Engineering firms and engineering/architecture firms—those that earn more than 50% of their revenues from engineering—have their sights set on foreign shores. Many are jumping headfirst into international waters.
“Instead of overseeing projects from New York, our firm has established offices in Mumbai, Moscow, and other cities outside North America, aiming to overcome the challenge of navigating the local landscape or hiring practices, tax law, and business practices,” says Thomas Z. Scarangello, PE, CEO and Chairman of EA Giant Thornton Tomasetti.
Other firms are just dipping their toes into foreign waters, still looking for international business but choosing not to establish additional offices. Brad Harmsen, AIA, Chairman/CEO of BRPH, says that although his firm is actively working in locales across the globe, they’re partnering with domestic firms to do so, partly because of “the learning curve that comes when working with different currencies and legalities.”
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIANTS 300 ENGINEERING & ENGINEERING/ARCHITECTURE FIRM RANKINGS
Shanghai and Dubai are hot spots for E and EA Giants these days. Glumac, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, and Syska Hennessy Group have opened or expanded their offices in Shanghai. KJWW and Syska Hennessy opened new offices in Dubai. Thornton Tomasetti bucked the trend and opened offices in Beijing and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while Arup Americas opened new offices in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, just in time for soccer’s World Cup in 2014.
Establishing an office abroad is one thing; getting the business is something entirely different. Referring specifically to the Middle East, Paul VanDuyne, PE, president of KJWW, says, “It takes approximately two years to develop the appropriate relationships, name recognition, and reputation to be successful in obtaining projects in this region.”
Despite the difficulties, an increasingly large share of engineering Giants’ yearly revenue is coming from international projects. Magnusson Klemencic President Ron Klemencic, PE, SE, says that 20-30% of MKA’s gross revenue comes from international business, while KJWW anticipates that 10% of its 2013 revenue will come from international projects. Syska Hennessy Group’s goal is to beef up its international activity by 25% over the next five years.
KEY ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY
Beyond establishing an international presence, technology is also a crucial differentiator for E and EA Giants firms.
Syska Hennessy Group’s new Information and Communications Technology group is offering an expanded scope of services for organizations looking to upgrade their IT platforms with the latest technologies. “Our new offerings include tools and expertise to apply virtualization of existing client environments, data center relocation management, disaster recovery and IT security services, and network and Internet/intranet design and implementation,” said Co-CEO/Co-president Cyrus J. Izzo, PE.
Thornton Tomasetti launched a new Building Sustainability practice in January and now offers LEED consulting and administration, energy and daylight modeling, and sustainable business strategies. The firm also has an advanced computational modeling team; it leverages new technologies by developing custom digital tools that utilize generative and parametric modeling, which enables its engineers to collaborate more effectively with architects in the early phases of design.
HELPING CLIENTS FIND THE MONEY FOR PROJECTS
New financing solutions are also playing a part in E/EA Giants’ business strategies. With the U.S. construction market still in recovery, alternative financing methods are being sought out to help clients put together the dollars they need to complete projects.
At Syska Hennessy Group, public-private partnerships are on the radar. “We are observing an increase in P3 projects across geographies and market sectors,” said Syska Hennessy Group’s Izzo. “The first building being delivered as a true P3 is the Long Beach courthouse in California, which will top out this summer.”
Others are bringing on experts to find the money. Graef hired an economic development specialist, Ronald Van Straten, who has more than 25 years’ experience in helping mostly municipal clients seek grants, low-cost loans, and other funding streams for their capital projects, including tax increment financing.
