Insights

We have some exciting news to share with you: Salas O’Brien is expanding to Ohio! We have merged with Varo Engineers, creating a combined firm with 16 offices and 460 employee-owners. The merger was shared late last week with the Varo and Salas O’Brien teams. Because Salas O’Brien is a 100% ESOP company, owned by […]

In the northwest corner of the country, rough terrain and inclement weather keep residents on their toes. Washington’s Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management employees are in the business of predicting, preparing for, and responding to not only environmental disaster situations, but also accident, crime, or terror incidents. This planning for the unknown requires engineering […]

Whether it’s hosting the Silicon Valley Auto Show or legendary Stan Lee and Steve Wozniak’s latest conference merging pop culture and technology, the San Jose McEnery Convention Center is a stunning venue for community, business, or non-profit events in downtown San Jose—the “city center” of California’s technology hub, Silicon Valley. When the 372,754-square-foot convention center […]

As an employee-owned firm, Salas O’Brien has employee ownership at its core. But what does ownership mean here? We answer that question with Salas O’Brien’s “Ownership Values.” These values describe, under the headings of “Expect Leadership, Expect Results, Expect Relationships,” what it means to be an owner of Salas O’Brien. And though we’re not perfect, […]

With over 200 unique properties across the country and around the world, the Embassy Suites brand fills an upscale niche in Hilton Worldwide—one of the largest hospitality companies in the world. When Embassy decided to develop its next high-end hotel in one of downtown Louisville Kentucky’s historic landmark structures, they knew they needed a partner […]

Salas O’Brien would be nothing without its amazing team members, the relationships they keep with clients and each other, and the quality of the work they perform. Each year, we take an opportunity to honor exceptional team members for both their accomplishments and their commitment to our values of Leadership, Results, and Relationships. “The team […]

When lives are on the line, flawless reliability and efficiency aren’t luxury—they’re necessity. Salas O’Brien’s outstanding track record in healthcare, our commitment to excellence, and our passion for the community made us the ideal engineering partner to complete renovations in one of Southeast Texas’ premier neonatal intensive care units (NICU) at St. Elizabeth Hospital.

From its earliest days as an energy consulting firm, sustainability has been at the heart of Salas O’Brien. That’s why we were excited to partner with Plumrose USA to create a design that would dramatically increase efficiency at their new Iowa processing plant. Founded over 85 years ago as a sliced ham company, Plumrose USA […]

You’ll find welcoming streetscapes and walkways, public green space, and outdoor courtyards in Baton Rouge’s grandest mixed-use urban village: Perkins Rowe. This pedestrian-friendly environment blends shopping, dining, entertainment, office, residential, and grocery in a way that serves both local residents and visiting tourists. Salas O’Brien was the perfect choice for this large, complex project—one that […]

Salas O’Brien maintains a staunch commitment to client service and to adapting to the unique needs of each project. In the case of the De Anza Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC), this meant making special provisions in planning to ensure minimal impact to the beauty and acoustics of a facility that sits on an […]

Resort-style amenities, dramatic living spaces, breathtaking panoramic views: RiversEdge is a property that demands of its partners a deep expertise in multi-story luxury developments. Salas O’Brien was just such a partner, rich in the necessary resources and talent, and with a culture that values completing tasks with unparalleled thoroughness and exactitude. Minutes from Manhattan and […]

The Kirk Lewis Career and Technical High School in Houston provides a modern, student-centered education in a high-tech, sustainable facility with state-of-the-art instructional spaces. The Pasadena Independent School District (ISD) coordinated current technology and equipment with local industry to ensure programs match current standards and needs. Salas O’Brien is proud to partner in such endeavors, […]

Here at Salas O’Brien we take great pride in how we impact people and our communities. We impact our colleagues and their families by providing them an energetic, safe, family-oriented culture. We impact our clients by providing them high quality work that is energy efficient, reliable, built well, and maintenance friendly. We impact the people […]

Ritz-Carlton: the name is synonymous with luxury. And when they undertook an ambitious Caribbean residential development in world-famous Grace Bay, they brought in the Salas O’Brien team to provide mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering as well as fire protection design. We also implemented creative water treatment processes which maximize efficiency and keep everything running smoothly […]

The Critical Environments team at Salas O’Brien tackles some of the most technically complex telecom and data center projects in the world. We have a tremendous depth of experience designing in this fast-paced, continually evolving building type. One such project, for a Fortune 15 telecommunications company, delivered a network equipment center (NEC) in Colorado Springs, […]