K+W 50th Anniversary Series
This week K+W caps off the celebration of our 50th anniversary. Follow along for a look back at the videos which encapsulate our history, culture, and commitment to clients and communities as we look forward to the next 50 years.
50 Years of Legacy
First off, we’re examining the firm’s legacy—what gave it staying power through a time of tremendous change, and how that legacy forms the model to address changes yet to come. Click the link below to watch the video.
Honoring Jim + Dick
Who are Kier and Wright? In the second video of K+W’s 50-year celebration, we look at two professionals who were thoroughly grounded in the fundamentals and theory of their work. At the same time, they saw an opportunity to react nimbly to changes in the AEC world and to provide opportunities for compatriots at the same time. Click the link below to watch the video.
50 Years of Technology + Project Design Changes
As we continue recapping K+W’s 50-year anniversary, we grapple with the fact that the pace of a modern surveying or engineering project would have been unrecognizably fast when the firm was founded. Projects that took years now take months; projects that took months now take weeks. The difference has much to do with technology—and the ability of senior K+W leaders to listen to younger colleagues with fresh knowledge of newer developments. Click the link below to watch the video.
50 Years of Culture Changes
Who can really change the culture at an established professional firm? Everyone. Kier + Wright employees join the firm with a thorough grounding in the fundamentals and theory of their professional work. That said, they all arrived by unique paths, with unique insights and hard-earned lessons that the firm wants them to share for the betterment of their colleagues and the benefit of their clients. Click the link below to watch the video.
50 Years of Mentorship
‘I want to emulate those that were before me . . . and I want to set that path for those that follow me.’ Despite a 50-year history, continuity at K+W is mainly a matter of looking forward. With senior managers who joined the firm as interns and a culture of promoting people who also work their way up the ranks, the firm knows that younger employees must be supported to avoid breakdowns but must also be given the opportunity to learn in their individual ways. Click the link below to watch the video.
50 Years of More Effective Collaboration
‘We only work for our friends . . . but we have a lot of friends.’ From its beginning with two partners working above a machine shop, collaboration was key—first to K+W’s survival and then to its growth. The firm grew by word of mouth, with one client telling the next about successful collaborations with a new firm bringing confidence in its own skills but a measure of humility when listening to the desires of clients and the insights of other team members. Click the link below to watch the video.
50 Years of Problem Solving
A 50-year history carries its share of jobsite horror stories. A dump site with a large creek going through it, a water main suspended on wooden trestles, 25 ALTA surveys needed in 10 days—and a new-at-the-time Apple II to the rescue. Click the link below for examples of how Kier + Wright sought to become the firm that solves problems that no one else can—and how it was done.
Vision for the Next 50 Years
What might the next 50 years look like at Kier + Wright? We will respect and continue the organic growth that has made the firm a leader in civil engineering, land surveying, and construction staking. We will look as well for opportunities with clients whose operations involve other geographic regions and existing K+W know-how in areas like land development, renewable energy, and water resources, all the while feeding new learning back into our core strengths. Click the link below to watch the video.