CDM Smith Celebrates 75th Anniversary

BOSTON—CDM Smith is celebrating a significant company and industry milestone in 2022—our 75th anniversary. What started as a partnership of three consultants in Cambridge, Mass­a­chu­setts, more than seven decades ago has grown to who we are today—a global team of over 5,000 profes­sion­als driving an impactful $1.4 billion independent engineering and construc­tion firm that continues our mission to make the world a more resilient place.

Proud History. Bold Future.
In 1947, Thomas Camp left the Mass­a­chu­setts Institute of Technology to set up a consulting practice with partners Herman Dresser and Jack McKee. Together, they were the catalysts for our culture of innovation. They pioneered water treatment tech­nolo­gies that are still used today, advanced approaches in water quality protection and groundwater recharge, and established our enduring culture of ingenuity, a passion for client satis­fac­tion and nurturing amazing career journeys.

75 years later, that pioneering spirit has grown in more ways than one—size, services, expertise and perspec­tives—and has perpetuated an unwavering passion for making life better. Today, CDM Smith is a complete infra­struc­ture provider focusing our ingenuity and innovative spirit into solving some of the world’s most prominent challenges, such as treating and destroying PFAS, detecting and monitoring viruses  in wastewater, helping communities remove lead from their drinking water, maintaining our critical trans­porta­tion infra­struc­ture, and helping clients harness the decision-making power of their data. Our employee-owned company is currently ranked 25th on Engineering News-Record's 2021 Top 500 Design Firms and 19th on their 2020 Top 200 Envi­ron­men­tal Firms list.

In an industry landscape that continues to shift and merge, CDM Smith has proudly maintained its privately held ownership throughout its history. This ownership model has allowed us to not only control our destiny and ensure a consistent focus on innovating and delivering excellence for clients, but equally important to offer an unmatched employee experience where staff can shape their career journey through industry-first advancement and leadership programs.

CDM Smith Chairman of the Board and CEO Timothy B. Wall reflected on what this anniversary means to him: “When I started as a co-op student in 1991, I knew there was something special about this company. A lot has changed since the beginning, but if you were to go back in time, you would see many common threads: passion for excellence in providing the best solutions for our clients, innovation and creativity, a supportive workplace that empowers everyone as leaders, a culture of caring for our communities, and a united and independent firm paving its own path. I’ve watched so many inspiring careers unfold here and had the opportunity to learn from the smartest people. That’s what makes CDM Smith unique … us! This year, we remember our rich legacy, our people and the impact we’ve made across the world.” 

Year of Celebration
Throughout the year, we will reminisce and celebrate our rich legacy, industry-leading vision and exciting future with a host of special events held online and in our offices around the world: 

• Anniversary gifts and a special message from our CEO for all employees
• Web content (internal and external) to recognize our history and capture events held throughout the year
• Office anniversary parties, trivia contest and other activities for employees to win prizes
• Global screening for the premiere of our 75th anniversary documentary video, featuring imagery and insights from past and present employees
• Eight $7,500 student schol­ar­ships – doubling the number and increasing the value by $2,500 each from our traditional scholarship programs. 

More information on CDM Smith’s 75-year history can be found at www.​cdmsmith.​com/​Celebrating75 where visitors will find a history timeline, company facts, growth over the years, and photos that capture our year-long cele­bra­tions. Be sure to follow #CDMSmith75th and #Proud­His­to­ry­Bold­Fu­ture on social media for posts from our corporate channels and our employees.

CDM Smith is a privately owned engineering and construc­tion firm providing legendary client service and smart solutions in water, environment, trans­porta­tion, energy and facilities. Passionate about our work and invested in each other, we are inspired to think and driven to solve the world's envi­ron­men­tal and infra­struc­ture challenges.