April 26, 2021 — The APP is pleased to welcome HDR Engineering Inc. back! Upon rejoining, HDR’s Frank Proctor, Maritime Market Sector Leader for the Pacific North West, noted that he was looking forward to participating in the APP’s efforts to build relationships and create networks among Pacific Ports. “HDR Engineering works with ports of all sizes to provide a wide range of services, including economics and finances, engineering, environmental services, planning, project delivery, research and much more,” he said, adding that the HDR team strongly believes that collaboration is the best way forward for any endeavor. Indeed, a quick review of HDR’s history, the expertise and experience they bring to each project, and their well-established corporate values demonstrates the benefits they bring to the APP’s membership.
Background
Established in 1917, the Henningson Engineering Company began providing civil engineering services to build water works, sewer systems, streets and electric plants in Omaha, Nebraska. For the next three decades, Henningson’s growth throughout the U.S. Midwest and their expansion of services saw them become an established expert in projects as diverse as municipal power and light plants, street designs, swimming pools, grain elevators, schools, and even a courthouse. In 1946, H.H. Henningson brought on partners Charles Durham and Willard Richardson to become officially known as Henningson, Durham & Richardson, Inc. (HDR).
The latter half of the 20th century saw HDR take on even larger projects as it gained an international foothold. In addition to offices across the U.S., the company grew its presence in countries like Spain, South Korea, and Italy as well as Brazil and France. While they were purchased by Bouygues SA, France’s largest construction company, in 1983, they were returned to U.S. ownership by 1996. By 2004, its current structure of an entirely employee-owned company was established.
The projects completed by HDR in the 21st century speak to the range of services and expanse of global coverage now offered. Working in over 200 locations in 13 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Mongolia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, and over 10,000 employees, HDR has built their reputation through numerous industry awards for their bridges, buildings, streets, and public utility infrastructure projects.
Ports, Marine and Coastal Engineering
When it comes to the maritime industry, HDR is one of the world’s leading facility planning and design firms. The magic of their success is the way they integrate a diverse skill set and custom-fit team into every project. “With engineering services provided on more than 450 marine terminals across the world, our knowledge is deep,” said Proctor, “and ranges from ship docks to shoreline protection, dredging and industrial facilities, plus unique projects such as the berthing of historic ships. We offer significant experience planning and designing container terminals and have the top tier freight rail experts to complement that work.”
Proctor went on to highlight the specialized maritime expertise of HDR. “Performing port-related work requires a unique understanding of vessel, cargo load/offload and yard operations,” he said. “Port facilities, wharf design and inland ports all require specialists who understand the dynamic conditions and specific needs of each facility. The community of consultants that specializes in the delivery of these types of challenging projects is relatively small, and we are proud to be among the elite providers of these services.”
Whether large or small, ports around the world are realizing the advantages HDR brings with their expertise that ranges from infrastructure development, dredging, project management, and coastal, geotechnical and construction engineering, to regulatory and environmental analysis, economic market and demand studies, grant writing and facility and master planning.
Tracking to values
Since its beginning, HDR has adhered to a set of values that are at the foundation of their success. Values such as “live the network” ensures the right people with the right skills, expertise, and experience are matched to each individual client and project, “push boundaries” to continually further their efforts in providing leading-edge processes and project deliveries, and “design smart” that calls for a tailored approach to each situation have become part of HDR’s DNA. “Listen first,” and “hold ourselves accountable” highlight their approach to understanding the root and complexity of projects and their drive in finding the best solutions for their clients.
For over 100 years, HDR Engineering has been committed to these core sets of values and, along with their philosophy of inclusion, diversity, and equity as well as their support of community organizations through the HDR Foundation for educational, health, and environmental initiatives, it’s no surprise that HDR is a leading engineering firm around the world.
For APP Port Members, the opportunity to learn through HDR’s experience and knowledge, provides a major benefit. We look forward to working with Proctor and the entire Port and Maritime Division to take advantage of their expertise.
For more information about HDR, visit www.hdrinc.com.
