What Dickerson Engineering does

Dickerson Engineering, Inc. (DEI) is a privately held professional electrical engineering design firm founded in 1969 by Joe Dickerson and headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The firm provides complete electrical design services from conceptual/schematic design through construction administration, including detailed working drawings, written specifications, coordination meetings, bid review assistance, shop drawing review, site observation, and commissioning support. Its service portfolio spans design documents, commissioning, energy code compliance (with LEED-accredited and Chicago Registered Energy Professionals on staff), lighting calculations, energy conservation studies, short-circuit analysis and coordination studies, data wiring systems, UPS systems, and visual code-compliance reviews; it also offers a Mechanical Work Package through partner mechanical associates for integrated MEP/FP delivery.

DEI's client base is concentrated in healthcare facilities (Advocate Aurora Health, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Rush University Medical Center, NorthShore University HealthSystem, University of Chicago Hospitals, Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Lutheran General Hospital), educational institutions (Northwestern University, Columbia College, Loyola University), financial services (HSBC, Capital One, Alliant Credit Union), hospitality (Hyatt Hotels), retail (Macy's), and transportation (United Airlines). The firm reports over 50 clients in the greater Chicagoland area, with many relationships exceeding 25 years, supported by direct project engagement rather than channel partners.

Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-specific professional services engagements, with the firm operating on a direct enterprise field sales motion via referrals and long-term relationships with architects, general contractors, and facility owners. DEI's 2025 leadership refresh — Rick Sabatello as President, Stephen Barnard and Gregory Doffin as Vice Presidents, and Bill Herzke as Principal — and the rollout of the DEI Portal client platform indicate a modernizing, multi-generation ownership transition rather than a pivot in business model. The firm has expanded its project footprint beyond Illinois into Florida, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Connecticut, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado, Arizona, and the Bahama Islands, all delivered from its single Arlington Heights office.

Name

Dickerson Engineering

Legal name

Dickerson Engineering, Inc.

Website

https://dei-pe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dickerson Engineering is a privately held professional electrical engineering design firm founded in 1969 and based in Arlington Heights, Illinois, providing complete electrical design services from schematic design through construction administration to healthcare, educational, commercial, and municipal clients primarily in the Chicagoland area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electrical Engineering Design Services: Project-based professional services providing complete electrical design services from conceptual design through construction administration, including detailed working drawings, written specifications, coordination meetings, bid review assistance, shop drawing review, and site observation with written reports.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Dickerson Engineering, Inc. (DEI) provides professional electrical engineering design services for buildings and facilities, covering the full project lifecycle from schematic design through construction administration. The firm delivers detailed working drawings, written specifications, lighting and short-circuit calculations, energy code compliance, commissioning, data wiring, and UPS system design for healthcare, commercial, educational, municipal, and data center projects, primarily in the greater Chicagoland area.

Product overview

Dickerson Engineering, Inc. (DEI) is a Professional Electrical Engineering firm providing comprehensive electrical design services from conceptual design through construction administration. The company offers a unified portfolio of electrical engineering services including Design Documents, Commissioning, Energy Code Compliance, Lighting Calculations, Energy Conservation Studies, Short-Circuit Analysis, Data Wiring Systems, and UPS Systems design. DEI also provides access to a client portal (DEI Portal) for project management and file transfers. Services are delivered by licensed engineers, electrical engineers, and LEED accredited professionals, with an emphasis on healthcare, data processing centers, and commercial facilities. The firm was founded in 1969 by Joe Dickerson and maintains operations in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEI Portal: Electrical infrastructure portal for clients including hospital groups like Advocate Aurora Health, NorthShore, and Loyola Medicine.

