FOOD + INDUSTRIAL

Submarkets

Food + Industrial Expertise

Practical and reliable solutions you can trust


Food production, processing, and manufacturing industries all play a crucial role in our communities. Beyond providing essential nourishment and products, they fuel innovation, job creation, and technological advancements to meet the diverse needs of our growing population.

The responsive ISG team will guide you through site selection, planning, design, engineering, and project delivery. The result? A facility that not only complies with regulatory requirements but is also tailored to your daily operational needs, optimizes efficiencies, and maximizes your return on investment.

One Firm. One Team. Multi-Disciplinary Solutions in Architecture, Engineering, Environmental, and Planning.

Food + Beverage

Whether you are a manufacturer in the dairy, poultry, protein, or milling industry, our technical experts understand the unique operational requirements within each sector of the market. We will provide you with an unparalleled user experience by delivering engineering solutions that that are customized to your business and help you solve your most complex operational challenges—including regulatory, hygiene, and sanitation requirements.

Of equal importance, we have extensive experience across the U.S., are licensed in 45 states, and have a corporate plane to ensure we can provide the level of expertise and responsive service your business requires.

Expertise

  • Cheese/Dairy processing
  • Milk Processing
  • Extended Shelf Life
  • Pork Processing
  • Beef Processing
  • Poultry Processing
  • Egg Processing
  • Spray Dryers
  • Industrial Wastewater Treatment
  • Industrial Refrigeration Engineering
  • Sanitary Design
  • Aseptic Design
  • Master Planning

Food + Beverage Portfolio

Manufacturing

ISG delivers quality, focused design, planning, and construction phase services for manufacturing and industrial partners across the U.S. Our committed professionals have dedicated years to helping manufacturing clients with everything from greenfield site selection and location analysis to complex renovations and expansions of existing industrial fabrication facilities.

We have firsthand experience with numerous specialty manufacturing processes, equipment, and systems, including automation, clean rooms, hazardous materials storage, overhead cranes, paint booths, and waste treatment systems. Our dedicated project managers will lead your project with a keen understanding of infrastructure and process planning, construction phasing strategies, lean manufacturing best practices, and project delivery models to bring you unmatched expertise.

Expertise

  • Site Selection + General Arrangement Layouts
  • Security + Automation
  • Clean Rooms
  • Employee Welfare + Training Centers
  • Energy + Air Flow Modeling
  • Hazardous Occupancy + Code Analysis
  • Lean Manufacturing Layouts
  • Loading Docks + Receiving Buildings
  • Specialty Metal Fabrication Facilities
  • Overhead Cranes + Monorails
  • Packaging + Shipping Areas
  • Paint/Powder Coat Booths
  • Process Flow Evaluations
  • Research + Development Labs

Manufacturing Portfolio

Paper + Conversion

Our commitment to your success is exemplified through a combination of distinctive features that set us apart in the paper and conversion industry. We have expertise in central plant electrical distribution and maintenance, including the capability to provide detailed arc flash evaluations and training to help employees understand the risks and adhere to safe work practices. Our water and wastewater treatment professionals can ensure your systems are operating at optimum levels, adhering to regulatory requirements, and meeting your sustainability goals.

We also prioritize the well-being of your workforce through innovative employee amenity and welfare spaces that meet your corporate welfare goals. Quality spaces and carefully planned amenities help with employee attraction and retention, safety, and comfort—ultimately leading to workers that are happier and more productive.

Expertise

  • Quality + Test Laboratories
  • Code Analysis + Loss Prevention
  • Employee Welfare + Training Centers
  • Energy + Air Flow Modeling
  • Hazardous Occupancy
  • Site Selection + Lean Manufacturing Layouts
  • Loading Docks + Rail Siding
  • Overhead Cranes + Monorails
  • Warehousing + Racking
  • Shipping + Receiving Areas
  • Converting Equipment
  • Effluent Water Treatment
  • Equipment Bases + Pipe Racks
  • Equipment Platforms

Paper + Conversion Portfolio

Agricultural Facilities

Modern agriculture is a complex business that requires engineering excellence. From cutting-edge grain storage and handling facilities to livestock barns and fertilizer storage structures, we have the comprehensive knowledge and experience to support improvements throughout your agricultural operations. Our in-house permitting and environmental professionals are prepared to support your CAFO, NPDES, and other environmental compliance needs. 

Based in the Midwest, we value the agricultural heritage that surrounds us. Providing services throughout the U.S., we also have a national perspective that enables us to bring you cutting-edge practices and emerging trends. We can help you identify the best strategies for collecting, storing, and handling harvest yields throughout the year.

Expertise

  • Waste Storage, Stormwater Control, and Construction Plans
  • Permitting
  • Concrete Testing
  • Land Surveying + Platting
  • Liquid Manure Storage Area Engineered Plans
  • On-Site Construction Inspections
  • Site Design Plans
  • Soil Investigations
  • Air Modeling , Permitting, Variance Requests
  • Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Permitting
  • Cost Share Applications
  • Department of Natural Resources (DNR) + Watershed District Permitting
  • Environmental Assessment Worksheets
  • Multi-State And Federal Wetland Permitting + Delineating

Agricultural Facilities Portfolio

Warehousing, Distribution, and Cold Storage

We pride ourselves on bringing clients unmatched expertise for everything from automated storage and retrieval warehouse systems to specialized refrigeration and storage solutions. Whether dry goods, refrigerated products, or frozen foods, we understand that each product requires seamless integration and efficient transport between handling, packaging, storage, retrieval, and shipping—all while maintaining your stringent temperature and humidification requirements.

