AECOM

History

Operating through more than a dozen subsidiaries, AECOM traces its origins to Kentucky-based Ashland Oil & Refining Company, which in turn grew out of Swiss Drilling Company, founded in Oklahoma in 1910 by J. Fred Miles. He gained control of some 200,000 acres and formed Swiss Oil Company in Lexington. In 1924 Miles launched a refining operation called Ashland Refining Company, headed by an ambitious young man named Paul Blazer. While the parent company struggled, leading to the ouster of Miles, Ashland prospered under Blazer's leadership, and in 1936 he was named chief executive officer of the reorganized company, Ashland Oil & Refining Company. In 1966 Ashland acquired Warren Brothers and became involved in the highway construction and construction materials business. The company was now able to take fuller advantage of refinery byproducts used to produce asphalt. Ashland grew into one of the nation's major road-construction firms and laid a future foundation for AECOM. Through a series of acquisitions and technological developments prior to the buyout, Ashland grew to include chemical, petrochemical, highway construction, and construction materials firms within its realm, laying the groundwork for the creation of Ashland Technology in 1985.

In the 1970s Ashland Oil & Refining became Ashland Oil, Inc. Five years later the company consolidated its construction assets into a construction division and also formed a coal subsidiary, indicative of a changing focus at Ashland. Although it generated more than $1 billion a year in sales, Ashland was a small player in the oil industry at a time when the cost of exploration had grown prohibitively expensive. By 1980 Ashland sold off its production assets, and a year later was reorganized as a modified holding company. A new corporate strategy was implemented as Ashland now focused on refining and marketing, and also looked to grow its non-refining businesses. In 1984 Ashland acquired Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenall (DMJM), a global provider of transportation-related engineering services. Originally focused on military projects, after World War II it had become one of the first integrated engineering and architectural firms in the western United States. The acquisition of DMJM also included its president, Richard G. Newman, AECOM's future chief executive and chairman. In 1985 DMJM became part of a new subsidiary, Ashland Technology Corporation. Two years later Newman was named its new president.

When Ashland chose to return to its core petroleum refining business in the late 1980s, Newman recommended an employee buyback proposal, resulting in the spin-off of Ashland Technology and the creation of AECOM (Architecture, Engineering, Consulting, Operations, and Maintenance) in 1990. The company went on to acquire a number of engineering, design and planning firms including engineering company Maunsell, urbanism and sustainability practice EDAW, Economic Research Associates (ERA), environmental management firm ENSR and The RETEC Group Inc., architects Ellerbe Becket and Davis Langdon, the quantity surveyors and construction consultants.

AECOM went public during May 2007 with an initial public offering on the NYSE, netting $468.3 million.On January 8, 2008 AECOM acquired The Services Group, Inc., a provider of consulting services to the US Agency for International Development and other multi-lateral donor organizations. On July 28, 2008, AECOM completed its purchase of Earth Tech Inc., a consulting and engineering firm, from Tyco International for $510 million.On July 13, 2014, AECOM announced its acquisition of URS Corporation, an engineering, construction, and technical services firm for US$56.31 per share in cash and stock. Effective July 10, 2014, it acquired ACE International Consultants SL, a Madrid-based provider of consulting services. In July 2014, it acquired Hunt Construction Group, adding to AECOM's construction services business.

Management

AECOM's first president and CEO was Richard Newman, who came to Ashland through its acquisition of DMJM. Newman served as president of Ashland Technology and was instrumental in the creation of AECOM.

In 2005, John M. Dionisio succeeded Newman as president and CEO of AECOM. In 2011, Dionisio became chairman of the company. In March 2014, Michael S. Burke succeeded Dionisio and serves as the company's current chairman and CEO. Dionisio remains on AECOM's Board of Directors.

In 2011, Stephen M. Kadenacy was named chief financial officer and currently serves as president.

In May 2014, Kevin Lynch was appointed as executive vice president and chief strategy officer at AECOM.

In March 2015, Carla Christofferson was appointed as executive vice president and general counsel of the firm.

In August 2015, Mary E. Finch was named executive vice president and chief human resources officer, effective September 28.

Services

AECOM provides professional technical and management support services to both public and private sector clients. AECOM currently works in the following areas: the Americas, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Australia/New Zealand. Services relate to areas including Architecture & Design, Asset Management, Construction, Cost Management, Decommissioning & Closure, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Services, International Development, IT & Cyber Security, Operations & Maintenance, Planning & Consulting, Program, Management/Construction Management, Risk Management & Resilience and Technical Services.

Corporate affairs

AECOM is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States, with clients in more than 150 countries. The company reported a revenue of US$19.2 billion during the 12 months that ended March 31, 2014.

AECOM provides Specialized Integrated Solutions in Alternative Delivery Models, Cities Solutions, Converged Resilience, Equity Investment, Multinational Investment &, Development, Process Technologies and Public-Private Partnerships. The company operates under the following business lines: Architecture; Building Engineering; Construction Services; Design + Planning; Economics; Energy; Environment; Government; Mining; Oil + Gas; Program Management; Program, Cost, Consultancy; Transportation; and Water.

Brands

In addition to the AECOM brand, it also offer clients the services of these AECOM companies around the world.

Launched in January 2013, AECOM Capital is an investment arm of AECOM. It uses a structured fund platform that invests in a variety of real estate and infrastructure assets. AECOM Capital was established in 2013 by AECOM and John T. Livingston; Livingston is the CEO of AECOM Capital and formerly worked for Tishman Realty & Construction. One of the funds created is AECOM Global Fund II LP.

ACE International Consultants is a consulting firm specializing in economic and social development cooperation and private sector development. Its primary client is EuropeAID, with additional work funded by the World Bank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, and the European Training Foundation.

Davis Langdon KPK is a construction cost, contract and project management consultancy firm. It provides consultancy services for a wide range of facilities, including commercial, residential, industrial and healthcare.

Hunt Construction Group has been providing construction services in construction management, design-build, integrated project delivery, general contracting and preconstruction services for over 70 years.

TISHMAN Construction is a specialized builder provides wide range of construction and construction-related services. Known for managing complex, iconic projects.

Major projects

Awards

AECOM and its projects have received various awards, including: