US infrastructure firm chooses Birmingham for launch of UK expansion
North American engineering-construction firm, Burns & McDonnell, has selected Birmingham as the location of its first UK office.
The company, which has 119 years of experience designing and building infrastructure throughout the world, has set up a base at Quayside Tower, off Broad Street in the city centre.
The company is looking to capitalise on the growing power and energy demands posed by the growth of critical infrastructure projects.
Jonathan Chapman, managing director, who will lead the UK business from the Birmingham office, said: “We are really excited to be establishing Burns and McDonnell’s first UK office here in Birmingham. The company is looking to expand and the UK is an obvious market in terms of infrastructure and commonality of engineering practice and compliance. We want to build on our track record and use our experience to deliver in the UK.
“We are facing disruptive challenges in the electric industry here in the UK. These challenges require innovation in the types of investment and technology deployment to support renewable energy, energy storage, connection of new nuclear and the shift to electric vehicles.
“It’s a natural evolution as resources and supporting technology get pushed to achieve even higher levels of grid performance. We are looking forward to investing here and building our business here.”
Mr Chapman said the firm’s diverse business offerings — ranging from power and energy to aviation and water — would benefit clients across a range of sectors.
Mr Chapman himself, brings more than 25 years of experience across the infrastructure sector, leading teams in securing and delivering projects in the power, water, telecom and gas sectors. He has been instrumental in enabling businesses to deliver complex solutions to client needs, working on programmes of work valued near £5bn in the UK.
Joining him is business development director, Jeff Casey, a leader in the firm’s Transmission & Distribution Group, which has been responsible for helping clients deliver more than £20bn in projects over the past decade.
Skilled in project development, execution and innovative technology deployments, Mr Casey has served as an engineering lead, project manager, and business development manager on some of the largest energy delivery projects in the US. In this new role, he will bring his experience to the UK and will serve as a liaison between the US and the UK businesses to provide seamless integration of operations and culture.
