KANSAS CITY, MO--(Marketwired - Jan 4, 2016) - After more than 35 years at Burns & McDonnell, chairman and CEO Greg Graves announced to the firm's more than 5,300 employee-owners today that he will retire at the end of 2016. Graves, arguably one of the most transformational leaders in the firm's 118-year history, has served as CEO since 2004. He is the firm's sixth CEO, second in tenure only to a member of the co-founding McDonnell family who held the position more than four decades ago.
"I'm a big believer in bringing in new perspectives to an organization, and I think it's time for someone else to have an opportunity to provide their vision for Burns & McDonnell," says Graves, who came to Burns & McDonnell as a mechanical engineer after graduating from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
"When I took the job of CEO, I made it my responsibility to use this role to make a real difference for our employee-owners and the city that's been home to our world headquarters for more than a century. I have to say, I'm really proud of what we've accomplished."
Company Growth
Burns & McDonnell has experienced explosive growth since Graves took the role of CEO in 2004:
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The number of employee-owners has more than tripled from approximately 1,500 to more than 5,300 today. Burns & McDonnell's world headquarters is now the site of one of Kansas City's largest construction projects, with a major expansion expected to be completed in the spring.
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The firm has continued to diversify its business. It now offers more than 350 services in fields ranging from architecture to zoology; and is now ranked no. 17 on Engineering News-Record magazine's list of Top 500 Design Firms.
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Sales at the firm have ballooned by more than 570 percent from $387 million in 2003 to $2.6 billion in 2015.
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The number of regional offices within the United States grew by nearly 30 percent, combined with development globally that included the launch of an international division with offices in India and Canada.
Company Culture
Eighteen years before Graves took on the role as CEO, he watched his firm go through a rebirth by becoming 100 percent employee-owned. The move sparked a culture of entrepreneurialism that Graves was ready to harness and take to the next level and make Burns & McDonnell the place to work.
"The first year we submitted to FORTUNE's Best Companies to Work For List, we landed in the 50s," says Graves, who then studied the top 10 companies with a goal of rising to the top. "Each year we would introduce a variety of new services or benefits to our employees-owners. It could be something as simple as on-site dry cleaning or farmers markets to larger investments, like an in-house medical center. This year, we're introducing an on-site child care center and pharmacy."