K-State names university’s 2023 Company of the Year

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - Kansas State University named the university’s 2023 Company of the Year.

Kansas State University officials said the university’s Carl R. Ice College of Engineering is honoring Burns & McDonnell as its 2023 Company of the Year. This annual selection is based on exhibited commitment to engineering education and high standards and quality performance in the engineering profession.

K-State officials said Burns & McDonnell was founded in 1898 and today operates as a family of 100% employee-owned companies that includes more than 13,500 engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects and more that design and build critical infrastructure that helps cities thrive.

K-State officials indicated that Burns & McDonnell is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., and has more than 70 offices. They provide their services to a wide variety of industries.

“We truly appreciate the many ways that Burns & McDonnell has invested in the college and in the lives of our students,” said Matt O’Keefe, dean of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. “They have been a valued partner of ours for decades, and it is our privilege to recognize them as our 2023 Company of the Year.”

According to officials with K-State, Burns & McDonnell has an extensive history of partnering with the college to the benefit of students. The company is an Engineering Leadership and Innovation, or ELI, corporate partner in the college. They take part in the investment opportunity that includes several chances to network with students as well as mentoring and interacting with ELI Scholars throughout the school year.

Additionally, staff at K-State said Burns & McDonnell regularly take on K-State engineering students as interns, and the company contributed funding for the College’s Ike and Letty Evans Academic Success Center, specifically the naming of the Collaborative Learning Laboratory where the Scholars Assisting Scholars tutoring program is housed.

“Company of the Year is a high honor, and Burns & McDonnell is pleased and proud that the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering has chosen to recognize us this year,” said Warren Kennedy, senior vice president of Burns & McDonnell and 1990 graduate in chemical engineering from K-State.

According to K-State officials, Kennedy said the supply of prepared, diverse and well-rounded intern and graduate candidates at scale is vital to the company’s continued success.

”This is a major reason why we recently opened our Student Success Center on campus,” said Kennedy. “In the College of Engineering at K-State, we have a trusted partner with a proven track record of developing incredible talent.”

K-State officials noted Burns & McDonnell will be honored as part of the college’s career fair reception at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the Engineering Hall atrium.