Dan McNulty is Atwell’s Chief Operating Officer, responsible for staff operations and production across the Atwell Family of Companies. A civil engineer by trade, he’s been with the company for more than 27 years as a design engineer, project manager, and director. As a seasoned Atwell leader, he has seen the company grow, overcome challenges, and evolve. In this interview, he reflects on Atwell’s achievements in 2024 and what’s in store for 2025.
This year has been a pretty eventful one for Atwell. What would you say has gone well for the firm in 2024?
Dan: Definitely our growth and diversification. We had six meaningful and strategic acquisitions this year: Karins and Banks Engineering were at the top of the year; Hydro Consultants and Biscayne came mid-year; and Anderson Design and Russell + Mills joined RVi. These acquisitions have increased our reach, giving us a stronger presence in areas like Louisiana, Florida, and the Mid-Atlantic, while also diversifying our talent and the clients we serve, adding to our expertise in areas like Oil & Gas, transportation, and landscape architecture. It has put us in a great position for excelling in 2025.
Thanks to these acquisitions, Atwell now has about 1,800 employees. What are some benefits of partnering with a company our size?
Dan: Our size gives us more of a national footprint and enables us to continue our trajectory of working with large scale, Fortune 500 firms. At the same time, we can still hone in on our regional and local projects and give those clients the attention they deserve as well. Overall, we are able to be a bit more selective in terms of the projects we pursue because we have a sophisticated, efficient approach to operations and can offer a level of service that larger firms may not have the time for, and smaller firms may not have the resources for.
Besides growth and diversification, what other effects have these acquisitions had on the company?
Dan: Each of these companies came with strong leaders who led their teams based on a value system and culture similar to Atwell’s. Their leadership has been a great asset to our clients and our employees. We spend a lot of time talking to these leaders and learning about how they lead teams, because we never want to sacrifice our culture for the sake of growth.
What are you most proud of our firm accomplishing in 2024?
Dan: The growth opportunities we’ve been able to provide and the culture we’ve continued to maintain. We’ve upgraded our talent level and we’ve been able to provide more opportunities for our staff with promotions and leadership—what I call “organic growth.” We’ve had many promotions this year, from people being promoted to Project Managers to people being promoted to Vice Presidents. If an organization is too stagnant, you kind of stifle the ability for your staff to grow professionally—they can only wait for someone else to leave so that they can then step into that open role. But here, we always try to create opportunities for people to step up.
This is why I’m proud of how we’ve maintained our culture. Atwell is a very dynamic work environment that allows staff to be as entrepreneurial and proactive as they want to be in order to take on more responsibilities, learn new skills, and grow into leadership roles. It’s very rewarding, but we also know that it’s not an environment for everyone. This is why we put so much effort into our recruitment practices, and in the case of acquisitions, getting to know the staff we’re bringing in.
Think of a typical workday—in many cases, we’re spending more of the day with our co-workers than with our families. So it’s important to enjoy who you’re interacting with at work on a regular basis, and to enjoy the environment you’re in for five days a week. I understand that not every day will be perfect, but in general, I believe you should enjoy what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with, and be rewarded for it. I think we’ve done a great job at creating this environment, for our employees and for our clients.
How is the work we’ve done in 2024 preparing us for 2025?
Dan: I’m very excited about 2025, and I’ve spoken to the leadership teams from Atwell, RVi, and SCS, and they are excited as well. We’ve done a great job adding senior leaders this year, which has put us in a position to have stronger teams and leadership next year. We’ve diversified our verticals in terms of the client base we serve and have grown within those markets. The combination of an energized leadership team and growth within our client environments is a great recipe for a successful year ahead.
What are you looking forward to pursuing next year?
Dan: I think we have a big opportunity in the mission critical space, which is fueled by data centers and the impact of AI in real estate. There’s an increased need for large campuses to hold these data centers, and those data centers need power and water, so it’s creating a need for infrastructure and real estate. Our teams are going to look at how we can take the services we already provide and grow in mission critical. This also includes some work on the construction side with services from SCS.
I also see us expanding our work in public and private infrastructure working on projects like the utility grid, roadway networks, and water and sewer projects. These unique growth opportunities will help us continue diversifying our client base.
Can you share any new initiatives that Atwell will launch in 2025?
Dan: Yes, and this initiative is one of the reasons why I’m so excited about 2025: Next year, we’re launching the Atwell Gives Foundation, which will be a corporate foundation to increase our focus on philanthropy.
It will be particularly focused on STEM education, especially in underserved communities, thanks to a partnership with Science Olympiad, one of the largest K-12 STEM organizations in the country. They have an Urban School Initiative which will create student teams in urban areas to compete in the Science Olympiad, which is like a series of mini-Olympic type STEM projects. Atwell will be the primary sponsor for that initiative, and besides a corporate financial commitment, we’re going to provide opportunities for our staff and our clients to participate with their time and talent.
That’s a wonderful way to give back to our communities and get our employees and clients involved in supporting STEM education. Atwell really values employee engagement and client relationships. What else will Atwell do next year to continue supporting employees and clients?
Dan: To support employees, we want to maintain our title of “Employer of Choice,” and that means continuing to focus on what our people want and need. This includes the benefits we offer, work-life balance, flexibility to grow in a dynamic workforce that is becoming more diverse, continuing to explore hybrid work environments, and keeping work rewarding. We want to continue finding ways to create connections and provide a competitive but welcoming work environment.
For our clients, we’re going to continue doing what we do best: solving their problems. Our best leaders, from the very top to the PM level, are constantly talking to clients to understand the challenges they’re facing and what additional level of service we can provide to help them. It’s great when we get new clients, but we also value strengthening and expanding the relationships we have with current clients. We challenge our managers to approach client relationships as something to nurture and grow versus a project-by-project relationship. This way, we can help the client more holistically, offering resources and services to help them accomplish their goals.
I’ve learned that when clients view you as a partner who is determined to take them to the next level and grow, it creates a lifetime of trust and loyalty. Actually, this applies to every interaction and relationship we have: with our clients, with our employees, and with our community leaders and members. When we help others to be successful, we also find success.
