Sell Your Engineering Firm in Illinois
Who is buying engineering firms in Illinois
Named engineering acquisitions we have recorded in Illinois
Headquartered in Illinois: IMEG (Rock Island, IL).
| Platform | Owner / backer | Type | Headquarters | Scale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trilon Group | Alpine Investors | Private equity | Denver, CO | 5,750 employees across 185 offices (2025, per Trilon's timeline) | Source ↗ |
| ZenaTech | Public (Nasdaq: ZENA) | Strategic / public | Toronto, ON | 29 Drone as a Service acquisitions to date (Sep 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Verdantas | Sterling Investment Partners | Private equity | Tampa, FL | over 2,540 professionals nationwide (Jul 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Salas O'Brien | Employees (super-majority, direct share ownership); Blackstone (minority growth investment, Jan 2024) | Private equity | Irvine, CA | approaching 5,000 employees (Jan 2026) | Source ↗ |
| IMEG | Employee-owned (ESOP) | Employee-owned (ESOP) | Rock Island, IL | more than 100 offices and more than 3,300 team members (Jul 2026) | Source ↗ |
| LJA Engineering | Employee-owned (ESOP) | Employee-owned (ESOP) | Houston, TX | more than 3,000 employee-owners (2025) | Source ↗ |
| Bowman Consulting Group | Public (Nasdaq: BWMN); under definitive agreement to be acquired by Bernhard Capital Partners | Strategic / public | Reston, VA | over 2,500 employees and 100 offices throughout the U.S. (Aug 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Atwell | Advent International (with management) | Private equity | Southfield, MI | 2,000 professionals (Mar 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Pape-Dawson | Palm Beach Capital | Private equity | San Antonio, TX | more than 2,150 employees across 46 offices in 10 states (Jul 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Trinity Consultants | Oak Hill Capital (current); Veritas Capital has agreed to acquire control, with Oak Hill reinvesting as a minority shareholder | Private equity | Dallas, TX | Not disclosed (serves more than 10,000 clients worldwide) | Source ↗ |
| AKS Engineering & Forestry | Align Capital Partners | Private equity | Tualatin, OR | 15 offices in Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and Washington (Jul 2026, Portland Business Journal) | Source ↗ |
| Colliers Engineering & Design | Colliers International Group (Nasdaq/TSX: CIGI) | Strategic / public | Holmdel, NJ | Not disclosed | Source ↗ |
| Ardurra | Littlejohn & Co. (with management and employees) | Private equity | Miami, FL | more than 2,600 employees across more than 120 offices nationwide (Jun 2026) | Source ↗ |
| CHA | H.I.G. Capital | Private equity | Albany, NY | over 2,100 employees and over 50 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada (Apr 2026) | Source ↗ |
| SAM Companies | New Mountain Capital | Private equity | Austin, TX | Not disclosed (Peak Rock says SAM added 25 offices and completed 19 acquisitions under its ownership since 2021) | Source ↗ |
| Galloway & Company | Kelso & Company and ARA Services Partners | Private equity | Denver, CO | Not disclosed | Source ↗ |
| PRIME AE Group | Platform Holdings Capital (successor to NewHold Enterprises) | Private equity | Not confirmed | more than 600 employees in 25 offices across 10 states (Feb 2026) | Source ↗ |
| WSP Global | Public (TSX: WSP) | Strategic / public | Montreal, QC | approximately 83,000 professionals in over 50 countries | Source ↗ |
| WSB | GHK Capital Partners | Private equity | Minneapolis, MN | more than 50 offices with more than 1,800 employees nationwide (Sep 2026) | Source ↗ |
| MacKay | SkyKnight Capital | Private equity | Vancouver, WA | approximately 340 employees across the Pacific Northwest, Southwest and Midwest (Feb 2026) | Source ↗ |
Ownership verified October 6, 2026. See every platform's recent deals in the Engineering roll-up tracker →
How many engineering services firms are in Illinois
The Census Bureau counted 1,752 engineering services firms in Illinois in 2023, ranking 11th of 50 states. 50% had fewer than five employees and 78% had fewer than 20. 160 had 50 or more.
| Employees | Establishments | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | 875 | 50% |
| 5 to 9 | 257 | 15% |
| 10 to 19 | 242 | 14% |
| 20 to 49 | 218 | 12% |
| 50 or more | 160 | 9% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 ↗ (NAICS 541330). An establishment is a single physical location, so an owner with three locations counts three times.
