Inspired by the water clans of the Pokagon Band

We have MEP roots with full-service AE branches

Building design in harmony with natural resources

We are many disciplines with one focus

Innovative building services rooted in traditions of trust, community, and sustainability

The Steelhead Engineering Company offers MEP engineering and full-service design services for many building types and scales. We are a tribally owned, Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise (ISBEE) company, inspired by the water clans of the Pokagon Band to care for dynamic natural elements and ensuring that materials, energy, and environmental resources are in right relationship with people. Steelhead is part of Bodwe Professional Services Group and wholly owned by Mno-Bmadsen, the investment enterprise and a wholly-owned instrumentality of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. We offer full-service architecture and engineering services nationwide, as well as a variety of contract support services for federal agencies.

As a Pokagon citizen, I am honored to lead Steelhead and support future generations of the Band.

RYAN WIELENGA, PE

President at Steelhead Engineering

I am blessed to be in on the ground floor of something so important and meaningful.

BRADEN COX, PE

Senior Lead Electrical Engineer, Steelhead

Expanding from an MEP focus to full-service AE in three years speaks to the talent of this team.

JEREMY BERG

President & COO, Bodwé Group

BUILDINGS SERVICES

Informed by Indigenous connection and calling

Our commitment at Steelhead, aligned with Bodwé core values, is an unwavering focus on the three customer groups we serve – the individuals who inhabit, labor, and engage in the spaces we meticulously design, the proprietors responsible for building maintenance and long-term investment, and the planet from which we responsibly obtain and utilize resources.

INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

Mediating the built and natural environments

As part of Bodwe Group, we also offer civil engineering, planning, and environmental resources consulting for our municipal, federal, transportation, and Indigenous clients. We work as multi-disciplinary teams across the Bodwe family of companies, with WBK Engineering leading our Infrastructure Services work.

FEDERAL SUPPORT SERVICES

Facilities, technology, and program management

Steelhead and our sister companies work with the Bodwe Federal Support Services branch to provide services across many roles and agencies. This is a significant and expanding focus for Bodwe Group, helping to fuel our mission to grow the economy and legacy of the Pokagon Band while helping U.S. federal agencies deliver on theirs.

MARKETS

Serving the complex needs of a range of clients

Indigenous

Steelhead was founded in 2021 by the Bodwe Group, wholly owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, as part of the Bodwe mission to grow the economy and legacy of the Band. We have served many tribes directly and many more through our work with federal agencies. This is why we exist.

Federal

The sovereignty of the Pokagon Band affords us opportunity with the federal government. We express our gratitude by bringing our best to every project with every agency we have worked with, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Veterans Health Administration.

Bridges & Structures

Working with Bodwé transportation and water resource engineers, our structural team embraces their responsibility for human safety and for the protection of natural ecosystems. We understand the dynamics between built structures and potential impacts to people and planet. We design efficient, effective, and durable solutions that fit the context of the community and environment.

Water & Dams

With recognized industry expertise in stormwater and flooding as well as natural riverine and manmade conveyance, Bodwé provides waterways analyses, flood studies, dam improvement and removal, and stormwater management design. And with every project, our team takes responsibility for protecting communities and natural ecosystems.

Healthcare

Much of our work since our founding has been to support health and wellness projects led by our Bodwe Group sister companies, from large-scale primary care facilities and satellite clinics to community centers and supportive housing. And now, with our comprehensive offering of full-service AE capabilities, healthcare continues to be a priority.

Education

Over the past five years, the Bodwe Group has steadily increased its depth of experience in education and Steelhead team members have been essential to this work. We have helped complete dozens of school assessments for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and we are now engaged in multiple projects for school campus design.

Housing

The Steelhead team is experienced in Tribal housing work, including multiple projects to provide supportive housing. We are also engaged with our Bodwe Group sister companies to deliver a growing portfolio of multi-story, mixed-use residential design projects.

Community

The traditional lands of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi are in the area we now call southwest Michigan. We are honored to call this beautiful area our home and we are proud to serve the communities in which we live. We partner with purpose with local organizations interested in building projects that build strong community.

Lighting a fire for current and future generations

Our mission is to benefit future generations of Pokagon citizens and with that long view in mind we choose the often-hard work of doing what’s meaningful and good. We choose it again and again to benefit wellness and missions and opportunities for people.

1.6M
PATIENTS
SUPPORTED
13K
TRIBAL STUDENTS
BENEFITED
160
FEDERAL PROJECTS
COMPLETED
50
NATIVE NATIONS
SERVED
5.6K
HOUSING UNITS
PROVIDED
WÉ CULTURE

Join our values-driven family

Wé give back

We foster generosity and reciprocity with the communities we work in, Indigenous communities across the country, and with each other.

Wé grow together

We support an environment where we all succeed when there is intentional focus on learning and one generation mentors the next.

Wé value balance

We commit to a culture that benefits our staff through flexible scheduling, hybrid opportunities, parental leave, and unlimited PTO.

Contact us

If you are interested in beginning a new project, you are a potential teaming partner, or you just want to chat about great architecture and engineering, please drop us a note.

Locations

259 E. Michigan Avenue, Suite 407
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
269-585-2255

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