Our Story

As the firm doubles in size through acquisitions of engineering and environmental firms with similar values, Fehr Graham’s footprint expands into central Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. From 2010-2019, the Fehr Graham family grows to about 170 employees. The firm’s five principals – Mick Gronewold, Ken Thompson, Joel Zirkle, Adam Holder and Noah Carmichael – sign a new operating agreement to create more opportunities for ownership. The firm takes on its largest project – designing a significant stretch of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The business name changes again, and Fehr Graham is 10 offices strong.

Learn more about Fehr Graham's history by hovering over the plus signs and clicking the forward and backward buttons below.

Timeline: 1973-1999 | 2000-2009 | 2010-2019 | 2020-2029

September 15, 1973 Fehr Graham is Born

Fehr Graham’s first office opens at 660 W. Stephenson St. in Freeport, Illinois, with five employees. “We were competing with each other and decided we would just be better off together,” said Joe Graham. “We had complete trust in each other,” Al Fehr said. When asked why Fehr came before Graham in the new company’s name, both said it was simple: Fehr came before Graham alphabetically.

September 16, 1973 Landing Our First Municipal Client

It doesn’t take long for Fehr Graham to get its first municipal client. A day after opening, the Village of Lena, Illinois, hires Fehr Graham to do curb work on Railroad Street.

September 16, 1973 Landing Our First Municipal Client

It doesn’t take long for Fehr Graham to get its first municipal client. A day after opening, the Village of Lena, Illinois, hires Fehr Graham to do curb work on Railroad Street.

October 1, 1974 Erwin "Win" Toerber Becomes Owner

After three months working as an Engineer, Erwin “Win” Toerber becomes an owner. “You had to buy in, so right away you had some skin in the game,” he said. “You were an owner so what you did was try to recruit clients and be a good engineer.” Fehr Graham continues to follow this seller-doer model.

January 1, 1981 Quentin Davis Becomes Owner

Joining a team of five technicians and three partners, Quentin Davis becomes an owner, four years after joining the firm as a Graduate Engineer.

January 1, 1981 Quentin Davis Becomes Owner

Joining a team of five technicians and three partners, Quentin Davis becomes an owner, four years after joining the firm as a Graduate Engineer.

January 1, 1982 Mark Young Joins Ownership Team

The Fehr Graham team continues to grow as Mark Young becomes a partner. Mark brought mechanical engineering skills to the firm, eventually leading a project to reduce the energy consumption costs for the State Bank Center of Freeport. His team saved the company 20% in utility costs by performing an energy cost reduction study and updating the all-electric, multistory, commercial building from planning to post-construction monitoring.

March 1, 1987 Changing Names Helps Build Business

After 13 years in business, Fehr-Graham & Associates Consulting Engineers becomes Fehr-Graham & Associates Engineering and Science Consultants.

March 1, 1987 Changing Names Helps Build Business

After 13 years in business, Fehr-Graham & Associates Consulting Engineers becomes Fehr-Graham & Associates Engineering and Science Consultants.

December 31, 1987 Joseph Graham Leaves a Legacy

Co-founder Joseph Graham retires. When he retired, Fehr Graham provided only engineering, environmental and surveying services. Thirty years later, Fehr Graham had grown from one office to 10 and three services to dozens. “Adding services is the natural way to grow,” he said in 2017. “I am proud that these fellas are doing as well as they are.”

May 12, 1989 Business Expands to Wisconsin

Fehr Graham begins its first project in Wisconsin for an international cannery in Markesan. Owner Al Fehr helped the facility apply for air permits, calculate plant emissions and submit information to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to ensure environmental compliance.

May 12, 1989 Business Expands to Wisconsin

December 31, 1990 Allen Fehr Retires, Leaves Behind Strong Firm Foundation

Co-founder Allen Fehr retires, ending a successful career as a land surveyor and Professional Engineer who specialized in municipal sewer and water development.

January 1, 1992 Hans Anderson Joins as Partner

Hans Anderson becomes a partner, joining the Fehr Graham team after serving as a City Engineer for municipalities in Illinois and Wisconsin. Hans joins as an expert planner and designer of water and wastewater facilities, treatment plants, collection and distribution systems, lift stations, and supply and storage facilities.