Our team's proficiency in refrigeration system design and material handling ensures that warehousing, distribution, and cold storage solutions are not only tailored to your unique needs but also optimized for maximum efficiency to meet your energy use targets. This is backed by our relationships and ability to work with equipment vendors to help you procure long lead time equipment in synch with your project schedule—minimizing delays and unforeseen project costs.

Expertise

  • 3D Scanning + Drone
  • Code Review
  • Construction + Bid Administration
  • Energy Modeling + Air Flow Modeling
  • Environmental Review + Permitting
  • Full-service Engineering, Architecture, and Surveying
  • Greenfield Site Development
  • Master Site Planning
  • Public Incentive Negotiations
  • Receiving Building Design
  • Visualization

Warehousing, Distribution, and Cold Storage Portfolio

Industrial Wastewater

Complying with wastewater regulations requires a meticulous approach. Our team has the expertise to handle detailed feasibility reviews for existing facilities, including reviewing wastewater loadings, comparing current and future treatment requirements, and modeling to establish mass balances, design parameters, and potential effluent quality considerations.

Designing an efficient and industrial wastewater system requires proactive planning. Our in-house operators and designers work together to ensure planning keeps energy and resource utilization at the forefront of decisions. Preliminary design looks closely at equipment and implementation to ensure each treatment option is fully understood and vetted.

Expertise

  • 3D Scanning + Drone
  • Code Review
  • Construction + Bid Administration
  • Energy Modeling + Air Flow Modeling
  • Environmental Review + Permitting
  • Full-service Engineering, Architecture, and Surveying
  • Greenfield Site Development
  • Master Site Planning
  • Public Incentive Negotiations
  • Specific Nutrient Reduction
  • Visualization
  • Water Reuse Systems
  • Water Reduction Strategies

Industrial Wastewater Portfolio

FOOD + INDUSTRIAL

Featured Work

The ISG

Difference

In the vastly different worlds of food production and industrial manufacturing, one thing rings true: time is money. That’s why we quickly address design challenges for projects of all scopes and sizes, to deliver solutions that minimize downtime, improve operations, and streamline efficiencies so that you can keep doing what you do best—provide quality food, beverages, and products to your customers.

We maintain clear communication with clients throughout each project step, allowing us to drive a fast-tracked schedule and efficient project delivery.

  • Dynamic Team With Essential Expertise
  • Operational Understanding of the Industry
  • Single Point of Contact that Picks Up the Phone When You Call

Business Unit Experts

Brian Gjerde, PE

Food + Industrial Business Unit Leader

Tom Brown

Food + Industrial Operations + Facilities Strategist

Rachel Kloos

Water/Wastewater Group Leader

Nick Ellenberger, PE, LEED AP

Vice President

Mark Chambers, AIA, CDT, LEED AP

Senior Architect

Applied Tech in Action

Geographic Information System (GIS)

Using geographic information systems (GIS) integrated with Esri software, we develop valuable geospatial mapping tools that enable informed decision-making by incorporating demographic, psychographic, and socioeconomic data into visual representations.

360° Tours

Our fast-capture drone photography captures aerial, roof, or ground level imagery to create 360-degree tours that place future development plans in the context of existing spaces, helping you make better decisions faster.

"Having a reputable firm that would represent our interests and command respect in the room with all involved parties was paramount. ISG was exactly that firm and did not disappoint.

Whenever a problem arrived, and in a project of our size they inevitably do, ISG always presented a solution to the problem immediately. From their design, project management, and incredible team members who were such a joy to work with, I simply wouldn't consider another project without them being involved."

Doug Fahrforth
Blue Star Power Systems, Inc., Chief Financial Officer

Let's Chat.

The Latest at ISG

The Winds of Change May Impact Your Food Production Plant

Food production facilities are complex, dynamic systems, requiring healthy facility systems to operate correctly and prevent food contamination. An unassuming aspect of facility health lies within the HVAC systems. While heating and cooling capacities and filtration levels are often adequate, the most often overlooked aspect of the HVAC systems, is the relative pressurization between spaces.

Industry Insights

Happy National Ag Week 2022!

This National Agriculture Week of 2022, the National Ag Week theme “Growing a Climate for Tomorrow” reflects the industry’s ability to take on big challenges and turn them into opportunities. It takes strong aptitude, steady hands, countless sleepless nights, and early mornings out of bed before dawn to address the important demands to grow and raise food for a hungry planet.

Industry Insights

Production Indoor Air Quality Dependent on High Performance Systems

The air we breathe is essential to our quality of life. Still, how often do we think about air quality? Do you know how air is affecting your food production plant, the quality of your output, and your workers? In today’s food production facilities, air quality and the way it moves through the space is critical in a myriad of ways.

Industry Insights

Sustainable Industrial Refrigeration Systems for Maximized Efficiencies

In industrial refrigeration applications, efficiency, design, and sustainability are important considerations for system improvements, facility remodels, and new construction.

Industry Insights

New Rooftop Bar + Kitchen and Frandsen Bank coming to North Mankato's Belgrade Avenue

What started out as a plan to convert a former convenience store into a new bar and restaurant is morphing into a major redevelopment on Belgrade Avenue. Frandsen Bank & Trust will build new offices next to the Circle Inn, while the Rooftop Bar + Kitchen will build next to the American Legion.

Press Releases

ISG Selected as Engineering Firm for TruShrimp

The trū® Shrimp Company announced today that it had selected ISG, a top multi-disciplinary firm to support the architectural, engineering, environmental and planning efforts in support of developing a large-scale shrimp aquaculture industry.

Press Releases