HEAVY CONCENTRATION AT THE TOP 10 FIRMS
As is true of most of the categories in our Giants 300 rankings, there is a great deal of concentration at the highest level in the E and EA markets. The top 10 engineering firms generated 47% of total revenue for the category, while the top 10 engineering/architecture Giants generated a hefty 85% of the dollars in their group. +
ENGINEERING FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Total Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Fluor Corp. | 220,674,900 |
| 2 | Arup | 140,324,134 |
| 3 | WSP USA | 98,900,000 |
| 4 | Syska Hennessy Group | 98,744,701 |
| 5 | Affiliated Engineers | 92,815,000 |
| 6 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 89,000,000 |
| 7 | Henderson Engineers | 61,266,000 |
| 8 | AKF Group | 58,100,000 |
| 9 | TTG/TMAD Taylor & Gaines | 56,820,300 |
| 10 | Smith Seckman Reid | 53,497,000 |
| 11 | R.G. Vanderweil Engineers | 49,823,500 |
| 12 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 43,784,892 |
| 13 | Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers | 40,100,000 |
| 14 | Coffman Engineers | 37,200,000 |
| 15 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 36,387,033 |
| 16 | Degenkolb Engineers | 35,398,917 |
| 17 | Sebesta Blomberg | 35,120,000 |
| 18 | ESD/Environmental Systems Design | 34,465,000 |
| 19 | Rolf Jensen & Associates | 34,300,000 |
| 20 | Walter P Moore | 34,231,775 |
| 21 | RMF Engineering | 34,005,000 |
| 22 | Glumac | 33,010,927 |
| 23 | Magnusson Klemencic Associates | 32,306,973 |
| 24 | RDK Engineers | 30,882,000 |
| 25 | Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch | 28,836,967 |
| 26 | Aon Fire Protection Engineering | 28,200,000 |
| 27 | Birdsall Services Group | 27,500,000 |
| 28 | Interface Engineering | 25,938,485 |
| 29 | M/E Engineering | 25,915,000 |
| 30 | ccrd partners | 24,100,000 |
| 31 | H.F. Lenz Co. | 22,799,000 |
| 32 | Heapy Engineering | 21,402,816 |
| 33 | Sparling | 20,589,847 |
| 34 | ThermalTech Engineering | 19,890,000 |
| 35 | KCI Technologies | 19,761,000 |
| 36 | Newcomb & Boyd | 18,454,021 |
| 37 | Henneman Engineering | 18,000,000 |
| 38 | Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Eng. | 17,650,492 |
| 39 | GHT Limited | 17,363,705 |
| 40 | Eaton Energy Solutions | 16,694,769 |
| 41 | Rutherford & Chekene | 16,538,000 |
| 42 | Dunham Associates | 15,500,000 |
| 43 | Joseph R. Loring & Associates | 15,000,000 |
| 44 | Wallace Engineering | 13,780,000 |
| 45 | James Posey Associates | 13,500,000 |
| 46 | KLH Engineers | 12,559,382 |
| 47 | Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers | 12,500,000 |
| 48 | Karpinski Engineering | 12,343,996 |
| 49 | P2S Engineering | 11,896,229 |
| 50 | RMH Group, The | 11,864,683 |
| 51 | Peter Basso Associates | 10,400,000 |
| 52 | Rist-Frost-Shumway Engineering | 10,039,000 |
| 53 | French & Parrello Associates | 9,782,762 |
| 54 | Bala Consulting Engineers | 9,360,000 |
| 55 | Allen & Shariff | 8,610,036 |
| 56 | Wick Fisher White | 7,821,928 |
| 57 | Brinjac Engineering | 7,342,166 |
| 58 | CTLGroup | 6,030,000 |
| 59 | O’Dea, Lynch, Abbattista Consulting Engineers | 5,900,000 |
| 60 | FBA Engineering | 4,000,000 |
| 61 | Kamm Consulting | 3,681,775 |
| 62 | Apogee Consulting Group | 2,485,000 |
| 63 | G&W Engineering | 2,058,000 |
ENGINEERING/ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
| Rank | Company | 2011 Total Revenue ($) |
| 1 | Jacobs | 2,699,100,000 |
| 2 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 1,487,000,000 |
| 3 | M+W U.S. | 1,015,199,252 |
| 4 | Stantec | 463,300,000 |
| 5 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 311,300,000 |
| 6 | URS Corp. | 294,100,000 |
| 7 | exp | 205,000,000 |
| 8 | Science Applications International Corp. | 185,390,000 |
| 9 | Merrick & Co. | 111,000,000 |
| 10 | Day & Zimmermann | 109,909,604 |
| 11 | SSOE Group | 107,819,740 |
| 12 | STV | 104,876,000 |
| 13 | Thornton Tomasetti | 98,017,214 |
| 14 | Burns & McDonnell | 94,711,826 |
| 15 | Dewberry | 89,282,766 |
| 16 | Michael Baker Jr., Inc. | 80,730,000 |
| 17 | Middough | 75,750,000 |
| 18 | Clark Nexsen | 68,424,208 |
| 19 | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates | 64,080,000 |
| 20 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 59,170,000 |
| 21 | AKF Group | 58,100,000 |
| 22 | H&A Architects & Engineers | 39,064,020 |
| 23 | Walker Parking Consultants | 34,422,898 |