January 1, 1992 Hans Anderson Joins as Partner

January 1, 1992 Todd Weegens Becomes Owner

Lena, Illinois, native Todd Weegens becomes a partner, bringing expertise in underground storage tank remediation projects. “During my time with Fehr Graham, I wanted to make sure the firm grew to be the best it could be,” said Todd in 2017. “While I am proud of the growth, I am most proud of the relationships that were developed over the years.”

September 15, 1992 Fehr Graham Turns 20, Opens Rockford Office

On the same day Fehr Graham celebrates its 20th anniversary, the firm opens its Rockford, Illinois, office.

September 15, 1992 Fehr Graham Turns 20, Opens Rockford Office

On the same day Fehr Graham celebrates its 20th anniversary, the firm opens its Rockford, Illinois, office.

December 31, 1996 Mark Young Retires

Partner Mark Young retires after 16 years at Fehr Graham.

January 1, 2000 Mick Gronewold Becomes Partner

Fehr Graham rings in the new year, and Mick Gronewold becomes a partner after seven years with the firm. Still with the firm today, Mick serves as Board Chairman and Managing Member.

January 1, 2000 Mick Gronewold Becomes Partner

Fehr Graham rings in the new year, and Mick Gronewold becomes a partner after seven years with the firm. Still with the firm today, Mick serves as Board Chairman and Managing Member.

February 2000 Partnership with Jane Addams Trail in Freeport Begins

Fehr Graham starts working on the Jane Addams Trail that runs 14 miles north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border where it connects to the Badger Trail leading to Madison, Wisconsin. Our team secured $1 million in grants from IDNR and we engineered design services including rehabilitating 13 bridges along the trail route. Part of the project was also in Freeport as a connection point for the Pecatonica Prairie Path. This portion of the trail was possible with a $2.1 million grant from IDOT through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program. We helped secure funding and oversaw construction for the 4.5-mile section. This project spanned more than a decade and was finished in February 2014.

December 31, 2000 Erwin "Win" Toerber Retires After Securing Specialty

One of Fehr Graham’s first employees, partner Erwin “Win” Toerber, retires. Win helped make wastewater design and operations a Fehr Graham specialty during his time at the firm.

December 31, 2000 Erwin "Win" Toerber Retires After Securing Specialty

One of Fehr Graham’s first employees, partner Erwin “Win” Toerber, retires. Win helped make wastewater design and operations a Fehr Graham specialty during his time at the firm.

January 1, 2002 Ken Thompson Becomes Owner, Spearheads Environmental Compliance

Environmental Project Manager Ken Thompson becomes a partner 13 years after joining Fehr Graham. Ken worked on mechanical engineering and HVAC projects, which led to helping clients with their environmental compliance needs. “HVAC eventually led me to air permitting work, and I really liked that side of the business,” Ken said. “So, that’s when I started to get interested in environmental compliance,” he said.

October 1, 2002 Freeport Office Moves Office

Fehr Graham moves its Freeport, Illinois, office to 221 E. Main St. The firm’s leadership team assisted local investors in remediating the complex, a brownfield at the time, at the suggestion of Freeport Mayor Jim Gitz. The building was later deemed free of all contaminants by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, allowing Fehr Graham to become the first tenant in the historic Rawleigh complex.

October 1, 2002 Freeport Office Moves Office

March 25, 2003 New Proposals Bring New Propositions

Fehr Graham submits its first wind energy proposal for the Navitas Energy/Mendota Hills Wind Farm in Lee County, Illinois, thanks to the strategic efforts of partner Todd Weegens.

September 15, 2003 Happy 30th Birthday, Fehr Graham

Fehr Graham turns 30 and celebrates by continuing to run at full force, helping local communities and industries.

September 15, 2003 Happy 30th Birthday, Fehr Graham

Fehr Graham turns 30 and celebrates by continuing to run at full force, helping local communities and industries.

