What Mattern & Craig does

Mattern & Craig is a private, employee-owned civil and structural engineering and surveying firm headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, founded in February 1978 by J. Wayne Craig and Edwin Mattern. The firm delivers eight integrated service lines — Survey & Mapping, Transportation & Traffic, Water & Wastewater, Structural & Bridge, Construction Engineering Inspection, Streetscapes & Wayfinding, Environmental Services, and Site Planning & Design — to public, private, and governmental clients across Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina through six office locations (Roanoke, Kingsport, Johnson City, Asheville, Hickory, Charleston). Operations rely on standard CAD/GIS tooling (Civil 3D, Carlson Survey) and the firm's primary technical differentiators are domain specialization in infrastructure design (pedestrian bridges, retaining walls, industrial site development) rather than proprietary technology.

The firm generates revenue exclusively through project-based professional services, billed via competitive bids, multi-year on-call state DOT contracts (notably a 5-year TDOT Local Programs contract), and direct municipal and private-sector engagements. Its customer base is anchored by state Departments of Transportation (TDOT, VDOT, NCDOT, SCDOT) and a long list of municipal clients, supplemented by industrial enterprises such as Eastman Chemical and New Belgium Brewing, educational institutions including King University, and federal work for the National Forest Service. The firm employs 65+ professional engineers, surveyors, inspectors, and administrative staff and operates under a multi-state PE and PLS licensure footprint (VA, TN, NC, SC, GA, AL, NY, ND, WI, MO) with staff holding specialized certifications (PTOE, RSP, CCM, AWAM).

Leadership transitioned in January 2022 when Brad Craig assumed the presidency following Steve Campbell's retirement, and recent activity includes new environmental staff hires (March 2025), MASC prequalification in South Carolina, and expansion of the Federal Sector Practice. No external capital, M&A, or funding rounds are disclosed; the firm is independently owned by its employee-owners.

Name

Mattern & Craig

Legal name

Mattern & Craig, Inc.

Website

https://matternandcraig.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mattern & Craig is an employee-owned civil and structural engineering and surveying firm founded in 1978, serving government, municipal, industrial, and institutional clients across Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina through six offices and eight integrated service lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Roanoke

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Survey Professional Services: Project-based professional services billing for civil engineering, structural engineering, surveying, construction engineering inspection, and environmental services. Revenue generated through competitive bids, on-call state DOT contracts, and direct municipal engagements. Typical contract structures include multi-year on-call arrangements (e.g., 5-year TDOT Local Programs contracts) and individual project awards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mattern & Craig is a civil and structural engineering and surveying firm providing comprehensive infrastructure services to public and private sector clients across Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Its offerings span eight core service lines: Survey & Mapping, Transportation & Traffic, Water & Wastewater, Structural & Bridge, Construction Engineering Inspection, Streetscapes & Wayfinding, Environmental Services, and Site Planning & Design. The firm delivers these services through direct contracts, competitive bids, and multi-year on-call state DOT agreements.

