Hickman-Ambrose

What Hickman-Ambrose does

Hickman-Ambrose Inc. is a privately held MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) consulting engineering firm founded in 1988 by Ted O. Ambrose, Jr. and Scott E. Hickman, both graduates of Old Dominion University. The firm is headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia (816 Greenbrier Circle, Ste 140) and provides specialized design and re-design services for construction projects across five integrated engineering disciplines: HVAC engineering, power distribution, lighting design, plumbing and fire protection, and low voltage special systems (telecom, security, nurse call, and related structured cabling). Construction documentation is delivered in both AutoCAD and Revit formats, and the firm performs load calculations, energy model analysis, feasibility studies, forensic studies, testing and balancing, building commissioning, and construction cost estimating.

The firm's client base is concentrated in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and North Carolina and spans five primary verticals: K-12 educational facilities (the primary segment), higher education institutions, municipal governments, commercial and industrial facilities, and design-build project teams. Notable project types include new construction and renovation of schools, fire stations, multi-family residential developments, military facilities (LEED-certified), healthcare facilities, and historic renovations. Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project-based consulting basis, sold via direct enterprise engagement with architects, building owners, school districts, municipalities, and contractors, with a business development model reliant on repeat engagements, referrals, and reputation rather than formal marketing channels.

Hickman-Ambrose employs between 11 and 50 staff including Licensed Professional Engineers, LEED-certified professionals (e.g., Michael Lally, LEED AP), design technicians, and administrative personnel. Leadership is held by Scott E. Hickman, P.E. (President) and Timothy D. Jones (Vice-President/COO), following the November 2024 passing of co-founder Ted O. Ambrose, Jr. The company has no disclosed external investors, parent entities, or acquisition history, operating as an independent founder/family-owned professional services firm with no app presence, no disclosed API, and no AI/ML capabilities described in its public materials.

Name

Hickman-Ambrose

Legal name

Hickman - Ambrose Inc.

Website

https://hickmanambrose.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hickman-Ambrose Inc. is a privately held MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) consulting engineering firm founded in 1988 in Chesapeake, Virginia, providing HVAC, power distribution, lighting, plumbing, fire protection, and low voltage system design services to K-12 schools, higher education institutions, municipal governments, and commercial clients in the Hampton Roads region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MEP Engineering Design Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Building Management & Facility Control Systems (BMS/BAS, Power Monitoring, EPMS) (EUAEAFAJ)

Keywords

• MEP engineering design
• HVAC consulting services
• Electrical power distribution
• Fire protection design
• Building systems engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesapeake

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. MEP Engineering Design Services: Hickman-Ambrose generates revenue through professional engineering design services for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems. Projects include new construction and renovation work for educational institutions, municipal governments, and commercial facilities. The firm operates on a project-based consulting fee structure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Hickman-Ambrose is a MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) consulting engineering firm that provides design and re-design services for construction projects. The firm offers specialized engineering across five core disciplines: HVAC systems, power distribution, lighting, plumbing and fire protection, and low voltage special systems. They create construction documents in AutoCAD and Revit for new construction and renovation projects serving K-12 education, higher education, municipal governments, and commercial/industrial facilities.

Product overview

Hickman-Ambrose is a MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) consulting engineering firm offering specialized design and re-design services for construction projects. The company operates as a single integrated service offering with five core engineering disciplines that work together on projects: HVAC Engineering Services (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), Power Distribution Services (electrical systems and emergency power), Lighting Design Services (interior/exterior with LED and smart controls), Plumbing & Fire Protection Services (domestic water, sanitary, fire sprinkler systems), and Low Voltage Special Systems (telecom, security, communication systems). The firm creates construction documents using AutoCAD and Revit, serving K-12 education, higher education, municipal governments, commercial, industrial, and design-build projects throughout Virginia and North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HVAC Engineering Services Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system design, renovation, and alteration services including load calculations, energy model analysis, feasibility studies, forensic studies, testing and balancing, and building commissioning. Includes energy-efficient HVAC design with geothermal, variable fluid flow, low temperature air distribution, 100% outdoor air units, and variable refrigerant flow systems.
• Power Distribution Services Electrical design services including large scale electrical distribution system design, mixed-use project electrical distribution and metering, circuit analysis, voltage drop calculations, load calculations, emergency power distribution systems (including emergency generators and UPS systems), and electrical construction estimating.
• Lighting Design Services Interior and exterior lighting design with software-based photometric calculations, LED source light fixture technology integration, and low voltage network lighting controls.
• Plumbing & Fire Protection Services Domestic water systems, sanitary and storm systems, medical gases, fueling and vehicle maintenance piping, fire protection sprinkler system specifications, and full design and specifications for addressable fire alarm and detection systems including voice evacuation systems, fire command rooms, and campus-style systems.
• Low Voltage Special Systems Design Design capabilities for Telecom Structured Cabling (Telephone, Data, VoIP, Video), Door Access, CCTV Security Cameras, Intrusion Detection, Public Address/Intercom, 2-Way Emergency Communication, Clock System, Nurse Call, and Lightning Protection systems.

Named customers24 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

Feature7 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• IMEG Corp: Large national engineering design firm with strong K-12 and higher-education MEP practice, including energy and commissioning services. Overlaps with HA on education-sector MEP consulting at significantly larger scale.
• ME Engineers: National MEP engineering consultancy serving cultural, education, sports, and government clients with high-performance building systems. Comparable in MEP consulting discipline and education-sector exposure.
• Affiliated Engineers (AEI): National MEP consulting firm with strong higher-education, healthcare, and science-and-technology portfolios. Overlaps with HA on institutional and complex-building MEP design but at much larger scale.
• Woolpert: National architecture, engineering, and geospatial firm with public-sector and education clients. Provides MEP-adjacent services at scale and competes for similar public-sector design work.

Direct peers

• GHT Limited: Washington DC-area MEP engineering firm specializing in interior renovations, commercial, and institutional work. Comparable MEP consulting scope with regional Mid-Atlantic focus.
• TLC Engineering Solutions: Multi-discipline MEP engineering consultancy providing HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and low-voltage design for education, healthcare, and municipal clients across the Southeast — directly comparable service profile.
• RMF Engineering: Mid-Atlantic MEP consulting engineering firm delivering HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design for education, government, and commercial clients — directly comparable in service mix and customer profile.
• P2S Inc. MEP and technology consulting firm with K-12, higher-education, healthcare, and government clients. Directly comparable MEP engineering consulting service offering and customer verticals.

Regional players

• Moseley Architects: Virginia-based architectural and engineering firm with a major K-12 education practice. Directly competes for the same Hampton Roads school district MEP design work as HA.
• Clark Nexsen: Headquartered in Norfolk, VA, Clark Nexsen is a large Hampton Roads-based architecture and engineering firm with significant MEP and K-12/higher-education public-sector work. Direct overlap in regional market and customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Hickman-Ambrose/61553954846524
• Xx.com/HickmanAmbrose

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Hickman-Ambrose