October 1, 2003 Opportunity Spurs Office in Wisconsin

Fehr Graham sees an opportunity to create and grow relationships with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the people of Green County. The result is a new office in Monroe, Wisconsin.

December 31, 2004 Quentin Davis Announces Retirement

Partner Quentin Davis retires after nearly three decades with the firm. He excelled in many areas, including industrial wastewater treatment design, hazardous waste regulations, site development, street and storm sewer design, water system planning and water quality studies.

December 31, 2004 Quentin Davis Announces Retirement

January 1, 2005 Adam Holder Joins Ownership Group

Adam Holder becomes a partner at Fehr Graham, the only place he’s worked after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. “Our team is adaptable and family-oriented,” said Adam, who serves as a municipal engineer. “Just giving back, having a leadership culture, being around youth and helping improve the communities where we work and live makes Fehr Graham great.”

January 3, 2005 Fehr Graham Secures First Acquisition

Fehr Graham makes its first acquisition with Simmons & Associates in Rochelle, Illinois. Owner Mick Gronewold moved from the Freeport office to the Rochelle office to oversee operations.

January 3, 2005 Fehr Graham Secures First Acquisition

Fehr Graham makes its first acquisition with Simmons & Associates in Rochelle, Illinois. Owner Mick Gronewold moved from the Freeport office to the Rochelle office to oversee operations.

May 2005 Creating Connections in Freeport, Illinois

Fehr Graham works with the City of Freeport, Illinois, on its first brownfield grant project. The former CMC Heartland railyard site sat on 18 acres and was turned into a segment of the Grand Illinois Bike Trail connecting the Jane Addams Trail to the Pecatonica Prairie Path. The site was assessed and contained several potentially dangerous Underground Storage Tanks that were safely removed along with petroleum impacted soils. The site was freed for development with the help of a USEPA issued Petroleum Cleanup Grant.

May 1, 2006 Acquirement Encourages Government Projects

Fehr Graham acquires Ozyurt & Stone in Springfield, Illinois. Owner Gunes Ozyurt stayed with Fehr Graham after the acquisition and managed the Springfield branch for seven years until his retirement in 2013. The acquisition provided many connections with county highway and state departments, encouraging Fehr Graham to pursue and land more governmental projects.

May 1, 2006 Acquirement Encourages Government Projects

April 2008 Rock River Project Turns Eyesore to Asset

Fehr Graham begins work with the City of Rockford to help redevelop the former Amerock building that became an eyesore along the western banks of the Rock River in downtown Rockford, Illinois. Fehr Graham first worked for the City of Rockford to assess the site and the later was engaged by developer Gorman & Company to complete the environmental work and site design engineering as part of an $87.5 million redevelopment of the site into a hotel and convention center. The hotel opened in July 2020.

August 31, 2010 Hans Anderson Retires

Partner Hans Anderson retires after two decades with the firm, including 18 years as an owner.

August 31, 2010 Hans Anderson Retires

Partner Hans Anderson retires after two decades with the firm, including 18 years as an owner.

January 1, 2011 Joel Zirkle Becomes Owner

Joel Zirkle, who joined the firm in 2003, becomes a partner. Joel, who also managed the Rockford office at the time, helped develop the firm’s environmental remediation division. He later began finding ways to use grants for brownfield remediation projects.

March 5, 2012 Fehr Graham Lands Largest Project

As part of Move Illinois, a $12 billion capital improvement program, the Illinois Tollway hires Fehr Graham for a joint venture with H.W. Lochner and McClure Engineering Associates to design a 7.4-mile stretch of Interstate 90’s Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The project includes replacing a pavement structure, widening the roadway to add a third lane, creating an Intelligent Transportation System, adding lighting, improving drainage, replacing five overhead road crossings, adding an interchange ramp, and renovating ramps to oases and toll plazas. Fehr Graham provides a significant portion of the engineering for contract plans, specifications, cost estimates for the interstate widening and reconstruction, and quality control and assurance reviews for other structures in the project. Today, the Jane Addams Tollway is eight lanes from the Kennedy Expressway to Randall Road and six lanes from Randall Road to Interstate 39, improving the link between Rockford and O’Hare International Airport. The project was awarded the Illinois Engineering Excellence Honor Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies.

