Company

Local Knowhow. Engineered.

Since 1999, we’ve earned a reputation for efficient engineering, designing the everyday places where people live and work, sites they visit, and the roadways and passages that make life easier in and around Chester County. We get hired because the plans we design are efficient and cost effective to build.

Once solely a civil engineering firm, we’ve grown to include a complete range of Civil Engineering, Land Development, Environmental and Surveying services for clients throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Each department added intentionally to combine our experience with the information and design skills we need to communicate our decades of knowhow into sound plans, controlled timelines and strengthened relationships along the way to approvals.

Our History

1999

Denny Howell calls on Joe Russella, the only one brave enough, to build an engineering firm. Friends and colleagues since our 20’s, we start work in a converted dog kennel. The space on John Drury’s farm on Birmingham Rd. is outfitted with 2 drafting tables, 2 phones and 2 Gateway computers. Life is simple and we wear many hats.

1999

DL Howell lands our first assignment for JD Miller Construction. We create Land Development plans for an Industrial Building in West Goshen Township.

2001

Moving to a true home base, we launch at 20 Hagerty Blvd. Our first legit office now has room to hire and expand with 6 workstations, a conference room and plotter area. Clients now park in real spots and enter a reception area to discuss their projects.

2003

3,500 SF of space in Greenhill Corporate Park and an initial plan for 10 workstations quickly expands with adjacent suite space and growth to 19 stations. Many of those hired at the Greenhill office are still at Howell today.

2003

Relying on subcontracting from outside survey firms until now, we need a full-time survey department to give our client’s projects top priority. No longer at the mercy of another firm, we begin DL Howell Surveying. We offer state-of-the-art surveying and the ability to control our own schedule.

2004

At capacity at Greenhill, we strategically open another 2,200 SF space in the same building as a Law Firm we work with. This location, with 6 additional workspaces, now allows us a foothold on expansion into Southern Chester County to serve clients along the Rte. 1 corridor and South.

2005

Five more workstations in 2,000 more SF inside the office of our largest client, J. Lowe and Associates, allows us further expansion inside the same building where Denny began his career at EB Walsh and Associates. We now work on individual client teams.

2006

DL Howell Surveying merges with RF Kline. Rich Kline is a long-time friend and colleague who Denny knows from their time together at Edward B. Walsh and Associates, Inc. Our new entity offers state-of the-art surveying by robotic survey equipment and GPS. We become the most efficient for cost and time and have no competitors who can match our bids.

2008

We consolidate our West Chester, Kennett Square and Downingtown offices into one 14,800 SF space with room for 45 people. We design it specifically for engineering and surveying services with offices, survey spaces, 2 kitchens and a gym.

2016

As our stormwater management design evolves, we enter the stormwater infiltration testing business. We now coordinate all land development project activity under one roof.

2022

Howell purchases Terrain, an Annapolis, MD engineering firm established there in 1978. Adding to the geographic range of the Howell team, Terrain’s on staff Civil Engineers do Engineering Consulting and offer Mapping services in and around Anne Arundel County, MD.

2023

We rebrand our business with new graphics to link and promote our capabilities and complete range of Engineering, Surveying and Environmental services.

The Process

When we first learn about a project, we spend a lot of time getting to know our client’s business and what they want to achieve. Whether it’s a new office building, a retail property that requires loading docks, a residential addition, or anything in between, we first assess what they need as far as permits and engineering.

We look at a site’s feasibility. Way before we run any nuts and bolts engineering calculations or spend any dollars, we’re evaluating the property, making educated guesses, controlling the budget, and providing the best probability of success for each client.

Entering the design phase, guided by a Project Manager, our artful handiwork and gut experience take over. Stormwater management enters the equation very early in the game. We note the existing environmental features and find the location that allows us to collect and control water flows in compliance with local regulations.

Many of us were trained to lay out the vertical curve of a roadway by hand and build models to demonstrate flood plains and grading. Now, using data points we gather in the field through surveys and testing through environmental studies, we incorporate real time information for our technical drawings. The AutoCAD plans we create allow us to provide exacting design direction, accurate cost estimates and achievable construction schedules.

The Deliverables

What makes a Howell plan different than most is the efficiency of the design. Rarely do contractors ask us to revisit or rethink a particular aspect. Equally important to our clients is that the plan can be constructed properly, within budget.

The Presentation

Most of our land development projects in Southeastern Pennsylvania require a presentation in front of a board or commission in a particular township. Many municipal officials depend on our expert opinions and testimony related to zoning, stormwater management, floodplain issues, environmental impacts and engineering management overall.

As Howell expands in the land development subdivision market, our professionals maintain the highest levels of licensing and accreditation. Experience guides our recommendations. And our knowhow continues to expand.

what Our clients say

Jeff Beitel

“They’re personable, they’re professional. They put out a really good product for a reasonable cost. And they’re local, they know what needs to be done, for the different townships and they know the players. I like the guys and they’re number one on my list.”

Jeff Beitel, Beitel Architects

Greg Harth

“Their survey department is phenomenal. Very responsive, quotes back fast, and they do a good job of setting the expectation for a schedule and hitting the dates. The competence and accuracy that you get, and their guidance with the results, add value.”

Greg Harth, Harth Builders

Tom Bentley

“Howell does a great job, they’ve got a great reputation. I know everybody over there. I trust they’re going to be doing what they say they’re going to be doing. This is a long, long relationship."

Tom Bentley, Bentley Homes

John Lynch

“Howell is an engineering firm that understands the development world. I can’t just plow forward, doing engineering without understanding how the cost of a proposal impacts me- and everything we do as far as the design. They understand my need to balance risk and costs. They recognize that my world is all about advancing money within uncertainty.”

John Lynch

Chuck Swope

“Howell is capable. They have municipal relationships, they have a very, very good pulse on what may or may not be acceptable. They have institutional knowledge in this greater Chester County marketplace. They’re well staffed. Things get turned around in a timely manner. I would work with them without reservation.”

Chuck Swope, Swope Lees

Stephen Campbell

“Howell is responsive, professional, they know their stuff and can advise well. The key for us is being able to execute and advise at the same time rather than just take orders. Their expertise and their service are really good. They don’t waste a lot of time.”

Stephen Campbell, Harth Builders

Chris Hazley

“Call these people –they’re going to get back to you when they say they’ll get back to you, and they’re going to be reliable, get the job done and do what they say they’re going to do.”

Chris Hazley, Hazley Builders

Patrick Stuart

“A lot of times, we have clients that have never been through the land development process. Howell’s Project Managers are very good at educating our clients on the process and the timing they have to follow.”

Patrick Stuart, Stuart + Associates

Testimonial 1

“Howell has the skillset to not only produce the drawings, from a technical standpoint, but also get through the review process by other engineers. They work their way through a public forum, even with highly contested projects, and keep their cool answering questions. That’s a skillset you can’t really teach. They do everything they can, keeping costs, timeline and the end goal in mind, and not just rolling over on things if they’re getting bullied.”

Testimonial 2

“They’re thorough. The plans they’re submitting are compliant with existing code, which is critical. If you ignore certain zoning codes, if you’re not immersed in the local code, you’re wasting an enormous amount of time and money. Their knowledge and expertise on local codes is extremely valuable."

Testimonial 3

“They’re good, responsive and thorough. They look at everything and spec everything properly.”