Blackwell Engineering
Blackwell Engineering is a Harrisonburg, Virginia civil engineering and land development consulting firm serving private developers and municipal clients with site engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and municipal utilities design. Founded 1988, the firm merged into AES Consulting Engineers in 2023.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersHarrisonburg, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Blackwell Engineering does
Blackwell Engineering is a Virginia-based civil engineering and land development consulting firm founded in 1988 by Dick Blackwell, P.E. and headquartered at 566 E Market Street in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The firm provides site engineering, land development design, civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, land planning, and municipal utilities design services to private land developers and municipal clients throughout Virginia. Blackwell has operated as a family-owned boutique consultancy, with multi-generational involvement from Ed Blackwell and Nathan Blackwell alongside the founder, and historically maintained a regional footprint concentrated in the Shenandoah Valley.
Following the death of Rick Blackwell in 2015, the firm continued under Ed Blackwell's leadership, preserving operational continuity. In 2023, Blackwell merged with AES Consulting Engineers (founded 1980), a multi-office Virginia engineering firm with locations in Chesapeake, Williamsburg, Richmond, and Harrisonburg. Ed Blackwell continues to lead the Harrisonburg office within the AES organization, integrating Blackwell's client relationships and multi-disciplinary capabilities into AES's broader platform.
The firm's business model is project-based professional services billing, with revenue derived from fee-based engineering, surveying, and design engagements tied to land development cycles and municipal capital projects. Blackwell competes primarily on local expertise, regulatory familiarity, multi-disciplinary convenience, and relationship-driven service rather than technology differentiation, serving a client base concentrated in Virginia's private development and public infrastructure markets.
Blackwell Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blackwell Engineering
- Legal name
- Blackwell Engineering
- Website
- https://blackwellengineering.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blackwell Engineering is a Harrisonburg, Virginia civil engineering and land development consulting firm serving private developers and municipal clients with site engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and municipal utilities design. Founded 1988, the firm merged into AES Consulting Engineers in 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blackwell Engineering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil Engineering Services
- NAICS
- Engineering Services (54133), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)
Keywords
Where Blackwell Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Harrisonburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blackwell Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Engineering and Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through site engineering and land development design work for private land developers and municipal clients in Virginia.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Blackwell Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blackwell Engineering provides civil engineering and land development design services, including civil engineering, land planning, surveying, landscape architecture, and municipal utilities design. The firm serves private land developers and municipal clients across the Mid-Atlantic region, with its headquarters in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Following its 2023 merger with AES Consulting Engineers, the firm continues to deliver site engineering and infrastructure design for land development projects.
Product overview
Blackwell Engineering is a civil engineering and land development consulting firm, not a software or technology product company. The company provides site engineering, land development design, civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, land planning, and municipal utilities design services. As of the source date, Blackwell Engineering has merged into AES Consulting Engineers and no longer operates as a standalone entity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Civil Engineering
Companies that use Blackwell Engineering
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Blackwell Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Blackwell Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AES Consulting EngineerscoreBlackwell Engineering merged with AES Consulting Engineers in 2023 after more than 30 years of providing site engineering and land development design services in Virginia. The merger brought Blackwell's Harrisonburg operations into AES's existing offices in Chesapeake, Williamsburg, and Richmond. Ed Blackwell P.E. continues to lead the Harrisonburg office under AES, with AES absorbing the Blackwell team including engineers, field staff, and administrative professionals. The merger was described as a strategic fit based on similar company cultures and approaches to client and employee care.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Blackwell Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pennoni Associates: Mid-Atlantic-based engineering and consulting firm providing civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and municipal infrastructure services. Direct competitor for site engineering and land development work in Virginia.
- Timmons Group: Mid-Atlantic civil engineering and surveying firm offering site engineering, land development, surveying, and municipal utilities design. Directly comparable in service mix and regional orientation to Blackwell.
- Bowman Consulting Group: Publicly traded multi-disciplinary engineering firm offering civil engineering, surveying, land planning, and landscape architecture to private developers and municipalities across the mid-Atlantic and US. Comparable scale and service portfolio.
- AES Consulting Engineers: Parent/acquirer firm providing the same site engineering, land planning, surveying, landscape architecture, and municipal utilities design services across Virginia. Direct peer because it absorbed Blackwell and operates identical service lines in overlapping geography.
Broad incumbents
- VHB: Northeast and mid-Atlantic engineering, planning, and design firm offering site/civil engineering, land development, and municipal infrastructure services. Overlaps with Blackwell's core service lines for developers and municipalities.
- Kimley-Horn: Large national engineering, planning, and consulting firm with strong Virginia presence. Provides the same site engineering, land development, surveying, and municipal services as Blackwell, but at substantially greater scale and geographic breadth.
- Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with US operations spanning civil engineering, land development, surveying, and municipal infrastructure. Larger-scope incumbent in the same professional services space.
Regional players
- DRMP: Southeast US-based multi-discipline engineering firm offering site engineering, surveying, land planning, and municipal services. Comparable in service mix but primarily serves Florida and the Carolinas rather than Virginia.
- Triad Engineering Consultants: West Virginia and mid-Atlantic civil engineering and surveying firm serving developers and municipalities with site engineering, surveying, and land development services. Adjacent regional peer with overlapping service lines.
Emerging players
- Wetland Studies and Solutions (WSSI): Virginia-based environmental and engineering consulting firm supporting land development with site engineering, permitting, and environmental services. Comparable in size and Virginia focus, with partial overlap on developer and municipal clients.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blackwell Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceBlackwell Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blackwell Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Blackwell Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blackwell Engineering M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blackwell Engineering
What does Blackwell Engineering do?
Blackwell Engineering provides civil engineering and land development design services, including civil engineering, land planning, surveying, landscape architecture, and municipal utilities design. The firm serves private land developers and municipal clients across the Mid-Atlantic region, with its headquarters in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Following its 2023 merger with AES Consulting Engineers, the firm continues to deliver site engineering and infrastructure design for land development projects.
Is Blackwell Engineering a public or private company?
Blackwell Engineering is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Blackwell Engineering founded?
Blackwell Engineering was founded in 1988. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blackwell Engineering based?
Blackwell Engineering is headquartered in Harrisonburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blackwell Engineering make money?
One revenue line is on record: engineering and Design Services.
Who are Blackwell Engineering's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pennoni Associates, Timmons Group, Bowman Consulting Group and AES Consulting Engineers. Broad incumbents are VHB, Kimley-Horn and Stantec. Regional players are DRMP and Triad Engineering Consultants. Wetland Studies and Solutions (WSSI) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Blackwell Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blackwell Engineering.
What industry is Blackwell Engineering in?
Blackwell Engineering's product category is Civil Engineering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAA, Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54133 and its SIC code is 8711.