March 5, 2012 Fehr Graham Lands Largest Project

July 2012 Park Grows Manchester Community

Fehr Graham helps create and enhance Manchester Whitewater Park. Over the course of a decade, we helped promote, fund and provide professional services on the development beginning with the river features and to the development and design of a new park entrance, shelter with restrooms and exterior showers, parking, kiosks, featuring historic facts, points of interest and wildlife information and open space amenities. Since it opened in May 2015, the park has attracted visitors from every county in Iowa, from the surrounding states, and visitors from around the world which helps the local economy grow.

July 17, 2012 New Name, Same Game

What was known as Fehr-Graham & Associates Engineering and Science Consultants since 1987 becomes Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental.

July 17, 2012 New Name, Same Game

What was known as Fehr-Graham & Associates Engineering and Science Consultants since 1987 becomes Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental.

January 1, 2013 Environmental Growth Spans to Southern Illinois

Fehr Graham acquires Sodemann and Associates in Champaign, Illinois, leveraging the firm to build relationships with engineering and environmental clients in the central and southern parts of the state.

January 1, 2013 Firm Acquires TeKippe Engineering in Iowa

Fehr Graham acquires TeKippe Engineering, an Iowa-based company with offices in West Union, Manchester and Cedar Rapids. Lyle TeKippe still works for Fehr Graham as a Project Manager in our West Union office.

January 1, 2013 Firm Acquires TeKippe Engineering in Iowa

June 3, 2013 Rockford Office Gets New Home

More than 20 years after opening an office in Rockford, Fehr Graham’s commitment to the revitalization and economic development downtown drives the decision to move from 1920 Daimler Road into the renovated Prairie Street Brewhouse, a former brownfield site, on the east banks of the Rock River.

January 8, 2013 Allamakee County Visitor Center Overhauled

Fehr Graham starts working with the Allamakee County Conservation Board to build a 10,000-square-foot visitor center featuring interactive displays on geology, limnology, archeology, conservation and wildlife studies, river town industries and economies, Native American cultures and local history. Federal, state and local entities supported the project, including being awarded a highly competitive Community Attraction and Tourism grant. Fehr Graham was the prime consultant and worked with the Iowa Department of Transportation.

January 8, 2013 Allamakee County Visitor Center Overhauled

September 15, 2013 Fehr Graham Marks Four Decades

Fehr Graham celebrates 40 years in business.

November 2013 Pump Station Design Helps Campustown

Fehr Graham begins working with the Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign to design a pump station to handle excessive overflows in Champaign’s Campustown. Fehr Graham designed and integrated the largest capacity diesel pump (475 horsepower) of its kind in the Midwest at the First Street Pump Station to handle the additional flow from the Second Street Pump Station. These changes, along with decommissioning a pump station and improving a public park, came in on time and under budget. The design allows the Sanitary District to choose what level to maintain in the sewers during moderate storms and how much flow to receive at two treatment plants during major storms. Our team integrated two treatment plants and 29 pump stations through effective SCADA system upgrades.

November 2013 Pump Station Design Helps Campustown

January 1, 2014 Noah Carmichael Joins Leadership Team

Noah Carmichael becomes a partner after a decade of working as an Engineer and two years as Rochelle’s Branch Manager. Noah has spent his entire civil engineering career at Fehr Graham.

January 1, 2014 Acquisition Melds With Core Values

Fehr Graham acquires Alpha Terra Science in Plymouth, Wisconsin, allowing Fehr Graham to expand its environmental health and safety services into the Wisconsin market. “Our core values of family, teamwork, accountability, ethics and commitment meld well with those of Fehr Graham,” said Alpha Terra Science co-founder Don Becker.

January 1, 2014 Acquisition Melds With Core Values

April 1, 2014 Acquiring Longtime Firm Allows Services to Expand

Fehr Graham acquires 80-year-old Rockford engineering firm Arnold Lundgren Associates. “The combination of our survey clients and Fehr Graham’s resources make a perfect fit for providing expanded services to our clients,” said Dan Kasten, an owner of Arnold Lundgren Associates who still works for Fehr Graham.

