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Holiday cheer may sometimes go over the river and through the woods, but it’s centered in Oklahoma City for Kimley-Horn’s regional office. TheNorth Carolina-based planning and design consulting firm has expanded to more than 100 locations in the U.S. and Canada, including an Oklahoma City office with more than 30 employees. A Tulsa branch is also set to open in 2023.

 

“At Kimley-Horn, we want to be invested in the communities where we live, work and play. We don't go anywhere we don't want to be fully engaged  as active members of the community,” said James Bryan, professional engineer and project manager for Kimley-Horn. “We're here to improve our communities, and that commitment helps us give our employees an extra level of care and a kind touch, because it’s where we choose to raise our families, too.”

 

Bryan, who is originally from Dallas, has been with the company for three years. He and his wife have two sons, ages 1 and 2. He recognizes how vital Kimley-Horn’s contributions to infrastructure are for the Oklahomans who depend on it. .

 

“What I deal with specifically is wastewater, which may not come to mind often for the average person who just turns on their faucet and expects water to come out. Behind the scenes, engineers are always looking for those vital assets like water and sewer even, if the function of those infrastructure needs is an afterthought in daily life,” said Bryan. “Kimley-Horn is all about making communities better, and while we do that through our work, getting out in the community demonstrates our willingness to step up and contribute in other ways.”

 

Bryan is part of an employee committee in charge of planning quarterly activities. Recent projects have included providing volunteers for maintenance of public school green spaces, packaging food at Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, sorting donations for City Rescue Mission and supporting Wings Fall Festival, a fundraiser benefiting the Edmond-based nonprofit, which coordinates work opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. 

 

“Oklahoma’s business climate helped companies like ours expand to Oklahoma. Now that we are here, it is important to retain talented employees and hire professionals. We look forward to meeting friends and neighbors at work and outside of work,” said Bryan. 

 

Kimley-Horn’s Oklahoma City employees plan to participate in a holiday volunteer effort to be determined later this month. No matter where they end up helping out, the community we share will benefit from their dedication.