WGI Paves Over Expectations; Accolades and Growth Already Exceed Last Year

September 30, 2019

WGI Paves Over Expectations; Accolades and Growth Already Exceed Last Year

(West Palm Beach, FL – September 30, 2019) National design and professional services firm WGI, a leader in technology-based solutions for the construction of public infrastructure and real estate development, has been in overdrive for the first three quarters of 2019, exceeding 2018 in the expansion of its employees, services, clients, and geographic footprint.

WGI kicked off the new year with the acquisition of Austin, TX-based BIG RED DOG, adding to its Texas market presence with five locations in the state and a gaining a team with a reputation as disruptors in the profession. That energy set the stage for three quarters of exceptional performance, additional new offices in Colorado and Virginia, entry into another new market – the Bahamas, over 200 new associates, 1,000+ new contracts.

Once again, the business community took notice with a list of recognitions and professional awards for specific work, including:

WGI rose in rank to #47 on the South Florida Business Journal‘s “Top 100 List of Private Companies” and to #3 on its “Top 25 Engineering Firms in South Florida” list
The Zweig Group ranked WGI #24 on the Best Firms to Work For list, as well multiple other list placements
WGI rose 26 places over 2018 to rank #224 on ENR’s list of 2019’s Top 500 Design Firms
WGI’s Parking Solutions Division won the Texas Parking & Transportation Association’s 2019 Parking Restoration Project of the Year for Campus at Legacy West
WGI’s BIG RED DOG team won the Austin Business Journal’s 2019 Commercial Real Estate Awards for Multifamily – Tyndall at Robertson Hill, and Retail – Belterra Village
The ACEC-Florida also awarded WGI the Engineering Excellence Outstanding Project Award in its Outstanding Design-Build Category for I-75 Express Lanes

Slowing down is neither an option, nor part of WGI’s core philosophy. Since stepping into the role of president in September of 2018, Gregory Sauter and David Wantman, the firm’s CEO, share a transformative vision for the firm founded in 1972.

“Greg and I both believe that our profession is in a constant state of evolution,” says David Wantman. “We have to recognize, assess, and then integrate the continual advances that will result in resilient, sustainable, and connected communities.”

“I came to WGI because David built a culture and a team of associates that understand – and are eager – to look at the future of our profession,” adds Greg Sauter, “and get excited about being catalysts in the collaborative culture needed for WGI to advance toward our 2025 vision as a market-leading company with outsized impacts on our clients and communities by fundamentally changing how infrastructure is envisioned, designed, and delivered. We are re-envisioning the entire delivery process and challenging ourselves to invent the future. It’s not one division, or one line of business – it’s the entire interconnectivity of how what we do affects the lives of so many.”

WGI’s trajectory attracted significant and high-profile new hires in 2019, bringing total associates to nearly 600, including:

Lisa Nisenson, Vice President, New Mobility and Connected Communities
Robert Hanson, Vice President, Geospatial
David M.Y. Millikan, Vice President, Texas Transportation Regional Manager
Glenn Havinoviski, Manager, Transportation Technology and Connected Communities
Kimberlee DeBosier, Director of Project Excellence
R. Mark Pitchford, Operations Manager, Geospatial Division/Tampa FL

Both Sauter and Wantman agree that making sure the firm’s growing range of capabilities and services are marketed to both existing and potential clients is exponentially enhanced by the addition of Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer Will Schnier, BIG RED DOG’s creative leader.

“We are building a firm with extraordinary talent and great vision. We are investing heavily in cutting-edge technology. We are evolving our corporate image through the addition of BIG RED DOG’s disruptive marketing energy,” says Wantman.

Of the more than 1,000 new contracts already awarded in 2019, some of the most significant include:

Public Clients

Florida Department of Transportation — Districtwide Value Engineering Contract
City of San Antonio Water and Wastewater Project – San Antonio Water System
Los Alamos National Laboratory — Parking Structure Design, Los Alamos, NM
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise — Continuing Services for All Electronic Tolling and Express Lanes Design Support
Florida Department of Environmental Regulation – Ft. Clinch State Park Pier, Structural Solutions, Environmental, Geospatial, and SUE
Ed White Elementary School Renovation — League City, TX
Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority — Miscellaneous Planning and Traffic Services
Florida Department of Transportation — Improvements for SR 7/US 441 Transit Corridor Improvements
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise — Widen HEFT from four to six lanes with express lanes (MP 2-MP 6)
Delray Beach FL City Marina – Continuing Engineering and Inspection Services
Florida Department of Transportation — SR 865 (San Carlos) from Estero Boulevard to CR 869 (Summerlin), Roadway Reconfiguration, Signalization, and Landscape Services
Ingham County, Architectural and Engineering Services for Exterior Renovations to the Hilliard Building — Mason, MI
City of Eau Claire, WI — Comprehensive Downtown Parking Study Update
State of Michigan — General AE Services
Lighthouse Point, FL — Review and Rewrite of City Code (RFP 2019-004)
Florida Department of Transportation — I-75 Northbound Rest Area Design-Build
Illinois Department of Transportation — Continuing SUE Services
Grand Rapids, MI — Parking Operational Assessment
Florida Department of Transportation — Districtwide Continuing SUE and Utility Locating Services
City of Palm Beach Gardens, FL — Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations update
City of College Station, TX — Northgate District Mobility Study and Plan
City of Lake Worth Beach, FL — CRA Planning Services City Block Redevelopment
Pinellas County, FL — Professional Engineering for Countywide Unmanned Aerial Services
Colorado School of Mines — Parking Structure Design, Golden, CO
Miami-Dade County, FL — Matheson Hammock State Park Restoration
Florida Department of Transportation — I-10 Reconstruction from I-295 to downtown Jacksonville

Private Clients

Sunlake Boulevard/Metro Development Group – Design Services, Pasco County, FL
Mirada Crystal Lagoon/Metro Development Group – Design Services, Pasco County, FL
Walker’s Cay Island, Bahamas — Master Planning, and Engineering Services
Children’s Hospital New Orleans — Parking Operational Assessment
Virgin Trains Railway — Construction Surveying, Vibration Monitoring, SUE, As-Built surveys for 260 miles of rail
Shark Wake Park at Okeeheelee Park, Structural Engineering, Palm Beach County, FL
Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, Mixed-Use Development, Civil and MEP Services, Austin, TX
Uptown Plum Creek, Planned-Unit Development, Civil and MEP Services, Kyle, TX

While WGI continued to expand its “one-stop shop” provision and broad range of offerings, it streamlined them into the following services and markets:

MARKETS:

Cities and Communities: Civic | Parks | Sports + Recreation | Public Infrastructure | Smart + Connected
Development: Hospitality + Resorts | Mixed-Use | Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) | Office + Corporate | Residential | Retail | Urban Infill
Education: K-12 | Higher Education
Energy: Oil + Gas | Renewable Energy (Wind + Solar) | Transmission + Distribution
Healthcare: Medical Office Buildings | Hospitals | Ambulatory Centers
Industrial: Distribution Centers | Manufacturing | Storage Facilities
Technology: Data Centers | Telecommunication
Transportation: Aviation | Highways, Roadways + Bridges | New Mobility + Autonomous Vehicles | Parking | Rail + Transit | Tolls + Managed Lanes
Water + Environment: Marine + Coastal | Stormwater Management | Water + Wastewater Utility

“We continue to actively pursue national and international opportunities as a holistic organization that will further strengthen the firm,” notes Sauter. “We’ll never lose sight that WGI always has – and always will — provide an unwavering level of client service established back in 1972.”

“And most importantly, we know that we must assure a clear career path for our valued professionals – we cannot do this without the ability to attract the best talent, retain brilliance, and supporting an environment that cultivates bright, forward-thinking young people,” adds Wantman.

“WGI is a firm with limitless possibilities and opportunities to achieve our goals.”

WGI — Providing Tomorrow’s Infrastructure Solutions Today.

WGI is a national design and professional services firm leading in technology-based solutions for the construction of public infrastructure and real estate development. WGI has 19 offices in eight states, serving an active client base in over 30 states, specializing in the following disciplines: land development/municipal engineering, traffic and transportation engineering, parking solutions, geospatial services, subsurface utility engineering, structures, landscape architecture, environmental sciences, architecture, land planning, MEP engineering, and creative services. In 2019, ENR ranked WGI #224 – up 26 places — on its list of the Top 500 Design Firms, #25 on its Top Southeast Design Firms, and #10 in the Florida market. South Florida Business Journal ranked WGI #3 (up from #5) on its 2019 Top 25 Engineering Firms. The Zweig Group ranked WGI #23 on the 2019 Best Firms to Work For and #76 on its 2019 Hot Firms list. For more information, please visit www.wginc.com.