June 2014 Community Leads Krape Park Improvements

The Freeport Park District receives an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to improve Krape Park. We begin to prepare plans for sewer system improvements, restroom buildings, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible trails with extensions and patio construction. Fehr Graham used community feedback which led to regrading an observation deck and shelter to view the waterfall, a new concrete patio to match and a path designed in a pattern for ADA compliance.

June 2014 Community Leads Krape Park Improvements

May 20, 2015 AECOM and Fehr Graham Join Forces

Fehr Graham provides work for Mercyhealth’s $585 million, 265-acre campus, the largest construction project to ever be built in the Rockford, Illinois, area. AECOM hires Fehr Graham as a subcontractor to design the roads and paths near the hospital, complete survey work, flood studies, traffic impact studies, landscaping and environmental studies, and oversee construction. The 500,000-square-foot, eight-story Javon Bea Hospital-Riverside opened in 2019.

August 2015 Funding Makes a Difference

The Village of Shannon, Illinois, hires Fehr Graham for help overcoming challenges with its water supply system. Our team worked with Village officials to secure funding through an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan, and later helped reduce the interest rate, for more than $4 million over 30 years so they ensure safe drinking water for citizens for decades to come.

August 2015 Funding Makes a Difference

October 1, 2015 Acquisition Adds Landscape Architecture Services

Fehr Graham acquires Thomas Graceffa and Associates in Rockford, Illinois, offering more comprehensive solutions to clients and adding landscape architecture to Fehr Graham’s services arsenal.

October 1, 2015 Champaign Office Relocates

Fehr Graham’s Champaign, Illinois, office moves from 340 N. Neil St. to 1610 Broadmoor Drive.

October 1, 2015 Champaign Office Relocates

Fehr Graham’s Champaign, Illinois, office moves from 340 N. Neil St. to 1610 Broadmoor Drive.

December 1, 2015 Fehr Graham Welcomes Coombe-Bloxdorf

Fehr Graham acquires Coombe-Bloxdorf. Initially established as a two-person engineering and land surveying firm, Coombe-Bloxdorf grew into a multidiscipline engineering consulting firm over 25 years. Owners from both companies quickly realize their similarities after working together as Allen Fehr and Joseph Graham once did.

January 14, 2016 Project Bridges the Gap Between State

Fehr Graham bridges the gap between Savanna, Illinois, and Sabula, Iowa, after providing auto surveying services for a major bridge project on the Mississippi River.

January 14, 2016 Project Bridges the Gap Between State

Fehr Graham bridges the gap between Savanna, Illinois, and Sabula, Iowa, after providing auto surveying services for a major bridge project on the Mississippi River.

March 2016 Downtown Durand Gets Facelift

The Village of Volunteers, also known as Durand, Illinois, begins working with Fehr Graham to make its downtown more welcoming. The block-long Village Square houses storefronts facing a wide roadway corridor with traffic lanes that will turn it into a more welcoming streetscape design that’s cohesive, accessible and functional.

October 11, 2016 Fehr Graham Honors Longest Employee

Senior Engineering Technician Gay Broocks celebrates 40 years with Fehr Graham. Originally hired as a Computer-Aided Design Draftsman in Freeport, Illinois, Gay enjoys how much Fehr Graham helps its clients make their operations and communities better.

October 11, 2016 Fehr Graham Honors Longest Employee

December 16, 2016 Cedar Rapids Office Moves Downtown

Fehr Graham’s Cedar Rapids, Iowa, office moves downtown. After a massive flood devastated the area in 2008, restoration efforts created downtown restaurants, businesses and other venues. The City was coming back to life, and Fehr Graham wanted to be a part of the action. “We wanted to hire more people, but for our office to grow, we needed more space,” said Cedar Rapids Branch Manager Nate Kass. “With all the improvements and revitalization happening downtown, it seemed to be the only logical place to go. The space we have now meets our needs and gives us plenty of room to continue to grow.”

January 2017 Say Cheese!

