News & Insights
2025 Year in Review
A year of momentum, focused on what’s next.
In 2025, Salas O’Brien celebrated 50 years of doing work that matters. We strengthened the systems society depends on and helped clients navigate what’s next, showing up with care, curiosity, and technical excellence. Along the way, we invested in our people and gave back to the places where we live and work—because lasting impact starts with strong teams and strong communities.
Headlines
Highlighting how we continue to grow, lead, and deliver meaningful impact across our markets and communities.
- Marked 50 years with a dedicated focus on community impact
- Climbed to #31 on ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms list
- Connected with rising talent through our women’s leadership panel
- Expanded our capabilities through 11 mergers with like-minded partners
- Launched Project AI to empower team innovation with artificial intelligence
Insights
Progress across key markets, captured in our most impactful articles and reports.
- VIDEO: How data centers can achieve faster speed to market
- A roadmap to healthcare facilities of the future
- Continuous manufacturing strategies transforming pharma and biotech
- Food and Beverage production: next-generation approaches
- Strategies for data center planning, design, and execution
- Exploring federal public-private partnerships across sectors
- Campus technology innovations shaping higher education infrastructure
Industry leadership
Team members shared their expertise at events and in publications driving real-world solutions.
- Khaja Syed and King Cheung presented on futureproofing healthcare facilities at the CCHF Conference in Toronto. on futureproofing healthcare facilities at the CCHF Conference in Toronto.
- Harry Kleiser joined a panel on AI infrastructure and its implications for national defense at the 2025 Defense Communities National Summit.
- Aaron Thompson presented strategies for reliability and maintenance excellence at The Reliability Conference 2025.
- Brian Urlaub contributed to a Nature article on how district energy networks can help cities advance their long-term decarbonization and resilience strategies.
- John Glenski and Tony Pica authored an article to Plant Engineering on practical strategies to bridge the AI gap and harness its full potential in industrial operations.
- Steve Smith shared his expert perspective in Wired on extreme hail testing.
- Mike Walters discussed campus energy strategies and sustainability on the Campus Energy & Sustainability Podcast.
- Sandy Matthews joined a panel on merger integration best practices at a 2025 Morrissey Goodale conference.
Signature projects
Projects that show what’s possible when our clients’ bold visions meet our expertise and innovation.
- VIDEO: Nashville’s Neuhoff District opens riverfront mixed-use redevelopment
- VIDEO: Royal Columbian Hospital expands healthcare in British Columbia
- Record-setting USACE contract secured for automated mat casting facility
- VIDEO: Upgraded Omohundro Water Plant enhances reliability
- Caesars Virginia Casino Resort wins award for innovative steel design
- $500M investment fuels modernization effort for Wieland facility
- CU Boulder launches landmark decarbonization plan
By the numbers
Company
- 4,850+ team members
- 90% team members are employee-owners
- 11 completed mergers
- 92% team member retention
- #31 ENR Top 500 Design Firm
Projects
- 5,000+ clients served annually
- 20,200+ projects completed annually
- $30B annual construction value
- 60 countries where we’ve worked to-date
Shaping the future
Looking ahead, we’ll continue to carry our founders’ vision forward into the next 50 years of innovation and impact.