| 24 | BRPH | 31,500,000 |
| 25 | Bergmann Associates | 30,700,000 |
| 26 | Shive-Hattery | 28,192,943 |
| 27 | Atkins North America | 23,620,537 |
| 28 | Ross & Baruzzini | 20,377,769 |
| 29 | Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon | 20,100,000 |
| 30 | Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor | 18,300,000 |
| 31 | Guernsey | 18,293,701 |
| 32 | L.R. Kimball | 17,759,000 |
| 33 | GRAEF-USA | 16,770,180 |
| 34 | Zak Companies | 12,335,494 |
| 35 | CJL Engineering | 12,228,000 |
| 36 | Stanley Consultants | 10,892,000 |
| 37 | Spectrum Engineers | 8,828,890 |
| 38 | GRW | 6,290,216 |
| 39 | Davis, Bowen & Friedel | 4,680,714 |
| 40 | Vintage Archonics | 1,972,220 |
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 19, 2023
World’s first prefab operating room with fully automated disinfection technology opens in New York
The first prefabricated operating room in the world with fully automated disinfection technology opened recently at the University of Rochester Medicine Orthopedics Surgery Center in Henrietta, N.Y. The facility, developed in a former Sears store, features a system designed by Synergy Med, called Clean Cube, that had never been applied to an operating space before. The components of the Clean Cube operating room were custom premanufactured and then shipped to the site to be assembled.
Performing Arts Centers | Jul 18, 2023
Perelman Performing Arts Center will soon open at Ground Zero
In September, New York City will open a new performing arts center in Lower Manhattan, two decades after the master plan for Ground Zero called for a cultural component there. At a cost of $500 million, including $130 million donated by former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the Perelman Performing Arts Center (dubbed PAC NYC) is a 138-foot-tall cube-shaped building that glows at night.
Codes and Standards | Jul 17, 2023
Outdated federal rainfall analysis impacting infrastructure projects, flood insurance
Severe rainstorms, sometimes described as “atmospheric rivers” or “torrential thunderstorms,” are making the concept of a “1-in-100-year flood event” obsolete, according to a report from First Street Foundation, an organization focused on weather risk research.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 13, 2023
Walkable neighborhoods encourage stronger sense of community
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to interact with their neighbors and have a stronger sense of community than people who live in car-dependent communities, according to a report by the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.
Sustainability | Jul 13, 2023
Deep green retrofits: Updating old buildings to new sustainability standards
HOK’s David Weatherhead and Atenor’s Eoin Conroy discuss the challenges and opportunities of refurbishing old buildings to meet modern-day sustainability standards.
Contractors | Jul 13, 2023
Construction input prices remain unchanged in June, inflation slowing
Construction input prices remained unchanged in June compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices were also unchanged for the month.
Government Buildings | Jul 13, 2023
The recently opened U.S. Embassy in Ankara reflects U.S. values while honoring Turkish architecture
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has recently opened the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. The design by Ennead Architects aims to balance transparency and openness with security, according to a press statement. The design also seeks both to honor Turkey’s architectural traditions and to meet OBO’s goals of sustainability, resiliency, and stewardship.
Affordable Housing | Jul 12, 2023
Navigating homelessness with modular building solutions
San Francisco-based architect Chuck Bloszies, FAIA, SE, LEED AP, discusses his firm's designs for Navigation Centers, temporary housing for the homeless in northern California.
Sponsored | Fire and Life Safety | Jul 12, 2023
Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings [AIA course]
Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.
Building Owners | Jul 12, 2023
Building movement: When is it a problem?
As buildings age, their structural conditions can deteriorate, causing damage and safety concerns. In order to mitigate this, it’s important to engage in the regular inspection and condition assessment of buildings for diagnosis.
