Southern A & E, LLC

What Southern A & E, LLC does

Southern A & E, LLC is a full-service architecture and engineering firm founded in 1970 (originally as Denney and Associates in Carrollton, Georgia) and headquartered at 7951 Troon Circle, Austell, Georgia. The firm is structured as an employee-owned LLC, established in its current form in 1998 when principals Roy Denney and Ernest Varney purchased the architecture and engineering divisions from Southern Engineering Company. It employs 62 professionals covering six integrated disciplines under one roof: architecture, civil/site design, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, and construction administration. Leadership comprises CEO Michael Waldbillig, President Rebecca Kirk, and CEO Emeritus Steve McCune, with discipline-specific VPs across each engineering function.

The firm's core product offering is integrated design services for institutional and public-sector clients, with a strong specialization in K-12 educational facilities, performing arts centers, athletic venues, and parks/recreation assets. Southern A&E reports $5.5 billion in cumulative completed project value and serves more than 80 clients across Georgia and the Southeast, including 70+ Georgia public school systems such as Jackson County, Coweta County, Rome City Schools, Carrollton City Schools, Troup County, Douglas County, Carroll County, Heard County, Crawford County, and Houston County. Select municipal clients include Henry County Government and North Douglas Ballfields. The integrated single-source model — eliminating subconsultants and providing a single point of accountability through concept to construction administration — is positioned as the firm's primary competitive differentiator.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional design fees on multi-year contracts, with pricing determined by project scope and complexity and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales to school district leadership, facilities directors, school boards, and municipal procurement officials, typically via RFP responses and long-tenured relationship-based business development. Marketing relies on a portfolio website, LinkedIn, and direct referrals from established client relationships rather than paid demand generation. The firm is private, holds no patents or external partnerships in the data, and operates exclusively in the United States with a primary footprint in Georgia and broader Southeast region.

Name

Southern A & E, LLC

Legal name

Southern A&E, LLC

Website

https://southernae.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Southern A & E, LLC is a Georgia-based, employee-owned architecture and engineering firm offering integrated multi-discipline design services — architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and construction administration — primarily for K-12 public school systems and municipalities across Georgia and the Southeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Engineering Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Architecture engineering services
• K-12 facility design
• Construction administration
• Structural engineering design
• Municipal facility planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Austell

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Engineering Design Services: Southern A&E generates revenue through professional design services for construction projects. As a full-service architecture and engineering firm, they provide comprehensive design solutions including architecture, civil/site design, structural, mechanical, electrical engineering, and construction administration services for institutional clients. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for design and construction administration services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Southern A&E, LLC is a full-service architecture and engineering firm providing integrated design solutions across six core service disciplines: Architecture, Civil/Site Design, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Construction Administration. The firm operates an integrated single-source delivery model that brings every discipline together under one roof, eliminating the need for subconsultants and serving education, athletics, performing arts, faith, commercial, and industrial clients primarily across Georgia and the Southeast.

Product overview

Southern A&E, LLC is a full-service architecture and engineering firm providing integrated design solutions across six core service offerings: Architecture, Civil/Site Design, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Construction Administration. The firm operates an integrated model that brings every discipline together under one roof, eliminating the need for subconsultants and creating seamless coordination across disciplines. This single-source approach serves education, athletics, performing arts, faith, commercial, and industrial clients across Georgia and the Southeast, with a primary focus on K-12 education and public-sector projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Provides impactful, durable architectural designs tailored specifically to educational environments for K-12 school systems and institutional clients.
• Civil/Site Design Designs flexible, resilient site plans that satisfy current needs and anticipate future growth for institutional clients including school systems and municipal projects.
• Electrical Engineering Provides electrical engineering solutions prioritizing simplicity, reliability, and efficiency for school operations and institutional facility clients.
• Mechanical Engineering Delivers HVAC and plumbing systems prioritizing efficiency and cost effectiveness for institutional clients and school facility operations.
• Structural Engineering Designs safe, economical building frameworks built to last for institutional construction projects including K-12 facilities, performing arts centers, and athletic venues.
• Construction Administration Ensures institutional construction projects meet quality standards, budgets, and schedules through proactive oversight from concept through construction completion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $5.5 billion in completed work
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LPA Design Studios: Integrated architecture and engineering firm with a strong K-12 and public-sector portfolio. Comparable in delivering multi-discipline design under one roof for educational clients, though LPA operates at a larger geographic scale (multiple West Coast and Texas offices).
• Legat Architects: Mid-sized architecture firm with a strong K-12 education focus serving public school districts in the Midwest. Comparable in client vertical, mid-sized regional delivery, and emphasis on specialized educational facilities (CTAE, performing arts, athletics).
• FGM Architects: Mid-sized architecture firm with a heavy K-12 education focus across multiple states. Directly comparable to Southern A&E in client vertical, project type (new schools, additions, performing arts), and integrated single-discipline delivery model for public school districts.
• Moseley Architects: Mid-Atlantic architecture firm with a dedicated K-12 education practice serving public school districts. Directly comparable in vertical focus, project types (new construction, renovation, specialized facilities), and mid-sized regional delivery model.
• BRPH: Southeast-based integrated architecture and engineering firm serving education, government, and commercial clients. Directly comparable in regional positioning, integrated A&E delivery, and public-sector K-12 focus, though BRPH also serves aerospace and defense.

Broad incumbents

• SmithGroup: National integrated architecture and engineering firm with K-12 and higher education practices. Comparable in multi-discipline delivery for educational clients, though SmithGroup operates at substantially larger scale and broader sector coverage.
• Corgan: National architecture firm with a significant education practice serving K-12 and higher education clients. Comparable in delivering large-scale educational facilities, though Corgan's portfolio is more diversified across aviation, data centers, and commercial sectors.
• DLR Group: National integrated architecture and engineering firm with a substantial K-12 and civic practice. Comparable in offering the full architecture-plus-engineering single-source model for public-sector clients, but operates at much greater scale across multiple regions.
• CannonDesign: National integrated design firm with a strong education practice serving K-12 and higher education. Comparable in offering architecture and engineering disciplines under one roof, with similar emphasis on specialized learning environments and athletic/performing arts facilities.

Regional players

• Croft & Associates: Atlanta-area architecture firm with K-12 and higher education projects across Georgia. Comparable in regional Southeast positioning and education vertical focus, though smaller in scale and more architecturally focused without the integrated engineering disciplines of Southern A&E.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southernae-llc/?viewAsMember=true

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Southern A & E, LLC