After a 4% decline in regional revenue in 2020 over 2019, San Antonio-based Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc. rebounded strongly in 2021 with 24% growth thanks to the booming Texas infrastructure market and its committed employees.
The civil engineering firm has offices in every major metropolitan city in Texas. Pape-Dawson’s teams completed 3,713 multidisciplinary projects in 2021 across a numerous sectors, such as commercial and residential land development, transportation planning and design, traffic engineering, as well as water resources planning and design.
To meet the demands of its clients across the state, Pape-Dawson is currently expanding its service areas and geographic reach by opening a new office in Corpus Christi to better serve the Coastal Bend area, and the firm also recently acquired Dowdey, Anderson & Associates (DAA) in Plano.
One of the firm’s most marked standouts is its commitment to being the most respected engineering company in Texas and its goal of hiring and retaining employees with the same values.
After experiencing a seamless transition to an optional work-from-home environment at the height of the pandemic in 2020, and recognizing the disruption to normal workflow was minimal, Pape-Dawson leadership established a permanent policy regarding flexible work timeframes and remote working options. The firm also provides competitive salaries with annual performance reviews and countless opportunities for personal and professional development. Another perk is the company’s family-like culture that aims to make every employee feel significant and appreciated. In 2021, employee engagement was at an all-time high thanks to virtual and in-person activities such as bingo, trivia, themed birthday Fridays, employee appreciation lunches and more.
Meanwhile, the firm’s expansive project portfolio includes the Vista Ridge Regional Water Supply Project that stretches from Burleson to Bexar Counties in Texas. The project is the largest design-build pipeline project in the state’s history, with a bar-wrapped concrete cylinder and polyurethane-coated, welded steel pipeline ranging from 54-in. to 60-in. dia., traveling over 142 miles.
Other major projects include Boone Manor, a podium-style, high-rise residential building that spans 13 stories, with nine floors above four levels of parking, in Houston’s Museum District, as well as the Loop 1604 Expansion, part of a six-segment project to improve Loop 1604’s capacity in San Antonio. Pape-Dawson is providing services to improve segments 3 and 4 of the highway, totaling 10.6 miles.
As part of Pape-Dawson’s mission to be the most respected engineering firm in their geographic and technical areas of practice, the company's leadership encourages active participation in professional and civic organizations. The Pape-Dawson Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is funded and managed entirely by employees. Combined charitable giving from employees and the firm totaled more than $5 million in 2021.
For more on Pape-Dawson’s achievements, check out the May 30 issue of ENR Texas & Louisiana.
