Michael Baker International, a Pittsburgh-headquartered engineering and consulting firm, has announced an organizational realignment to broaden its capabilities and drive growth.
The firm – which has approximately 3,000 professionals delivering services in design, planning, architecture, environment, construction, and program management – says its “Reimagine Michael Baker” initiative aims to transform it into a full-service engineering and consulting firm in the next five years.
Focus areas of the plan include accelerating growth in federal contracts, “dramatically” advancing technology-based solutions, and expanding offerings in the consulting space, according to a press release.
“To Reimagine Michael Baker, we will boldly move forward with the goal of serving our clients with expanded offerings, harnessing technology that differentiates the solutions we deliver, and providing additional personal and professional growth opportunities for our employees, while continuing to reinvest in new training and incentive compensation,” said Brian Lutes, CEO of Michael Baker International.
Lutes will lead a new executive committee tasked with driving the company’s short- and long-term growth strategy. He will be joined by CFO Amy Davis, as well as a trio of newly promoted presidents in key growth areas: Kent Zinn, infrastructure; James Koch, federal programs and services; and Dan Kieny, consulting and technology solutions.
“Our company’s goal is to constantly evolve, grow, and improve, and our new organizational structure and enabling strategies reinforce our commitment to Reimagine Michael Baker and partner with our clients to uniquely employ various technology solutions to reinvigorate and reinvent our nation’s infrastructure,” said Thomas Campbell, chairman at Michael Baker. “There are myriad opportunities in our sector, challenged by unprecedented complexities, and we must leverage our capabilities to seize the limitless possibilities ahead.”
Engineering firms are eager to capitalize on increased infrastructure spending from stimulus bills, as well as a general boon in Covid-19 related government contracts. Technology consulting is a category that has also picked up immense steam from Covid-related challenges. There is also a growing sentiment at large engineering firms to focus on high-margin consulting work and avoid fixed-price construction contracts.
Michael Baker says it will drive growth through various avenues, including Datamark, its public safety geographic information systems team; deepening its portfolio in asset management services, including data processing, AI, and workflow automation; leveraging its relationships with departments of transportation across the US; and capturing more structural engineering projects.