What Hartman Engineering does

Hartman Engineering is a privately held, specialized engineering consulting firm founded in 1968 and headquartered in Clarence, New York. The firm's practice is concentrated in two areas: the design of excavation protection systems — including cofferdams, anchored walls, underpinning, slopes, and shoring and bracing — and the evaluation and design of repairs for unusual or damaged structures, including buildings compromised by foundation problems, loss of structural support, or construction defects. The firm serves owners, consulting engineers, contractors, insurance companies, and attorneys, with project delivery spanning the United States and selected international engagements in Puerto Rico, Panama, Egypt, and the Marshall Islands. Dr. Richard J. Hartman, the Principal and an internationally recognized expert, holds a Professional Engineering license in 37 states.

The firm operates as a pure professional services practice with four revenue streams: engineering design (complete drawings and specifications per engagement), consultation (peer review, problem analysis, site evaluation), forensic engineering and expert witness services, and co-sponsored educational seminars. Business development relies on professional reputation, expert testimony, and an industry seminar series co-run with L. B. Foster Company through the Joint Committee for Education and Training, which has reached over 1,000 engineers since Fall 2005. Pricing is per-engagement and not publicly disclosed; there is no software, SaaS, or platform component to the business.

Hartman Engineering's principal technical differentiator is its proprietary research on transverse stress in steel sheet piling, initiated in 1991 with the design of a full-scale testing apparatus in collaboration with SUNY Buffalo. The firm published findings showing that traditional section-modulus-only design is inadequate, leading to the development of eight patented sheet pile sections (PZ27, PZ35, PZ40, PZC13, PZC18, PZC26, PZC36, PZC48) in cooperation with Chaparral Steel Company. These design procedures have been adopted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and AASHTO, representing codified regulatory endorsement of the firm's methodology.

Name

Hartman Engineering

Legal name

Hartman Engineering

Website

https://hartmanengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hartman Engineering is a private engineering firm founded in 1968, specializing in excavation protection system design and damaged-structure evaluation, serving owners, consultants, contractors, insurance firms, and attorneys across the US and select international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geotechnical Design, Engineering & Consulting (Analysis, Design, Peer Review) (IMAFAOAK), Forensic Engineering & Failure Analysis Consulting (BPAHAIAO)

Keywords

• Excavation protection design
• Geotechnical engineering services
• Structural engineering consulting
• Forensic structural engineering
• Steel sheet piling design

Headquarters

HQ city

Clarence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Design Services: Specialized design services for excavation protection systems including cofferdams, anchored walls, underpinning, slopes, shoring and bracing. Complete set of drawings and specifications provided.
2. Consulting Services: Peer evaluation of design work, problem analysis and solution, and evaluation of site conditions for various engineering situations.
3. Forensic Engineering and Expert Witness Services: Engineering expert services for courts of law or arbitration proceedings involving structural failures, determining causes through examination of designs, construction methods, materials, and field conditions.
4. Seminars and Training: Educational seminars for engineers on design of steel sheet piling structures, covering straight web piling, cellular cofferdams, flexible walls of Z-shape and U-shape piling. Co-sponsored with L. B. Foster Company.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Hartman Engineering is a specialized engineering consulting firm that designs excavation protection systems—including cofferdams, anchored walls, underpinning, slopes, shoring, and bracing—and evaluates and designs repairs for damaged or unusual structures. The firm also performs forensic engineering and expert witness work for structural failure cases, conducts proprietary research on transverse stress in steel sheet piling, and offers educational seminars to engineers and contractors.

