usage patterns.
• Sustainable Design Services Sustainable building system design focused on reducing consumption, conserving resources, and minimizing environmental impact. Includes LEED, WELL, Minnesota B3, and Green Communities programs.
• Building Performance Group Integrated service combining energy modeling, commissioning, and sustainable design to help clients achieve project goals and optimize building performance.

Quantifiable outcome

• University of St. Thomas Tommie East achieved LEED Platinum certification
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Building Commissioning Association (BCxA)coreOthersEP is one of the few select firms to receive the Certified Commissioning Firm (CCF) designation from the Building Commissioning Association, indicating verified commissioning expertise and quality processes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Henderson Engineers: Privately-held building systems engineering firm focused on MEP, fire protection, and technology design across retail, restaurant, grocery, and fitness verticals. Closely comparable in client mix (Target, Life Time Fitness-type accounts), service offering, and project-based fee model.
• Smith Seckman Reid (SSR): Employee-owned engineering firm delivering MEP, structural, and commissioning services across healthcare, education, and commercial markets. Comparable in private ownership structure, service breadth, and commitment to commissioning.
• ME Engineers: Multi-office MEP and building systems engineering consultancy with strong practice in entertainment, sports, and commercial buildings. Comparable in service scope (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, commissioning, sustainability) and project types.
• Dunham Associates: Minneapolis-based MEP engineering consulting firm serving commercial, healthcare, and education clients. Direct peer given nearly identical geography, service mix (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, commissioning, energy modeling), and target verticals in the Upper Midwest.
• Affiliated Engineers (AEI): National MEP and building systems engineering consultancy with strong sustainability, commissioning, and energy modeling practices. Comparable in technical scope, LEED/WELL focus, and high-performance building portfolio.
• Michaud Cooley Erickson (MCE): Minneapolis-based MEP engineering firm focused on healthcare, higher education, and commercial buildings. Strong peer given overlapping geography, similar client roster, and aligned service lines including commissioning and energy modeling.

Broad incumbents

• KJWW / IMEG: Large multi-discipline engineering consultancy formed from KJWW plus subsequent roll-ups. Provides MEP and structural services nationwide; overlaps with EP on commercial MEP design but operates at materially larger scale.
• Stantec (Buildings practice): Global engineering consultancy with a substantial MEP/building services practice. Competes for the same enterprise and institutional clients; broader portfolio but overlapping MEP design and commissioning capabilities.
• Burns & McDonnell: Large employee-owned engineering firm with MEP, commissioning, and energy services across commercial, healthcare, and mission-critical facilities. Comparable on commissioning and energy but operates at significantly larger scale and broader service mix.

Regional players

• DLZ Industrial: Midwest-based multi-discipline engineering firm with MEP, civil, and structural capabilities. Comparable on geography and partial service overlap, though broader in scope than EP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@emanuelson-podas
• Facebookfacebook.com/emanuelsonpodas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/261466

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Emanuelson-Podas, Inc.