1986
One hundred years after the founding of Barry-Wehmiller Company, leadership develops a vision to provide clients with integrated engineering solutions for packaging automation.
Barry-Wehmiller Design Group is established in St. Louis, Missouri to serve as an independent, autonomous system integrator. Although still a small firm, Design Group secures several large “turn-key” engagements with major domestic and international beverage companies.
1986-1995
Over the next 10 years, Design Group grows to approximately 50 professionals based in a single office in St. Louis. The firm specializes in engineering and commissioning of high speed automated packaging lines, having integrated more than 30 turn-key beverage lines for major U.S. and international companies.
1996
Design Group expands into the food industry. The firm achieves $40 million in sales. Design Group has become a highly regarded integrator of automated systems for both the food and beverage sectors.
As Design Group enters its second decade, a higher competency emerges as the firm focuses upon selected recruitment of industry experienced professionals. Design Group further diversifies its service offering by expanding into Personal Care, Health & Beauty, and Household Goods markets.
1997
Design Group evaluates its organizational design by studying a wide spectrum of professional consulting firms in various industries. The firm establishes its “Partnership” organization, with emphasis on long-term growth, expansion of markets, and targeted client development.
Fundamental to the Partnership organizational model is the requirement that Design Group Partners are responsible for developing long term client relationships through their proven technical competency. Design Group Partners are accountable for growing the organizational competency for their key clients and market sectors, while delivering value to the Firm.
1998 - 2000
After extensive market evaluation and proactive industry recruiting, Design Group launches its “Pharmaceutical Initiative”. The firm establishes its second office in Greenville, SC, dedicated to clients within the Life Sciences industry.
Within three years, Design Group has secured engagements with 8 of the world’s 10 largest Pharmaceutical companies. The Pharmaceutical Practice within Design Group proves to be a tremendous success, resulting in much stronger balance and diversity of markets and clients.
Design Group now serves all major sectors of the Consumer Products and Life Sciences industries.
2000
Design Group opens its third office in Sacramento, CA, dedicated the western region of the U.S. The firm now provides a true national presence to support the goals of our clients.
Design Group exceeds 100 professionals for the first time.
2001
Design Group opens its Chicago, IL engineering office. The firm now has four offices.
Design Group leadership recognizes the benefits of regional expansion as an essential part of our growth strategy. Regional expansion allows us to:
- Attract a broader range of talent into the firm;
- Better serve our clients as we become physically closer to their operations;
- Improve the quality of life for our professionals as we reduce employee travel demands;
- Develop internal leadership at an accelerated pace through greater regional opportunities.
Design Group leadership creates its “Horizon Plan” to purposefully drive the forward vision of the firm. A stated goal of the Horizon Plan is to double the size of the firm by recruiting talented professionals into a vibrant culture with a compelling vision.
2002 - 2003
Design Group opens its Philadelphia, PA engineering office. The firm now has five offices.
The firm establishes itself as a highly skilled integrator for Manufacturing Intelligence systems, securing major engagements for SCADA, MES, and RFID integration services.
Design Group exceeds $65 million in sales for the first time, with a professional staff of over 150, located in five offices across the US.
2004
Design Group opens its San Juan, Puerto Rico engineering office.
The firm celebrates the achievement of its Horizon Plan vision which was set three years earlier. Design Group has doubled the size of the firm by attaining 250,000 billable engineering hours.
Design Group completes its first acquisition, adding Architectural Design & Engineering to its range of services. Stahlman Group, Inc. merges within Design Group as a professionally licensed, wholly owned engineering subsidiary. Stahlman Group continues to expand and grow its engineering staff in Concord, NH.
2005 – 2006
Design Group opens its Los Angeles, CA engineering office, to complement its existing presence in Northern California.
Through the recruitment of experienced industry professionals, Design Group establishes an organic growth initiative to provide Process Design & Automation in addition to its existing range of Packaging Automation and Facility Design services.
The firm’s electrical panel engineering and manufacturing business is restructured under the name ControlTech Automation, Inc., a distinct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Design Group.
Design Group now exceeds $85 million in sales, with a professional staff of over 300 project managers, engineers, architects, and other technical professionals located in eight offices across the US.
2007
Design Group strengthens its commitment to the Midwest and Southern regions of the US by opening engineering offices in Indianapolis, IN and Dallas, TX.
Design Group now exceeds 350 professionals located in ten offices. Through its successful integration of diverse services, markets, and regions, Design Group now provides Total Operational Solutions for engineering planning, facility design, process and industrial automation, and construction services.
2008
Design Group opens engineering offices in Raleigh, NC and Denver, CO.
Design Group exceeds $100 million in sales for the first time, operating with 370 professionals out of 12 regional engineering offices.
2009
Design Group continues to expand, launching an engineering office in Modesto, CA to better serve the wine and food industries concentrated in the California Central Valley. Design Group becomes the dominant engineering firm in the Western US with focus on packaging automation, facility engineering, and process design services.
The Design Group business model is tested in 2009-2010, and proves to be resilient during a challenging period of economic recession. The firm’s vision of a balanced regional presence, combined with a diverse blend of clients, markets, and services provides employment stability for our professionals.
2010
Design Group expands in the Northeast by opening its New York office, serving food, beverage, and pharmaceutical clients in the region.
Design Group achieves a professional staff of 400 project managers, engineers, architects, and other technical professionals operating from 14 regional engineering offices.
2011
Design Group expands with an engineering office in Washington State, to better serve clients and industries in the Northwestern US.
Design Group expands its Facility Practice through the acquisition of Delphey-Gerdes Engineering. Delphey-Gerdes, located in Los Angeles, specializes in facility engineering services for the food industry. Delphey-Gerdes combines with the firm’s Stahlman Group subsidiary to form a leading national practice for facility engineering services. The merger also provides Design Group with a second office in Los Angeles to better serve clients in Southern California.
Design Group expands its sanitary process design services with the acquisition of Cadence Technologies, Inc. Cadence specializes in high purity process systems and engineering consulting for food and beverage clients. With the merger, process design and automation services become the Design Group’s fastest growing engineering sector.
Design Group launches a major regional engineering office in Atlanta, by combining Design Group and Cadence team members. The firm continues to expand with a second engineering office in the Denver metropolitan area. Design Group now has 18 regional engineering locations.
Design Group celebrates its 25th anniversary as it achieves a new growth milestone, by exceeding 500 professionals for the first time in the firm’s history. Design Group exceeds $150 million in sales for the first time, and achieves $200 million of client engagements. The firm has grown twentyfold since 1995.
2012
Design Group expands with a new engineering office in Northern Chicago, in order to better serve clients in northern Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The firm now has 19 regional engineering locations.
Design Group announces its intent to establish additional engineering offices in Florida, Ohio, and Boston.
The Future
Design Group continues to vigorously pursue a vision of growth, professional advancement, and value. We will provide exceptional people and compelling solutions to our clients, within a vibrant organizational culture and a stable employment environment.
We are One Firm with a common purpose: providing success for our clients, opportunities for our professionals, and value for all of our stakeholders.
Related links:
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Design Group Office Locations
Barry-Wehmiller Design Group, Inc.
Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. History