Burns & McDonnell launches transformation consulting arm 1898 & Co.
Burns & McDonnell, a Kansas City, Missouri–based design and engineering firm, has launched consulting arm 1898 & Co. The unit will offer business and technology consulting services to complement Burns & McDonnell’s architecture, engineering, and construction offerings, and will be an integral part of the firm instead of a separate company.
Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell has 7,000 employees across offices mostly situated in the United States, but with further locations across the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia. The employee-owned firm delivers design and engineering consulting to clients across a range of industries, including energy, aviation, manufacturing, and government.
The firm has set out an ambitious growth strategy to hire 1,000 new employees each year. Now, the firm is also expanding its capability set by moving into the lucrative management and technology advisory area.
Burns & McDonnell began developing the 1898 & Co. unit in 2017, and officially launched it this week. Since 2017, the company has grown 55%, and the new unit will generate new job opportunities for high-demand tech and management consultants. The company, which books $2.6 billion in annual revenues, plans to grow 1898 & Co. projects by 80% over the next five years.
"As a company, Burns & McDonnell has been designing and building clients' futures since 1898," Ray Kowalik, CEO of Burns & McDonnell, said. "Staying in stride with the modern world takes intelligent investment and optimized business strategy. The consultants and technologists at 1898 & Co. are well-equipped to provide effective solutions to meet the needs of constantly changing markets."
The unit will offer business optimization and strategic asset planning, leveraging data solutions to improve infrastructure portfolios and business outcomes; digital transformation services such as software, digital roadmap, and integration services to future-proof businesses; and security consulting to strategically manage cyber and physical threats while remaining compliant.
"We understand our clients' business objectives because we helped create their most critical infrastructure," Chris Underwood, general manager of 1898 & Co., said. "1898 & Co., together with Burns & McDonnell, is capable of delivering value across the entire life cycle of an asset – whether physical or digital, from conception to construction and through operations – by driving smarter decisions, improving performance and maximizing value, faster and more transparently than ever."
Burns & McDonnell announced that it has already assembled an oil, gas, and chemical consulting team for 1898 & Co. which will deliver business and technology solutions to the sector. The firm has also assembled a seasoned team of management consultants to drive transformations across sectors.
The company further announced a new cloud-based software-as-a-solution (SaaS) product – AssetLens – which enriches existing datasets with key financial health algorithms to better inform capital expenditure decisions.
