Insight Structural Engineers

What Insight Structural Engineers does

Insight Structural Engineers, Inc. is a Southern California structural engineering professional services firm founded in 2003 by Brent Blackman, SE and headquartered in El Segundo, with a second office in San Diego opened in 2007. The firm delivers seven core services: new structural design, design-build, tenant improvement, seismic evaluation and retrofit, peer review and value engineering, construction consulting, and insurance/litigation support. Underlying workhorse capabilities include finite element analysis, seismic evaluation and retrofit design, and code-compliance structural engineering for new and existing buildings across diverse construction types.

The firm serves enterprise, institutional, and government clients across multiple verticals — aerospace (Boeing, Rockwell Collins), automotive (Rusnak dealerships), entertainment (Beats by Dr. Dre, Activision Blizzard, LA Center Studios), healthcare (Cedars-Sinai, Kaiser Permanente), banking (Union Bank), education (CSU Channel Islands), hospitality (South Beverly Grill), and public-sector (LA County Parks and Recreation). Notable deliverables include the LEED Platinum Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center and the Beats by Dr. Dre headquarters, both of which received industry awards. All technical staff hold Master's degrees in structural engineering, and 100% are Cal OES Disaster Service Worker certified.

The business model is project-based professional services: fees are billed through consulting engagements on construction projects of varying scale, sourced primarily through architect, developer, and contractor referrals rather than outbound sales. The firm operates without external capital, has no productized software or platform, and competes on principal involvement, technical credentials, and long-term client relationships. Geographic concentration is entirely within Southern California, and headcount is in the 10-15 range. The firm is a founding member of the United States Resiliency Council, signaling a positioning around seismic resilience and building rating systems.

Name

Insight Structural Engineers

Legal name

Insight Structural Engineers, Inc.

Website

https://insight-se.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Insight Structural Engineers is a Southern California structural engineering professional services firm founded in 2003, serving enterprise, institutional, and government clients across healthcare, aerospace, entertainment, automotive, and public-sector projects with design, seismic retrofit, tenant improvement, and peer review services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Structural engineering services
• Seismic evaluation retrofit
• Tenant improvement engineering
• Peer review value engineering
• Construction consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

El Segundo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Structural Engineering Consulting Services: Project-based professional services for structural engineering including design, evaluation, peer review, and construction consulting. Revenue generated through consulting fees for engineering services on construction projects of various scales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Insight Structural Engineers is a structural engineering consulting firm that provides professional engineering services for new and existing buildings. The firm delivers new building design, design-build project delivery, tenant improvement, seismic evaluation and retrofit, peer review and value engineering, construction consulting, and insurance/litigation support to enterprise, institutional, government, healthcare, aerospace, entertainment, and other commercial clients across Southern California.

Product overview

Insight Structural Engineers is a structural engineering firm offering professional engineering services through seven core service offerings: New Design (economical structural solutions), Design-Build (collaborative project delivery), Tenant Improvement (structural modifications for existing buildings), Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit (risk assessment and strengthening), Peer Review/Value Engineering (third-party review and cost optimization), Construction Consulting (support during construction), and Insurance/Litigation Support (expert structural investigation). The firm specializes in complex projects across multiple market sectors including healthcare, entertainment, aerospace, automotive, commercial office, education, and historic preservation. Projects range from new construction to seismic retrofit and adaptive reuse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Design Structural engineering service focused on developing economical, state-of-the-art structural solutions that fit within the architectural layout for new building projects.
• Design-Build Collaborative project delivery service where Insight Structural Engineers works closely with the design-build team to deliver structural engineering scope as part of an integrated design and construction approach.
• Tenant Improvement Structural engineering service for tenant improvement projects in existing commercial buildings, providing structural input to achieve tenant goals while protecting the owner's structure.
• Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit Structural engineering service that identifies seismic risks on existing buildings, communicates implications clearly, and provides cost-effective retrofit solutions for code compliance and risk mitigation.
• Peer Review / Value Engineering Third-party peer review and value engineering service that provides innovative structural solutions to safely and cost-effectively achieve project goals.
• Construction Consulting Structural engineering assistance provided during the construction phase of building projects to address field conditions and support construction administration.
• Insurance / Litigation Support Structural engineering investigation service that objectively investigates structural problems and clearly communicates the results for insurance claims and litigation matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved over $1M in construction costs compared to structural system developed by another engineer for Salvation Army Crestmont College project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• United States Resiliency Council (USRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Insight Structural Engineers became Founding Members of the United States Resiliency Council in 2014. Principals are Certified Raters and Reviewers for USRC, which implements earthquake rating systems for buildings. Brent Blackman is a founding member of USRC.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• KPFF Consulting Engineers: Large national structural and civil engineering consultancy with major SoCal presence serving commercial, healthcare, and institutional clients — overlapping extensively with Insight's enterprise client base but operating at substantially greater scale with broader service lines.
• Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH): National engineering firm specializing in structural engineering, building enclosure, and existing-structure evaluation — comparable to Insight in seismic evaluation/retrofit, peer review, and litigation support but with significantly broader geographic reach and integrated service offerings.
• T.Y. Lin International: Global engineering consultancy with deep structural expertise in bridges, buildings, and seismic engineering; California roots and significant SoCal presence overlap directly with Insight's structural and seismic focus, though at much larger scale and including civil/infrastructure work.
• Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE): National engineering firm known for investigation, repair, and rehabilitation of existing and historic structures — direct overlap with Insight's seismic retrofit, peer review, and insurance/litigation support practices, with much larger geographic footprint and laboratory capabilities.
• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with established Los Angeles structural engineering practice serving entertainment, healthcare, and mission-critical clients — overlaps with Insight's enterprise client base (Beats HQ, Cedars-Sinai-class projects) but at significantly broader scale across multiple disciplines.
• Buro Happold: International engineering consultancy with growing U.S. presence delivering structural engineering for complex, mission-critical, and creative-office projects — overlaps with Insight's high-end new design and tenant improvement work for demanding enterprise clients at larger scale and with broader multidisciplinary capability.

Direct peers

• Miyamoto International: California-headquartered structural engineering firm globally known for seismic engineering, disaster response, and earthquake-resilience consulting — directly comparable to Insight's seismic retrofit and Disaster Service Worker expertise. Insight's Associate Edgar Plazola previously worked at Miyamoto.
• Degenkolb Engineers: Founded in San Francisco in 1940, Degenkolb is a California-headquartered structural engineering firm with deep expertise in seismic engineering, healthcare, and existing buildings — directly comparable in service mix, geographic concentration, and enterprise client base to Insight Structural Engineers. Insight's founder Brent Blackman is a former Degenkolb engineer.
• Nabih Youssef & Associates (NYA): Los Angeles structural engineering firm specializing in seismic evaluation, retrofit, and complex new design for healthcare, higher education, and high-rise sectors — closely comparable to Insight's enterprise client mix and seismic retrofit emphasis in Southern California.
• Structural Focus: Southern California structural engineering firm specializing in seismic analysis, design, and retrofit of commercial and institutional buildings — overlaps directly with Insight's core service mix and SoCal geographic footprint. Brent Blackman, Insight's founder, previously worked at Structural Focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/insight-structural-engineers-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Insight Structural Engineers