Product overview

Hartman Engineering is an engineering consulting firm offering a portfolio of specialized services centered on excavation protection design and structural repair. The core offerings include Design Services (cofferdams, retaining walls, underpinning, shoring), Consultation, Forensic Engineering, Research (particularly on steel sheet piling), Seminars, Damage Control, and Specialty Services. These services are provided as distinct professional offerings rather than a unified software platform, with Dr. Richard J. Hartman serving as the Principal expert. The firm has been providing excavation protection design since 1968 and holds patents for new sheet piling sections including PZ27, PZ35, PZ40, PZC13, PZC18, PZC26, PZC36, and PZC48.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Services Specialized deep excavation protection design services including cofferdams, anchored walls, foundation underpinning, slopes, shoring, and bracing, as well as protection of existing structures during construction. Each design is unique to site conditions and delivered with complete drawings and specifications.
• Consultation Services Engineering consultation including peer evaluation of design work, problem analysis and solution during project execution, and evaluation of site conditions for various engineering situations.
• Forensic Engineering Services Expert witness services and investigation of structural failures, determining causes through examination of designs, construction methods, materials, and field conditions for courts of law or arbitration proceedings.
• Research Services Research and development activities related to transverse stress in steel sheet piling, including full-scale testing, analysis procedures, and new design methods for sheet piling structures.
• Seminars Educational seminars teaching engineers the design of steel sheet piling structures, including straight web piling, cellular cofferdams, and flexible walls of Z-shape and U-shape piling.
• Damage Control Services Initial emergency response and remediation design for heavily damaged buildings and towers, including remedial measures design and inspection during repair work.
• Specialty Services Specialized engineering services for unusual and difficult circumstances requiring application of various disciplines, including bridge inspection, flood damage assessment, and structural monitoring.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1000 engineers trained through seminars since Fall 2005
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• L. B. Foster CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor with Hartman Engineering of the Joint Committee for Education and Training. Purpose is to provide educational opportunities to engineers who design steel sheet piling structures. Seminars have trained over 1000 people since Fall 2005. Contact: Richard Morales at 678-926-5209.
• Chaparral Steel CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for development of new steel sheet piling sections incorporating transverse stress resistance. Hartman Engineering has designed patented sections PZ27, PZ35, PZ40, PZC13, PZC18, PZC26, PZC36, and PZC48 for Chaparral Steel. Research partnership continues today.
• Bethlehem Steel CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal research sponsor in 1990-1992 for transverse stress in steel sheet piling project. Bethlehem Steel discontinued rolling structural shapes in 1997. Partnership has been superseded by relationship with Chaparral Steel.
• State University of New York at BuffalominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Dr. John A. Neal at SUNY Buffalo for development of testing apparatus and methodology for transverse stress analysis of steel sheet piling in 1991.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with deep expertise in structural, geotechnical, and waterfront engineering, including cofferdams and deep excavations. Comparable to Hartman on engineering content and client base, but offers a multi-disciplinary portfolio to owner/contractor clients worldwide.
• Tetra Tech: International engineering and consulting firm providing geotechnical, structural, and water infrastructure services including dam, levee, and excavation support design. Comparable to Hartman's geotechnical/excavation focus as part of a much broader environmental and infrastructure practice.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with geotechnical, structural, and construction engineering practices that compete for large excavation and foundation projects. Comparable on the engineering content of excavation protection work, but typically engaged at a much larger project scale.
• Stantec: Global design and engineering firm with a geotechnical and earth-retaining practice serving infrastructure, water, and building clients. Comparable to Hartman on excavation protection and structural engineering content, but operating at a multi-disciplinary, multi-region scale.
• WSP (formerly Golder): Global professional services firm with a deep geotechnical and earth-retaining practice through its legacy Golder business, including excavation support, ground improvement, and dam/waterfront work. Comparable to Hartman's excavation protection design capability but at materially larger scale and across a broader service portfolio.

Direct peers

• Haley & Aldrich: Geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy serving heavy-civil, infrastructure, and waterfront clients. Comparable to Hartman Engineering on excavation support design, shoring, underpinning, and waterfront/cofferdam work, with a similar specialty consulting delivery model.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates: Employee-owned engineering consultancy specializing in the investigation, analysis, and repair of structural and architectural problems, including forensic engineering and failure analysis. Highly comparable to Hartman Engineering's forensic/expert-witness and damaged-structure evaluation practice, though broader in scope across building types.
• Exponent: Scientific and engineering consulting firm with a large structural and civil engineering practice that performs failure analysis, expert witness work, and infrastructure investigation. Comparable to Hartman on forensic engineering and expert testimony, and overlaps on specialty geotechnical/structural failure engagements.

Regional players

• CTL Engineering: Mid-sized U.S. engineering firm with geotechnical, structural, and construction materials practices that performs shoring, underpinning, and foundation design. Comparable to Hartman's excavation support and specialty structural work, primarily serving U.S. clients with regional offices.
• S&ME: U.S.-based engineering consultancy with strong geotechnical, construction services, and structural practices that regularly performs excavation support, shoring, and foundation design. Comparable to Hartman's excavation protection design and field engineering work, with a Southeast U.S. orientation and broader services mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Hartman Engineering