PennTerra Engineering

What PennTerra Engineering does

PennTerra Engineering, Inc. is a privately held, 100% employee-owned civil engineering firm headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania, founded in 1976 and operating a second office in Lancaster under the name PennTerra Engineering of Lancaster. The firm provides full-service land development support to commercial and residential developers, healthcare systems, industrial operators, municipalities, and individual property owners across Central Pennsylvania. Its service portfolio is integrated across six disciplines — land planning, land surveying, site engineering, environmental permitting, construction services, and design-build — allowing the firm to carry projects from initial feasibility and zoning analysis through surveying, engineering design, regulatory approvals, and construction-phase administration. Underlying technology is conventional for the sector: GPS-based surveying, modern drafting/CAD systems, and computer-aided design combined with practical land development expertise; the firm does not disclose proprietary software, AI/ML tooling, or patents.

The firm's revenue model is project-based professional services fees, with each engagement quoted on its own scope, complexity, and regulatory requirements; no standardized pricing tiers or recurring subscription revenue are offered. Go-to-market is direct, relationship-driven sales supplemented by referrals, community involvement (CBICC, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and 40+ local organizations), and a website/portfolio channel. Notable clients include Penn State University, Sheetz, Wawa, Mount Nittany Health, The Home Depot, Hilton (Tru by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn), Highland Holding Group, Cleveland Brothers, First Quality Baby Products, Fulton Bank, and the Pennsylvania State Police. The firm has 40+ employee-owners and is led by President John Sepp, P.E., who received the 2025 Business Leader of the Year award from the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County. The business is incorporated in Pennsylvania, has no parent company or external institutional investor, and has not disclosed revenue.

Name

PennTerra Engineering

Legal name

PennTerra Engineering, Inc.

Website

https://pennterra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PennTerra Engineering is a 100% employee-owned civil engineering firm in State College, Pennsylvania, providing integrated land planning, surveying, site engineering, environmental permitting, and design-build services to commercial, residential, healthcare, industrial, and government clients across Central Pennsylvania since 1976.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Civil Engineering Services: Professional engineering services for land development including site engineering, land planning, environmental permitting, and construction services. Revenue generated through project-based fees for planning, design, permitting, and construction phase services.
2. Land Surveying Services: Surveying services including boundary surveys, topographic surveys, construction stakeout, ALTA surveys, and utility surveys. Billed on a per-project basis.
3. Environmental Permitting Services: NPDES permitting, erosion control, stormwater management certifications, and environmental compliance services. Project-based professional service fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PennTerra Engineering is a full-service civil engineering firm that delivers integrated land development services including land planning, land surveying, site engineering, environmental permitting, construction support, and design-build delivery. The firm combines modern surveying and CAD technology with decades of local land development experience to provide practical, constructible, and value-engineered site plans for commercial, residential, healthcare, industrial, and public-sector projects in Central Pennsylvania.

