We Did That: IMEG’s top 10 achievements of 2021

Despite the challenges faced by the AEC industry last year, IMEG experienced continued growth, won several firm, project, and staff awards, and took important steps in our continuing commitment to the environment. Following is a list of our top 10 accomplishments in these areas in 2021. 

1. Project wins ACEC’s highest honor. The Denver Water Operations Complex Redevelopment was named winner of the national ACEC Grand Conceptor Award in recognition of the year’s most outstanding engineering achievement.
2. Six firms are acquired. IMEG continued its strategic growth through six acquisitions, taking the firm to more than 60 offices and 1,600 staff nationwide. 

• • PEDCO, Cincinnati, OH
  • MSA Engineering Consultants, Las Vegas, Reno, and Phoenix
  • Mendenhall Smith, Las Vegas
  • Architectural Engineers, Inc., Boston, MA
  • C&H Engineering and Surveying, Inc., Bozeman, MT
  • Sitton Energy Solutions of Illinois and Missouri

3. Largest civil project is completed. The opening to traffic in December of the new I-74 Bridge over the Mississippi River in the Quad-Cities of Iowa and Illinois marked the completion of IMEG’s largest civil project in the firm’s history.
4. Four make industry leader lists. Four of the firm’s consultants were recognized as industry-wide leaders by national AEC trade publications.  

• • Client Executive John Costello was named one of ENR’s 2022 National Top 20 Under 40. 
  • Client Executive Kris Cotharn was named to Engineered Systems Magazine’s 20 to Watch: Women in HVAC. 
  • Ryan Searles, Senior Consultant for Security Assessment and Protective Services, was selected for Building Design + Construction’s 40 Under 40 as well as Security Systems News’ 40 under 40. 
  • Client Executive Matt Chandler was named to Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 40 under 40. 

5. MEP 2040 is launched. IMEG helped to create the Carbon Leadership Forum’s new MEP 2040 Challenge, calling on systems engineers to “advocate for and achieve net zero carbon in their projects.” 
6. Three projects win regional ENR Best Project awards.

• • Iowa State University Student Innovation Center 
  • Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 
  • Cherokee Elementary School Rebuild and Remodel in Paradise Valley, AZ 

7. IMEG joins SE 2050 Commitment. Created in response to the SE 2050 Challenge, the SE 2050 Commitment calls on structural engineers to ultimately eliminate embodied carbon in their projects.
8. IMEG is named one of the greenest. The firm was ranked among Engineering News-Record’s 2021 Top 50 Green Design Firms.
9. Podcast is launched. IMEG started “The Future. Built Smarter” podcast in the spring, going on to produce 15 episodes examining innovative and trendsetting building and infrastructure design topics.
10. Firm of the year honors received. IMEG was named 2021 Colorado/Wyoming/Dakotas Design Firm of the Year by ENR Mountain States.