President: Tom O’Grady

PUBLISHED JANUARY 2025

Tom O’Grady was born in New Jersey and was raised in Connecticut, not far from major population centers where the infrastructure of—well…everything—is substantially denser, more complex, more expansive and more vertical than natives of the Kansas City area may fully appreciate until they go there.

Growing up back east, he says, “I was fascinated by the built environment, bridges, tunnels, highway networks, water and wastewater systems, and so on.” Work of some sort was always going on, and there was a clear need for more of it. Thus, were planted the seeds of an engineering career that began 33 years ago in Texas with HNTB, the company he leads today.

From his first gig as a civil engineer in the Dallas office to leadership of its transportation unit, then Houston office leader, O’Grady has steadily climbed the corporate ranks. In 2008, he was named Central Division president, which brought him to Kansas City, then corporate president in 2015 and since 2020, president. 

Over the past 17 years, the employee-owned firm has seen revenues up more than 53 percent in real dollars, approaching $2 billion for the most recent full reporting year. 

The pathways to growth for engineering firms are, he says, numerous—“as many as there are engineering firms.” Determinants include the company’s areas of specialization, corporate location, organizational structure/ownership, and access to talent, all playing a part. HNTB took a strategic approach.

“Throughout the industry’s history, there has also been a great deal of M&A and consolidation,” he says. “HNTB made the decision many years ago that we wanted to remain a private, employee-owned company. About 10 years ago, we determined the preferred path to do that was steady, profitable growth that returns value to employee-owners and provides career growth opportunities.”

A focus on transportation in the U.S., he says, “showed the most promise as long as there was room to grow, and there is still room to grow. Transportation infrastructure work is very resilient, so we have continued to grow in all economic conditions.”  

O’Grady earned both his civil engineering degree and master’s in that niche from Vanderbilt University, armed for success with some key early-life influences. “I give credit to so many for helping me grow in life and my career,” he says. “My parents and so many teachers (including my aunt who was a teacher) set high expectations and offered help and encouragement. They also encouraged continual learning and improvement, which I use every day to challenge myself and my HNTB colleagues.”

Engineering was an easy choice for someone who had always been interested in math and science—it also was a path full of interest and opportunity, he says. But there was more to his career calculus than merely designing things.

“The application of math and science came in the form of engineering, and from the earliest recollections, job security seemed to be very strong for engineers,” he says. The pathway to leadership started from “a growing sense through high school and college that I wanted to be in the business of engineering, rather than the technical depths of engineering. I knew I had to do excellent engineering work to establish my place in the profession, but I was fortunate to have opportunities to expand my knowledge and expertise outside of the technical elements along the way.” 

Early exposure to leadership came while still in grad school, leading teams on research projects. Civil engineering, O’Grady says, “provides great opportunities for project management and operational management positions. I made it a point to say ‘yes’ to all opportunities and volunteer even before being offered other opportunities. I was also fortunate to have many great leaders and mentors who challenged, coached, and encouraged me along the way. I embraced HNTB very early on. I knew I wanted the firm and my colleagues to reach great success. That attitude of focusing on what is best for the firm and our people drives the best decision-making.”

Those decisions include engagement outside the C-suite. HNTB was a founding member of the KC Global Design as part of the Kansas City Civic Council, which has transitioned to the Area Development Council, he notes. “It is an organization that proudly highlights the unique number and diverse strengths of the many engineering and architecture firms that call Kansas City home or have a significant presence in the city,” O’Grady says. “We are a competitive industry; that competitiveness just serves to make us all stronger. Kansas City is exceptionally unique in that so many of the firms have successfully grown to great heights while remaining private, employee-owned companies.”