Black & Veatch has entered into a lease agreement for 19,000-square-feet of additional office space at an adjacent building, at 8330 Ward Parkway, to accommodate more than 75 new professionals in the company’s expanding water business.
The staff count at the company has increased by 110 professionals, to more than 500, during the past year at the company’s 8400 Ward Parkway location in Kansas City, Mo., home to the company’s water business.
“Our office expansions are a direct effect of an across-the-board increase in demand for the services we provide our clients,” said Howard Withey, chief administrative officer for Black & Veatch. “Although we have expanded the number of professionals to support this business growth, we continue to actively recruit high-quality talent to meet the ongoing market demands.”
Globally, in 2006, Black & Veatch added more than 100,000-square-feet of office space and expects a similar expansion in 2007 as a result of growth in its energy, water, telecommunications, management consulting and federal services operations.
In early 2007, Black & Veatch plans to move 160 telecommunications professionals from its 11401 Lamar Avenue location to the Corporate Woods complex in Overland Park, Kan. The move will provide additional office space to accommodate growth of the company’s telecommunications division.
The company’s 8400 Ward Parkway location recently completed a $2.9 million renovation that features expanded conference and training rooms, informal meeting areas, an open floor plan and the first corporate rain garden in Kansas City. Following the renovation, more than 30 professionals from the company’s water business transferred back to the building after working from the company’s Lamar Avenue location.
Additionally, Black & Veatch recently added nine new locations and 900 new professionals in the UK as the result of an acquisition in its water business that doubled the size of the company’s UK water operations. Excluding that acquisition, Black & Veatch’s global water business had a staff count increase of 7.5 percent in 2006.
Source: Black & Veatch