Product overview

Mattern & Craig is a civil and structural engineering and surveying firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of infrastructure services. The firm operates as a single integrated practice organized around eight core service lines: Survey & Mapping, Transportation & Traffic, Water & Wastewater, Structural & Bridge, Construction Engineering Inspection, Streetscapes & Wayfinding, Environmental Services, and Site Planning & Design. These services work together to deliver complete infrastructure solutions for public and private sector clients throughout Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Survey & Mapping
• Transportation & Traffic
• Water & Wastewater
• Structural & Bridge
• Construction Engineering Inspection
• Streetscapes & Wayfinding
• Environmental Services
• Site Planning & Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured $646,000 funding package for Town of St. Paul water system upgrades ($510,000 loan + $136,000 grant)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CainRashWest ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitectural partnership on pedestrian bridge projects. Teamed for the Wilcox Drive Pedestrian Bridge at Eastman Office Complex in Kingsport, TN, where CainRashWest provided the glass curtain wall and other architectural tasks while Mattern & Craig handled civil/structural engineering. Also collaborated on the Wasena Bridge Replacement in Roanoke, VA.
• Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)coreOthersMulti-year on-call engineering services contracts (5-year) for cities and counties through TDOT Local Programs Development Office. Also holds contracts for Local Roads Safety Initiative (4-year) and Construction Engineering Inspection (2-year) for Region 1. Active since at least 2015.
• Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)coreOthersLong-standing partnership for transportation engineering projects in Virginia, including the Main Street (Wasena) Bridge Replacement in Roanoke, bridge inspections, and VDOT Local Programs Workshop sponsorship.
• North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)coreOthersPartner for transportation, bridge, and road improvement projects throughout North Carolina including Brevard Road and Idlewild Road Improvements, DuPont State Recreational Forest bridge, and joint ACEC/NCDOT Transportation Conference.
• New Belgium Brewing CompanycoreOthersEngineering services for the East Coast Brewery project including brewery site development along French Broad River, distribution center in Enka-Candler, and Craven Street Improvements. Project won ENR Southeast 2016 Best Project in Manufacturing.
• Adolfson & Peterson ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral contractor on the New Belgium East Coast Brewery project in Asheville, NC. Mattern & Craig provided civil engineering and surveying services as part of the project team.
• Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC)minorOthersMASC recognized Mattern & Craig as a prequalified firm to provide engineering services for water and sewer system improvement projects in South Carolina.
• Norfolk SouthernminorOthersWorking with Norfolk Southern to provide rail service to the ~100-acre Phipps Bend Industrial Park Lot 17 development site in Hawkins County, TN.
• Phipps Bend Joint Venture and Hawkins County Industrial Development BoardminorOthersClient for Lot 17 development at Phipps Bend Industrial Park. M&C developed a 3-step site leveling process for the ~100-acre industrial development site.
• King UniversityminorOthersClient for approximately 12-acre track and field complex site development in Bristol, TN. M&C provided topographic and utility surveys, mass grading plans, site design, and stormwater management.
• National Forest Service Southern RegionminorOthersProvider of bridge inspection services for National Forest Service Southern Region properties.
• Summers-Taylor, Inc.minorOthersGeneral contractor awarded the $8,918,827 construction contract for the Wilcox Drive Pedestrian Bridge in Kingsport, TN. TDOT awarded the contract to Summers-Taylor.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HDR Inc. Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with deep transportation, water, and federal-sector practices. Competes with Mattern & Craig for state DOT work and represents the larger-scale end of the same competitive set.
• WSP USA: Global professional services firm with one of the largest US transportation and infrastructure practices, competing for major state DOT program management and design contracts across the same Southeast geographies.
• TRC Companies: National engineering and consulting firm with environmental, infrastructure, and energy practices that overlap with Mattern & Craig's environmental services and transportation/CEI offerings.
• Michael Baker International: National engineering, consulting, and construction management firm with significant transportation, bridge, water, and federal practice. Competes for DOT on-call and bridge inspection contracts in the Southeast US.
• Stantec: Global design and engineering consultancy with substantial water, transportation, and environmental practices serving state DOTs and municipalities across the Southeast — overlapping with Mattern & Craig's core service lines at a larger scale.

Direct peers

• Kimley-Horn: One of the largest privately held (employee-owned) civil engineering consulting firms in the US, offering transportation, water, land development, and environmental services to state DOTs and municipalities. Direct comparable on service breadth, employee-ownership model, and public-sector orientation.
• Draper Aden Associates: Virginia-headquartered civil engineering, surveying, and environmental firm with comparable service lines (site design, water/wastewater, transportation, survey) and similar public-sector concentration in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic.
• Whitman Requardt & Associates: Mid-Atlantic civil/structural engineering firm with similar multi-state DOT, water/wastewater, and bridge practice. Comparable in headcount scale, geographic concentration, and government-client mix to Mattern & Craig.
• Clark Nexsen: Southeastern-based architecture, engineering, and planning firm with strong transportation, structural, and water practices. Competes directly with Mattern & Craig for Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina state DOT and municipal work.

Regional players

• Waggoner Engineering: Southeastern civil engineering and surveying firm operating across Mississippi, Tennessee, and surrounding states with comparable transportation, water, and site development practices. Overlaps with Mattern & Craig's Tennessee geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Mattern & Craig