Hispanic Cheese Makers – Nuestro Queso looked to Fehr Graham, a partner since the company’s beginnings, when it needed to expand its wastewater treatment operations. Fehr Graham completed the design of a 22-million-gallon wastewater lagoon that included a spray irrigation system for the final disposition of the wastewater. Our services also included obtaining necessary permits from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and providing construction management. Construction was completed in fall 2018.

January 2017 Say Cheese!

January 2017 WWTP Upgrades Focuses on the Future

Fehr Graham teams up with the City of South Beloit, Wisconsin, after its Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) reaches a critical point of capacity needs. Our design upgrades include new treatment facilities and allow the plant to produce a higher quality effluent complaint with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency nutrient removal requirements. The WWTP was improved with state-of-the-art water treatment processes and an increased capacity while reducing energy consumption by 15%.

February 2017 Accessibility for All

After the Department of Justice mandated the City of Cedar Rapids to make all sidewalk ramps compliant with ADA-accessible regulations, Fehr Graham stepped in to help take on the big task. We designed approximately 250 intersections that included more than 1,100 individual curb ramps.

February 2017 Accessibility for All

February 2017 Keeping Water Clean in Villa Grove

Fehr Graham works with the City of Villa Grove, Illinois, to redesign and replace its Water Treatment Plant from the 1930s. Production wells were refurbished with new pumps and motors and new raw water mains were built to connect to the new plant. The project had numerous treatment improvements including an updraft forced aerator with detention tank, high-service pumps to move water from the detention tank to the pressure filter, an ion exchange softener and storage facilities. Finally, the plant plans included chemical rooms for the addition of chlorine and fluoride to the finished water. The community was excited to eliminate the ongoing water quality challenges. The project was completed in summer 2019 and provides clean drinking water.

March 2017 Fehr Graham Helps Navigate Dixon, Illinois

Fehr Graham starts work with the City of Dixon and through an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant to make its downtown more navigable for residents and tourists. We designed 1.5 miles of multiuse bike path extensions along the downtown Riverwalk after extensive site remediation.

March 2017 Fehr Graham Helps Navigate Dixon, Illinois

April 24, 2017 Springfield Office Relocates

Fehr Graham’s Springfield, Illinois, office relocates from 755 S. Grand Ave. to 2060 W. Iles Ave.

December 31, 2017 Todd Weegans Bids Adieu

After 28 dedicated years at Fehr Graham, partner Todd Weegens retires. “I would be remiss not to acknowledge the work that Joe Graham and Allen Fehr did when they founded this company,” Todd said. “I learned so much from not only the framework that they put up, but also working closely with Al for a year.”

December 31, 2017 Todd Weegans Bids Adieu

February 2018 Reimagining Rockford's Public Library

The Rockford Public Library begins a $33 million redevelopment project along the Rock River in downtown Rockford. The main library branch built in 1903 was demolished, and the site was remediated because it sat on land that was once home to a manufactured gas plant. Fehr Graham coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to complete the site design on floodway designated land, and our team consulted with the library during the remediation phase. Construction to replace the library with a state-of-the-art facility is expected to begin in 2021. Next door a $22 million mixed-use development with high-end apartments is planned. The project was awarded the first Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Shovel Ready grant.

July 13, 2018 Office Opens in Sheboygan

Fehr Graham’s Plymouth, Wisconsin, office relocates to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in anticipation of more growth. The new office on North 8th Street is in the heart of downtown Sheboygan.

July 13, 2018 Office Opens in Sheboygan

Fehr Graham’s Plymouth, Wisconsin, office relocates to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in anticipation of more growth. The new office on North 8th Street is in the heart of downtown Sheboygan.

July 27, 2018 Partners Prepare for Longevity, Sustainability

The firm’s five owners sign a new operating agreement to help ensure the longevity and sustainability of Fehr Graham. The partners - Noah Carmichael, Adam Holder, Ken Thompson, Joel Zirkle and Mick Gronewold - agree to create more ownership opportunities beyond what was originally negotiated by Allen Fehr and Joe Graham in 1973. “By making this change, we believe that it will help Fehr Graham continue to attract and retain quality managers, high-level technical experts and top-level performers well into the future,” said Mick, who serves as Board Chairman. “We also feel that this will help provide for a better transition to the board level as members and future members retire.”

