A century of commitment
Our story began in 1915 when two former University of Kansas graduates, Ernest Bateman (E.B.) Black and Nathan Thomas (N.T.) Veatch, formed a partnership with 12 employees in one office. Over the 110 years since, we’ve grown to more than 12,000 employees in offices worldwide.
We’ve worked with our clients time and time again to solve the pressing infrastructure challenges of our time. We’ve collaboratively designed and built the water and power plants that keep taps flowing, factories churning and homes warm in wintertime. We’ve developed process solutions like liquified natural gas, ammonia, and hydrogen that will bridge us into a lower carbon future.
As we look today to the next phase in energy transition, we know that at our core, our bright minds and forward-thinking vision drive us, as always, to a bolder future.
Our history
Our history
The August 12, 1915, issue of Engineering News reported the reorganization of E.B. Black’s previous firm, Worley & Black, under the name of Black & Veatch. In its first years, the new company employed 12 people and established an office in downtown Kansas City, Missouri
As the country struggled through the Great Depression and utilities went through financial troubles, Black & Veatch tapped into a new area of business: appraisals and rate studies.
After weathering the worst of the Great Depression, Black & Veatch was experiencing great growth and moved its headquarters to the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri in 1935.
As the company entered its fourth decade, the biggest challenge it faced was keeping up with the incoming tidal wave of business. One of the company's founders E.B. Black passed away in 1949. The company was outgrowing its offices, expanding its scope of work, increasing its client roster and expanding internationally.
Managed under the new partnership plan, Black & Veatch kept up with immense growth. N.T. Veatch announced his retirement in 1972. Tom Robinson was named managing partner.
By 1985 the computer age has arrived and Black & Veatch was at the forefront, adapting to new technology and emerging as an industry leader.
The 90s were a boom time for the U.S. economy and for Black & Veatch. The world was being connected by the internet, and we were in the middle of the rising wave.
In 1999, Black & Veatch transitioned from a partnership to a company. At that time the Employee Stock Ownership Program was created and employee ownership began.
In 2014 Black & Veatch transitioned to being 100% employee owned.
New initiatives were introduced as Black & Veatch approached 100 years as a company. A major restructuring was put into place, making solutions more seamless across business lines, geographies and services.
As the company celebrated its centennial in 2015, it has much to honor from its past and a world of opportunity in the decade to come
Black & Veatch has transformed our business structure and stopped working on new coal projects in order to better serve our customers and the planet. We’ve grown our sustainable solutions like our highly-ranked solar EPC practice and worked on cutting edge solutions, like the 1st hydrogen power generation conversion project in the U.S.
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