Kansas City is home to some of the oldest and highest-ranked engineering firms in the country, as well as to some of the best and brightest in industry talent. In 2015 the respected trade publication Engineering News-Record ranked local firms HNTB, Burns & McDonnell, and Black & Veatch among the top twenty firms in the nation, as well as including a total of 11 Kansas City area firms on their top 500 list. In 2014, the 11 firms listed had a combined revenue of over $4.4 billion, making them a major contributor to the local and national economies.
Ranked 20th by Engineering News-Record, HNTB is an award-winning firm specializing in infrastructure solutions for even the most complex projects. Burns & McDonnell, which was ranked 17th, offers a wide range of design services to industries including aviation, construction, transportation, water, and oil and gas. Black & Veatch, which specializes in crucial human infrastructure development in a global context, was ranked 15th on the list. All three of these companies are over 100 years old and represent major contributors to the Kansas City area workforce, collectively employing several thousand local workers. All three firms are also employee-owned, with HNTB being ranked as one of the largest majority employee-owned companies in the nation.
Also on Engineering News-Record’s list were Olathe-based Terracon Consultants, established in 1965, and Lenexa-based Henderson Engineers, established in 1970. Both firms saw the majority of their 2014 revenue in the form of general building and have served the local community and cities across the United States. Perhaps the oldest firm in the area is Lenexa’s Kiewit Engineering & Design Co., a subsidiary of the Omaha-based Kiewit Corporation, whose history dates back to 1884.
As the successes of these and other Kansas City area firms demonstrate, the old adage holds true: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Whether your specialty is mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, or another sector of the industry, building a well-respected firm requires a great deal of time and, moreover, a great roster of knowledgeable, reliable talent. Fortunately, Kansas City’s long history as an engineering center, combined with more recent local development of the industry, makes it that much easier to establish or grow your team by obtaining local talent. Naturally, engineers can be found where their industry is thriving.
Whether your firm is long-established or up-and-coming, when acquiring new talent you want an individual whose training, experience, and personality perfectly fit both the job description and the culture of your workplace. A Kansas City recruiting company such as Austin Nichols Technical Search, which specializes in direct hire and contract recruiting for engineering, can help you to streamline the hiring process to identify the best of the best candidates out there—efficiently and affordably.
Austin Nichols Technical Search is the most trusted Kansas City recruiting company offering direct hire and contract recruiting for engineering, manufacturing, and technical positions. Established in 1988, we possess nearly three decades of experience helping our clients stay ahead of the competition by acquiring the best available industry talent through direct hire and contract recruiting.
