Burns & McDonnell Foundation donates $1.5 million to COVID-19 relief funding

The Burns & McDonnell Foundation is donating $1.5 million to the United Way COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund to support organizations and nonprofits providing critical resources during the coronavirus pandemic.

The fund supports communities across the U.S. and $750,000 of the donation will go directly toward COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in the Kansas City metro area.

“United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community by providing the resources and information unique to individuals’ needs,” said Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell.

United Way has a presence in 95 percent of U.S. communities and is mobilizing to provide food, shelter and other vital resources throughout its network.

During the past decade, Burns & McDonnell employee-owners have given more than $10 million to the organization through annual United Way campaigns.

“Our employee-owners’ desire to give back and empower others is the heartbeat of our firm and our Foundation. During this pandemic, we are committed to protecting and supporting the most vulnerable in our communities,” Kowalik said.

“We all are fortunate to live in a community that has consistently proven its generosity to those in need,” said Brent Stewart, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Kansas City.

“This incredibly generous gift from Burns & McDonnell — who is such a wonderful partner of United Way — is yet another example of how businesses and citizens in our metropolitan community are giving at this critical time. At United Way, we call this ‘Kansas City taking care of its own.’ That need for caring for our people — our community — has never been more acute than as a result of this pandemic,” Stewart said.

In addition to providing relief funding nationwide, the Burns & McDonnell Foundation is matching donations from individual employee-owners, further supporting employee-owners’ ability to make an impact within the organizations and causes they are most passionate about.

Click here to learn more about the solutions and resources Burns & McDonnell is providing to communities, clients and employee-owners.

For more information on United Way's COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund, click here.

Burns & McDonnell sets hiring record in 2018, announces $42 million expansion

Burns & McDonnell will build a 142,000-square foot office building and 550-stall parking garage at its Kansas City World Headquarters, a $42 million expansion that will complete the engineering firm’s local campus and grow local employee capacity by 22 percent.

“We are on track to hire 300-400 additional employees in Kansas City this year alone, and 1,000 employees company-wide,” Burns & McDonnell CEO and Chairman Ray Kowalik said. “Lower oil and gas prices have driven growth over the last year, and the economy is strong as a whole.”

Targeted for completion in 2020, Burns & McDonnell will use an integrated design-build approach for the four-story building. VanTrust Real Estate will provide development services for the project, which will be constructed between the existing 9400 Ward Parkway office building and the campus’ parking garage along 95th Street.  

“Our diverse business lines allow us to provide full-service solutions to our clients,” Kowalik said. “Our clients reap the benefits of a quicker and more seamless experience from beginning to end. It’s a model that helps grow our success.”

The new building will primarily include additional employee work stations and conference rooms, adding 780 spots and bringing the campus’ potential headcount to 4,300, according to Brittney Swartz, Burns & McDonnell design project manager.

Sustainability will be a priority, with additional charging stations and a high-tech shade system allowing for energy efficiency through daylight “harvesting.” Conference rooms will have integrated technology and camera systems allowing for quicker, smart meetings with clients across the globe.

Rapid growth in the energy and power transmission markets, as well as public infrastructure, are driving demand for space and creating a race against the clock.

“We will have space problems between now and the opening of the new building,” Kowalik said.