Products and services

• Electrical Design Documents Complete package of design services pertinent to the electrical design of each project, including detailed working drawings, electrical specifications, coordination meetings, shop drawing review, site observation with written reports, and full construction administration. Targeted at facility owners, architects, and general contractors on healthcare, commercial, educational, and municipal projects.
• Commissioning (Cx) Design review, submittal review, O&M Manual review, development of testing and commissioning processes for the project, and documentation of commissioning efforts for electrical systems and equipment. Provided to clients needing verified electrical system performance on healthcare and complex facility projects.
• Energy Code Compliance Energy code studies to verify compliance, design suggestions to bring projects within compliance, and recommendations to exceed requirements. Includes LEED and Chicago Registered Energy Professionals on staff. Targeted at building owners and design teams seeking regulatory and sustainability compliance.
• Lighting Calculations Point-to-point lighting calculations for interior and exterior lighting levels, with documentation to support energy code compliance. Used by architects, engineers, and facility owners on healthcare, commercial, educational, and municipal projects.
• Energy Conservation Studies Analysis of relevant data to design affordable and efficient energy-saving systems for industrial and commercial projects. Targeted at facility owners seeking energy efficiency improvements.
• Short-Circuit Analysis and Coordination Study Short-circuit analysis and coordination studies for entire electrical distribution systems, used to validate protection and coordination on healthcare, data center, and commercial projects.
• Data Wiring Systems Voice and data cabling system design supporting multi-product, multi-vendor environments incorporating TIA/EIA guidelines for quality, flexibility, and future adaptability. Targeted at data processing centers, healthcare, and commercial facilities.
• UPS Systems Design Selection and design of uninterruptible power systems providing regulated no-break power for computers, communication systems, and process controls. Targeted at data centers, hospitals, and facilities with critical power requirements.
• Mechanical Work Package Combined MEP/FP design team services through partnership with mechanical associates for integrated building systems design. Targeted at clients needing coordinated mechanical and electrical design.
• DEI Portal Client portal for electrical infrastructure project access, featuring hospital group-specific portals for Advocate Aurora Health, NorthShore, and Loyola Medicine. Provided to existing DEI clients for project file transfer and management.

Quantifiable outcome

• First Hospital in the Midwest to receive LEED Gold certification (Advocate Lutheran General Hospital's Bed Replacement Tower)

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Affiliated Engineers, Inc. Affiliated Engineers is a multidisciplinary MEP engineering design firm with work in healthcare, research laboratories, data centers, and higher education. It is comparable to Dickerson because both provide technical electrical and building-system design, along with construction-administration expertise, to complex facility owners and design teams.
• M/E Engineering, P.C. M/E Engineering provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire-protection engineering for building projects, including healthcare, education, and institutional facilities. It is comparable to Dickerson because both sell professional electrical and building-system design through project-based engagements.
• Salas O'Brien: Salas O'Brien is a multidisciplinary engineering firm with building-systems, electrical, mission-critical, and energy-services capabilities. It is comparable to Dickerson's professional electrical engineering design and project delivery for complex facilities, although it operates at a much larger scale.
• CMTA, Inc. CMTA is an engineering consultancy focused on high-performance building systems, energy, electrical infrastructure, and data-center and healthcare projects. It is comparable to Dickerson's specialized electrical design, energy-code, and mission-critical facility work.
• Environmental Systems Design, Inc. Environmental Systems Design provides MEP, technology, commissioning, and mission-critical infrastructure engineering, with healthcare, laboratory, and data-center exposure. It is comparable to Dickerson's electrical design, UPS, data-wiring, commissioning, and complex-facility focus.

Broad incumbents

• Burns & McDonnell: Burns & McDonnell provides engineering, architecture, and construction services with facilities, healthcare, laboratory, power, and electrical-design capabilities. It is comparable to Dickerson's complex building electrical design and construction-administration role, but has a much broader national and multidisciplinary offering.
• Farnsworth Group: Farnsworth Group provides engineering, architecture, and consulting services, including building systems, healthcare, education, and institutional work. It is comparable to Dickerson's project-based electrical design and construction support, but offers a broader multidisciplinary portfolio.
• HDR: HDR is a global architecture, engineering, and consulting firm serving healthcare, science, data-center, education, and infrastructure clients. It is comparable to Dickerson's complex-facility electrical design and enterprise customer base, while being much larger and more diversified.
• EXP: EXP is a global engineering, architecture, and design consultancy with building-systems and facilities capabilities. It overlaps with Dickerson's electrical design and construction-administration work, but at a substantially broader scale and service scope.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global design and engineering firm serving buildings, healthcare, education, municipal, and infrastructure clients. It is comparable to Dickerson's vertical, project-based electrical engineering and construction-support work, but operates at a much larger and more diversified scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

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 Dickerson Engineering