What an engineering firm in Illinois is worth
Engineering firms typically sell for 5.5x-7.5x EBITDA, or 2.5x-3x SDE for smaller owner-operated engineering firms, with most deals in the $0.7M - $50M range. These are published industry ranges from ROG + Partners, MNP Engineering & Construction Quarterly Update Q1 2026 and others, not an appraisal of your firm.
What buyers pay more for
- +Double-digit EBITDA growth
- +Diversified, low-concentration client base
- +Leadership bench beyond the founder
- +Hard backlog and repeat public-sector work
What buyers discount
- -Dependence on a single leader
- -Client concentration
- -Volatile end markets
- -Weak contract and WIP management
How selling through DealSeam works
A confidential conversation
We learn about your firm and what you want from a sale. Nothing is listed publicly.
Introductions where there is a fit
Where a qualified buyer fits your firm, we introduce you, and only after you approve it.
You decide
You choose whether to go further, on your own timeline. Sellers pay nothing; the buyer pays our fee if a deal closes.
Selling an engineering firm in Illinois: common questions
How much is an engineering firm in Illinois worth?
Engineering firms typically sell for 5.5x-7.5x EBITDA, or 2.5x-3x SDE for smaller owner-operated engineering firms, with most deals in the $0.7M - $50M range. Buyers tend to pay more for double-digit ebitda growth, diversified, low-concentration client base, leadership bench beyond the founder and hard backlog and repeat public-sector work, and less where they see dependence on a single leader, client concentration, volatile end markets and weak contract and wip management. These are industry-wide ranges from ROG + Partners, MNP Engineering & Construction Quarterly Update Q1 2026 and others, not an appraisal of your firm.
Who is buying engineering firms in Illinois?
Recent named deals in Illinois include 2IM Group (acquired by MacKay, Feb 2026) and Terra Consulting Group (acquired by Colliers Engineering & Design, May 2025). Nationally, the largest groups consolidating engineering firms include Trilon Group (Alpine Investors), ZenaTech (Public) and Verdantas (Sterling Investment Partners); 14 of the 20 platforms we track are private-equity-backed.
How many engineering services firms are there in Illinois?
The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns counted 1,752 engineering services firms in Illinois in 2023, ranking 11th of 50 states. 50% had fewer than five employees, 78% had fewer than 20, and 160 had 50 or more.
Does it cost anything to sell through DealSeam?
No. Sellers pay nothing. When a deal closes, the buyer pays DealSeam's fee. There is no listing fee and no retainer.
Will my employees or customers find out I'm thinking about selling?
No. Nothing is listed publicly, and your details go to a buyer only after you approve that introduction.
Selling another kind of business in Illinois?
Selling an engineering firm in another state?
Thinking about selling your engineering firm?
DealSeam works confidentially with owners to understand their options and, where there's a fit, introduces them to qualified buyers, at no cost to sellers.
Talk to us about your Illinois firm
Tell us how to reach you and we'll start a confidential, no-obligation conversation.
Sources
Valuation multiples are published ranges from ROG + Partners, A/E Business Valuation and M&A Transaction Study (Feb 2025), MNP Engineering & Construction Quarterly Update Q1 2026 (GF Data), Stonemill Partners, Navigating the Next Decade (Sep 2025), BizBuySell, Architecture & Engineering Business Valuation Benchmarks, Peak Business Valuation, Engineering Firm Valuation Multiples and Zweig Group, 2025 Valuation Report of AEC Firms (Mar 2025). Establishment counts are from the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 541330). Platform ownership comes from each platform's own or press sources, verified October 6, 2026. Named acquisitions are the deals we have recorded from public announcements, each linked to its source; they are not every deal in the state. Ownership in this sector changes often. None of this is investment, legal or tax advice.