Product overview

PennTerra Engineering is a 100% employee-owned civil engineering firm offering a unified portfolio of land development services. The company provides six integrated core services: Land Planning (early-stage feasibility and zoning analysis), Land Surveying (field measurement and boundary determination), Site Engineering (design and construction documentation), Environmental Permitting (regulatory compliance and agency coordination), Construction Services (bidding, inspection, and project support), and Design-Build (collaborative project delivery). These services are designed to work together, guiding projects from initial concept through permitting and construction completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Planning Early-stage land development planning services for developers, property owners, and municipalities, including land development plans, master plans, concept plans, feasibility studies, re-zoning, regulation research, traffic study coordination, and planned residential development (PRD). Helps clients evaluate site potential, zoning limitations, and approval pathways.
• Land Surveying Professional land surveying services for developers, property owners, lenders, and contractors, including perimeter surveys, topographic surveys, construction stake-out, property corner placement, site and utility as-built surveys, aerial mapping, GPS surveys, ALTA surveys, mortgage surveys, floodplain services, and subsurface utility engineering (SUE).
• Site Engineering Engineering design services for developers and property owners covering grading/earthwork, utility design, stormwater management, soil erosion and sedimentation control, parking lot design, floodplain analysis, subdivision plans, land development plans, construction cost estimates, project bidding assistance, specification preparation, contract administration, construction record drawings, and construction review.
• Environmental Permitting Environmental permit acquisition and compliance services for developers, contractors, and property owners, including NPDES permitting (Chapter 102 and Chapter 105), NPDES Notice of Termination (NOT), Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) certifications, E&S control plans, post-construction stormwater management (PCSM) plans, managed release concept design, underground stormwater system design, stormwater conveyance design, permit renewals, visual site inspections, and annual reports.
• Construction Services Construction phase support services for developers, contractors, and owners, including bidding and specification support, RFI responses, contractor submittal reviews, utility coordination, NPDES inspections and certifications, pre-construction meetings, surety and agency coordination, final occupancy support, and as-built surveys.
• Design-Build Collaborative project delivery approach combining planning, engineering, and construction from project inception for developers, contractors, architects, municipalities, and stakeholders. Delivered as one coordinated team to reduce delays, improve communication, and control costs through construction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 years in business since 1976, employee-owned since 2016
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments7 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• ISNetworldcoreTechnology or IntegrationPennTerra Engineering is ISNetworld compliant and RAVS Plus Participant, qualified to support utility and industrial clients that require elevated safety, insurance, and contractor compliance standards.
• Penn State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing relationship supporting Penn State University development projects including student housing, spiritual center, and athletic facilities. PennTerra understands the unique demands of Penn State-connected developments.
• Centre County Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPennTerra coordinates with county conservation districts for NPDES permitting, stormwater management, and environmental compliance on land development projects throughout Centre County.
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates with Pennsylvania DEP to obtain environmental permits including NPDES permits, erosion and sedimentation control approvals, and stormwater certifications.
• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates with PennDOT for road occupancy permits, traffic impact studies, and transportation-related approvals on land development projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kleinfelder: Kleinfelder is a national engineering, environmental, and construction services firm — competes for surveying, site/civil, and environmental permitting work, particularly on larger industrial and regulated projects.
• Benesch: Alfred Benesch & Company is a multi-discipline infrastructure engineering firm with civil/site, transportation, and environmental practices — competes for similar land development and public-sector engineering work.
• Whitman, Requardt & Associates (WRA): WRA is a Mid-Atlantic engineering, architectural, and planning firm with civil/site, surveying, environmental, and construction services — comparable in core offerings but substantially larger and multi-state.
• KCI Technologies: KCI is a larger Mid-Atlantic engineering and consulting firm spanning civil/site, environmental, transportation, and utilities — overlaps PennTerra on land development and surveying but operates across many more geographies and disciplines.

Direct peers

• RETTEW Associates: RETTEW is a Pennsylvania-headquartered, 100% employee-owned full-service engineering firm offering land development, surveying, environmental, and construction services — directly comparable to PennTerra on ownership structure, service mix, and PA geography.
• Barton & Loguidice: Barton & Loguidice is an employee-owned (ESOP) Mid-Atlantic engineering and planning firm covering site/civil, surveying, environmental, and municipal services — directly comparable in service mix, ESOP structure, and regional scope.
• Dawood Engineering: Dawood Engineering is a Pennsylvania-headquartered multi-discipline firm delivering civil/site engineering, surveying, environmental, and planning services — comparable service mix and PA regional focus.
• Keller Engineers: Keller Engineers is a Hollidaysburg, PA-based civil engineering firm with land development, surveying, and municipal services — comparable mid-size PA peer serving adjacent central PA counties.
• Erdman Anthony: Erdman Anthony is a Mid-Atlantic civil engineering firm with core services in land development, surveying, transportation, and environmental services — comparable in scope and delivery model to PennTerra.
• Herbert, Rowland & Grubic (HRG): HRG is a Central Pennsylvania civil engineering and consulting firm providing land development, municipal, environmental, and surveying services — closely overlapping PennTerra's service portfolio and serving the same central PA market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfSkTepXphwDwTl9n1QEUzA
• Facebookfacebook.com/PennTerra
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennterraengineering
• Instagraminstagram.com/pennterraengineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 PennTerra Engineering