Kansas City area engineering firms stay high in national rankings
Kansas City’s engineering firms held their own on this year’s Engineering News-Record top 500 list, taking three of the top 20 spots, and 11 total.
The area’s biggest engineering firms — Black & Veatch at No. 15, Burns & McDonnell at No. 17, and HNTB at No. 20 — each moved up a spot from a year ago on the list, which was based on 2014 revenue. Terracon Consultants checked in at No. 35, the same as a year ago.
The area’s 11 firms on the list had combined revenue of more than $4.4 billion last year. In contrast, five St. Louis area firms made the list, with just over $906 million in revenue.
The Engineering News-Record also listed the top 20 firms in nine categories, and Burns & McDonnell was No. 17 in the largest of those categories, industrial processes and petroleum, No. 3 in power and No. 17 in manufacturing. In the second largest sector, transportation, HNTB was No. 4, and the Kansas City areas fifth largest firm, TranSystems, was No. 16.
In the third largest category, general building, Terracon was No. 11. It also was No. 15 in telecommunications
Black & Veatch was No. 1 in the telecommunications sector, No. 4 in power, No. 5 in water and No. 8 in sewer and waste.
The sixth largest firm headquartered in the metro area, DLR Group, focuses its specialties in different offices around the country. Its main work out of its Overland Park office is construction of schools from elementary through high school. The next largest area firm, Populous, is known worldwide for its stadium and arena designs.
The Engineering News-Record noted that this was the 50th year for its list. The three largest area firms were all on the original list in 1965 — since-shortened Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff at No. 4, Black & Veatch at No. 16, and Burns & McDonnell at No. 52. All three of those firms are at least a century old now. And Terracon, which was renamed and moved to this area in 1980, celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
Top area engineering firms
From the Engineering New-Record, by 2014 revenue.
Firm, headquarters | Rank | Revenue, $ millions | Top sector, % of firm’s revenue |
Black & Veatch, Overland Park | 15 | 1,266.6 | Power, 47% |
Burns & McDonnell, KC | 17 | 1,103.1 | Power, 56% |
HNTB Cos., KC | 20 | 933.7 | Transportation, 95% |
Terracon Consultants, Olathe | 35 | 483.7 | General building, 53% |
TransSystems Corp., KC | 63 | 202.1 | Transportation, 100% |
DLR Group, Overland Park | 94 | 130.0 | General building, 100% |
Populous, KC | 105 | 122.0 | General building, 100% |
Henderson Engineers, Lenexa | 158 | 77.5 | General building, 95% |
Shafer, Kline & Warren, Lenexa | 320 | 36.6 | Industrial, petroleum, 59% |
GBA, Lenexa | 359 | 32.0 | Transportation, 51% |
Sega Inc., Overland Park | 429 | 25.4 | Power, 100% |
This story was originally published May 25, 2015 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Kansas City area engineering firms stay high in national rankings."