CES | About Us | MEP Engineer

Mission

To provide public and private sector professionals with practical, high-reliability engineering through our 'Common Sense' philosophy, ensuring that the critical infrastructure of our communities remains functional, sustainable, and easy to manage for decades to come.

Vision

Our vision is to lead the built environment through intentional MEP, Fire protection and commissioning expertise, pairing sophisticated solutions with a practical approach that ensures long-term reliability for those who manage it.

Our Core Values

Accountability
Sustainability
Clarity
Resilience

Accountability

We own the performance of our designs from the first drawing to the final commissioning report.

Sustainability

We focus on energy efficient solutions that are easy to maintain and yield a real ROI.

Clarity

We strip away the jargon and communicate engineering challenges in a way that helps stakeholders make informed decisions.

Resilience

We design for 'worst-case' scenarios to ensure your mission-critical infrastructure never fails you.

1960s: Urban Renewal Initiatives

The 1960s was a period of active urban renewal across much of the United States, including Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This era generally involved replacing older, historic structures with modern infrastructure and civic buildings.

In 1964, CES was launched, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with Mechanical & Electrical consulting offered throughout North Carolina.

1970s: Early Efforts at Preservation

Growing opposition to urban renewal triggered a shift in the 1970s toward preserving the architectural heritage of many communities. CES provided mechanical and electrical consulting for dozens of projects throughout North Carolina.

Photograph provided by Digital Forsyth, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

1973 - Demolition of the NCNB Building at Liberty and Third St., Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

1980s: Edge Cities Arise

The 1980s were a time of urban sprawl. Massive commercial hubs were built on the outskirts of traditional cities, often at or nearby highway interchanges, and suburban office parks were being developed to be closer to where employees lived.

CES supported several of these projects with MEP, fire protection and commissioning.

Photograph provided by Digital Forsyth, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

1980 - Winston Salem State University.

1990s: Economic Development Planning

Urban areas were heavily focused on economic development planning as well as infrastructure improvements in the 1990s. Early discussions for converting historic industrial buildings were taking shape. CES supported several historic industrial building conversions with MEP, fire protection and commissioning.

Photograph provided by Digital Forsyth, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

1995 - Bock of Liberty and Fifth Trade Streets, demolished for the transit center.

1995-block-Liberty-Fifth-Trade-demo-transit-ctr

2000s: Revitalization and Adaptive Reuse

CES took on several critical projects including serving as the MEP engineer on the first LEED Gold certified school in the US, Third Creek Elementary. The school board celebrated the landmark achievement of LEED Gold certification in 2002.

At CES, we celebrated years after when the school remained efficient, comfortable and maintainable for the districts’ students and facility staff.

Photograph provided by Digital Forsyth, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

2000-400-block-north-liberty-street-demo-one-fourth-bldg

2010s - Decade of Repurposing

Between 2010 and 2020, Winston-Salem underwent a massive transformation, shifting its identity from a traditional manufacturing center ("Camel City") to a modern hub for biotech, arts, and urban living.

'The Flow Building' located at 500 W 5th Street, is one of the buildings that underwent a transformation. CES provided MEP and Commissioning. The Flow Building was originally constructed in 1980. Renovations introduced a more open, sleek feel with large glass windows and updated common areas, a multi-tenant tower that serves as a hub for corporate headquarters, financial services, and the local startup ecosystem.

2020s - Fast Growth

Since 2020, North Carolina has solidified its position as one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S.

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, there are new residential hubs, entertainment, culture and continued expansion of the innovation quarter.

Photograph, provided by Michael Graves Architects, depicts Forsyth Technical Community College Mazie S. Woodruff Aviation Technology Lab, located at Smith Reynolds Airport.

About Us

At CES, we bridge the gap between sophisticated MEP design and the practical realities of long-term operations, ensuring critical infrastructure remains reliable, sustainable, and easy to manage for the long term.