What DTM Drafting & Consulting Services does

DTM Drafting & Consulting Services, Inc. (also operating as "Vertical Systems Consultants") is a family-owned, privately held vertical transportation consulting firm founded in 1982 by Joseph C. Montesano after a 33-year career at Westinghouse Elevator Company. Headquartered at 120 Broadway in Manhattan's historic Equitable Building, with a general office in College Point, New York, the firm provides independent engineering and consulting services for elevators, escalators, moving walkways, wheelchair lifts, and conveyors. It serves building owners, property managers, architects, and real estate developers across all five boroughs of New York City, with project scale ranging from single-elevator buildings to trophy properties such as 4 World Trade Center, 601 Lexington, Silver Towers, and new-construction towers including SoHo Tower (565 Broome Street) and Tower 28 in Long Island City.

The company's core technical offering centers on NYC Department of Buildings code compliance and ASME A17.1 standards. Services include NYC DOB licensed and CEI/CEIS/QEI-certified inspections (Category 1, Category 5, and Periodic witnessing), project management and specifications, computer-simulated traffic analysis for conventional and destination-dispatch systems, new-construction design, and third-party test witnessing. A significant portion of current activity is oriented around driving urgent code-compliance upgrades ahead of NYC deadlines, including single brake plunger modifications (January 1, 2027), escalator skirt deflectors (January 1, 2025), and door lock monitoring systems.

DTM operates a sales-led, enterprise field-sales go-to-market model. Engagements are sold directly through website proposal-request forms, a dedicated phone line, and direct outreach, with the CEO/President and Senior Vice President personally involved in client relationships. Revenue is generated on a project-based professional-services basis; pricing is quote-based, customized per building type, scope, and compliance requirement, and not publicly disclosed. The firm is now in its third generation of family leadership and markets primarily through industry authority-building—editorial coverage in Elevator World, BOMA New York events, podcast appearances, and industry associations (NAEC, ECNY).

Name

DTM Drafting & Consulting Services

Legal name

DTM Drafting & Consulting Services, Inc.

Website

https://dtminc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DTM Drafting & Consulting Services is a family-owned NYC vertical transportation consulting firm providing independent elevator, escalator, and conveyor engineering, inspection, traffic analysis, and DOB code-compliance services to building owners, property managers, architects, and real estate developers across New York City.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vertical Transportation Consulting Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Traffic Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Vertical transportation consulting
• Elevator consulting services
• Escalator code compliance
• Traffic analysis consulting
• Building modernization advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services including inspections, evaluations, modernization consulting, and new installation design for vertical transportation systems. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements with building owners, architects, and property managers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DTM Drafting & Consulting Services is a vertical transportation consulting firm that provides inspection, evaluation, project management, traffic analysis, third-party test witnessing, and code compliance services for elevators, escalators, walkways, wheelchair lifts, and conveyors. The firm serves as an independent consultant bridging building owners and architects with elevator manufacturers, specializing in NYC Department of Buildings code compliance and ASME A17.1 standards.

Product overview

DTM Drafting & Consulting Services is a vertical transportation consulting firm offering a unified suite of services for elevators, escalators, walkways, wheelchair lifts, and conveyors. The core offering encompasses consulting services including inspections (NYC DOB licensed, CEI/CEIS certified), project management and specifications, traffic analysis using computer simulation, new construction design, and third-party test witnessing. The company also provides specialized compliance consulting for urgent code upgrades including Single Brake Plunger modifications (deadline January 1, 2027) and Escalator Skirt Deflector installations (deadline January 1, 2025). Services span the full lifecycle from design and installation to modernization, maintenance evaluations, and expert witness assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vertical Transportation Consulting Services
• Inspections
• Project Management and Specifications
• Traffic Analysis
• New Construction Design
• Single Brake Plunger Compliance Consulting
• Escalator Skirt Deflector Compliance Consulting
• Third-Party Test Witnessing
• Door Lock Monitoring (DLM) Compliance Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years in business with third generation of family leadership ensuring continuity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Thyssen Krupp ElevatorminorOthersManufacturer of elevators installed at SoHo Tower project (565 Broome Street). DTM provided vertical transportation consulting for the 30-story luxury condominium project. Relationship: DTM specifies and oversees elevator installations by manufacturers as part of consulting services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Arup is a global engineering design firm with a recognized vertical transportation group; it competes for major new-construction elevator consulting mandates on trophy properties and large mixed-use developments, the same segment DTM serves.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering consultancy whose buildings practice includes vertical transportation consulting, traffic analysis, and modernization oversight for commercial and institutional property owners in major U.S. metros.
• Syska Hennessy Group: Syska Hennessy is a major MEP and vertical transportation engineering consultancy serving commercial, healthcare, and institutional buildings; it competes with DTM on elevator consulting scopes embedded in larger multi-disciplinary building services engagements.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global engineering consultancy providing vertical transportation design, traffic analysis, and program management within its broader buildings practice, overlapping with DTM on large institutional and commercial new-construction mandates.
• WSP: WSP is a global engineering consultancy with a vertical transportation practice serving high-rise developers and property owners, overlapping with DTM on new construction design, traffic analysis, and modernization consulting.

Direct peers

• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger: SGH is an engineering consultancy with strong vertical transportation and building enclosure practices; it provides elevator consulting, structural assessments, and failure analysis comparable to DTM's modernization and shutdown/failure services.
• K2N Crest: K2N Crest is a specialist elevator and escalator consulting firm providing design, traffic analysis, and modernization services to architects and building owners, directly competing with DTM in the same niche consulting category.
• Lerch Bates: Lerch Bates is the largest dedicated elevator and vertical transportation consulting firm in North America, directly competing with DTM across design consulting, traffic analysis, modernization oversight, and code compliance for building owners and developers.

Regional players

• Meinhardt Group: Meinhardt is an international engineering consultancy with a strong vertical transportation and building services practice across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the U.K.; it is comparable to DTM in elevator consulting scope but operates primarily outside the U.S.

Emerging players

• Jensen Hughes: Jensen Hughes is a safety and code consulting firm with growing vertical transportation and building code practices, competing with DTM on code compliance, third-party witnessing, and risk-based consulting for building owners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/dtmelevatorexperts

Compliance18 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 DTM Drafting & Consulting Services