Sept. 15, 2018 Fehr Graham Celebrates 45 Years

Fehr Graham celebrates 45 years in business. After decades of expansion, Accounting Manager Lori Willging says the biggest challenge for the 10 offices is learning how to work together. “We’re 10 times larger in staff size than when I started in the late ‘80s. We have 10 offices instead of two, more reporting and regulation,” Lori said. The workload has increased and is more complicated. Luckily, the owners have kept on top of staffing needs to deal with the increased workload.”

Sept. 15, 2018 Fehr Graham Celebrates 45 Years

January 1, 2019 Nate Kass Joins Ownership Team

Nate Kass becomes an owner after working with Fehr Graham for seven years. Nate focuses on leading projects that make the quality of life better in the Cedar Rapids area, such as designing 1,100 accessible crosswalk ramps on the City’s southwest side, Cubby Park, a three-diamond baseball and softball facility in West Branch, and the Coggon Wastewater Treatment Plant.

January 1, 2019 Matthew Johnson Welcomed as Partner

Matthew Johnson, who joined Fehr Graham in 2014, becomes an owner. Matthew leads a team that has completed civil and structural engineering projects in Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, Mahomet, Monticello, Villa Grove, and on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Matthew specializes in water and wastewater treatment plant design and construction, most recently designing a $35 million wastewater treatment plant in South Beloit, Illinois.

January 1, 2019 Matthew Johnson Welcomed as Partner

January 1, 2019 Champaign Merger Allows More Services

Fehr Graham acquires Phoenix Consulting Engineers in Mahomet, Illinois, whose staff joined the firm’s Champaign office the next day. Owner Tom Overmeyer employed six people at Phoenix Consulting Engineers and wanted to provide more services to his clients, leading to the merger with Fehr Graham. “Fehr Graham was the most like us. They had the same kinds of clients, staff and projects. This was a good match from a cultural standpoint, too,” Tom said.

January 2, 2020 Jason Stoll Joins Ownership Team

Jason Stoll, who joined Fehr Graham in 2016, becomes an owner and continues to serve as Branch Manager of the firm’s Rochelle office. Jason’s expertise lies in municipal and site development engineering, notably designing water distribution and sanitary sewer collection systems, pedestrian walking and riding facilities, and roads.

January 2, 2020 Jason Stoll Joins Ownership Team

February 21, 2020 Manchester office changes location

Fehr Graham’s Manchester, Iowa, office moved 1.5 miles down the road for a bigger space in the heart of downtown. The new digs on the third floor of Community Savings Bank at 221 E. Main St. give the office room to grow. In two short years, the office would grow from seven employees to 12. Fehr Graham has been in Manchester since 2013 when the firm acquired TeKippe Engineering, which had an office at 1919 210th St.

January 1, 2021 Expansion Follows Accelerated Growth

In response to rapid growth, our Rockford, Illinois, office in Prairie Street Brewhouse expands by more than 3,000 square feet, making it 11,385 square feet.

January 1, 2021 Expansion Follows Accelerated Growth

In response to rapid growth, our Rockford, Illinois, office in Prairie Street Brewhouse expands by more than 3,000 square feet, making it 11,385 square feet.

January 29, 2021 Freeport Headquarters Changes Location

Fehr Graham’s Freeport, Illinois, office moves from 221 E. Main St. to 101 W. Stephenson St. Rapid growth prompted the move to the new space, which is five blocks from Fehr Graham’s first office at 660 W. Stephenson St.

May 19, 2022 Manchester office celebrates with grand opening

After a two-year delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manchester, Iowa, office finally celebrates its grand opening. “As Fehr Graham grows, it is important to us that we not only provide more room for staff, but to be in our business district,” said Ryan Wicks, a Professional Engineer, Branch Manager and one of the firm’s owners at the open house. The office, on the third floor of the Community Savings Bank building, is in the heart of downtown Manchester’s business district. Since moving to the larger space on Feb. 21, 2020, the office grew from seven employees to 12.