News

Barge earns Great Place To Work Certification for the eighth time, based entirely on employee feedback about workplace culture and experience.

Barge Design Solutions hosted its AM26 annual meeting in Nashville, bringing together team members and families to reflect on key achievements, celebrate employee milestones, support community impact through charity, and look ahead to future growth opportunities across the firm.

Barge is selected as prime engineering consultant for Columbus Water Works’ new 65-MGD South Columbus Water Reclamation Facility in Georgia.

Barge’s Parkwood Road Bridge Rehabilitation wins a 2026 ACEC Alabama Grand Award for innovative bridge engineering in Jefferson County.

Barge names Laine Hiera its first Chief Digital Solutions Officer to lead digital strategy, transformation, data, and technology-enabled initiatives.

Barge earns CMMC Level II certification following a third-party assessment, strengthening cybersecurity protections for sensitive federal information.

Barge ranks No. 41 on the 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces in Consulting & Professional Services list for small and medium-sized companies.

Nashville Business Journal ranks Barge No. 14 on its 2025 Fastest-Growing Companies list after 21.23% one-year growth and 80.03% three-year growth.

Barge acquires Columbia, South Carolina-based Carlisle Associates, expanding its industrial architecture and multidisciplinary engineering capabilities.

Barge’s AM25 annual meeting celebrated 70 years in business, employee achievements, community impact, and the firm’s vision for continued growth.

Barge celebrates 70 years in business, with Nashville proclaiming April 21, 2025, Barge Design Solutions Day in recognition of the firm’s community impact.

Bob Higgins will retire as Barge CEO on February 28, 2025, after nearly 16 years. Carrie Stokes will succeed him while Higgins remains Board Chairman.

Three of Barge’s transportation projects were recognized at this year’s American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Tennessee Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) on November 6.

Stephen DeCastro joins Barge as Chief Financial Officer, bringing more than 20 years of financial leadership and operational experience to the firm.

The Barge-led Georgia Tech EcoCommons Living Building Sector earns an ASLA Honor Award for transforming a former parking lot into an ecological park.

Vanderbilt Engineering highlights Barge and Glenn Springs Holdings for the Copper Basin reclamation project, winner of ACEC’s Grand Conceptor Award.

Barge’s Kevin McAlister, PE, will present an I-24 bridge replacement case study using CM/GC and accelerated bridge construction at the ABC Conference.

Barge’s Dane Danielson receives HCA’s Design & Construction Partner of the Year Award, recognizing outstanding service to a longtime healthcare client.

Barge is selected with Passero Associates for a continuing aviation engineering services contract supporting DeFuniak Springs Airport in Northwest Florida.

Barge names Knoxville Project Manager Kris Hatchell the first recipient of its employee-nominated Honey Badger Spotlight Award.

FDOT District 3 awards Barge two Northwest Florida transportation projects focused on roadway and bridge improvements, safety, and infrastructure longevity.

Barge earns an ACEC Georgia Engineering Excellence Award for rehabilitating Macon Water Authority’s Lower Poplar and Rocky Creek reclamation facilities.

Barge’s master plan for the 31-acre City Walk BHAM project earns an ACEC Alabama Engineering Excellence Grand Award for innovative urban design.

Barge rises to No. 169 on ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms list and No. 20 in the Southeast, while ranking No. 1 in Tennessee and No. 10 in Alabama.

Barge’s annual meeting in Nashville celebrated team accomplishments, innovative projects, community impact, and the employee-owned firm’s future.

Barge’s 2023 stockholders’ meeting elects 10 board members, including two new members, and promotes seven employees to Vice President.

Modern Healthcare ranks Barge No. 31 on its 2023 Top Architecture Firms list, reflecting growth in healthcare architecture and design work.

Mark McKinney, PE, joins Barge as Water Practice Leader, bringing two decades of consulting and public utility experience to water and wastewater services.

Barge recognizes Nashville Project Architect Reece Tucker, RA, with the employee-nominated Honey Badger Spotlight Award for living the firm’s values.

ACEC recognizes Barge’s City Walk BHAM master plan with a national Honor Award for engineering excellence and community-focused urban design.

Melinda Parrish Brumfield joins Barge as Director of Development – Private Markets, bringing more than 20 years of Atlanta-area AEC and real estate experience.

Barge appoints Karen Cosentino, SPHR, as its first Chief People Officer to lead employee experience strategy and serve as a cultural advisor to leadership.

Barge CEO Bob Higgins is elected chair of the Ascension Saint Thomas Board Finance Committee and will also serve on the board’s executive committee.

Barge names veteran healthcare architects Denis Stroup and Sims Polk as client service leaders in Nashville to strengthen healthcare design relationships.

Barge remembers co-founder William “Bill” Harold Cannon, whose leadership, tenacity, relationships, and commitment to service helped shape the firm.

Georgia Tech’s EcoCommons Living Building Sector, supported by Barge, earns a SCUP Jury’s Choice Honor Award for landscape architecture and design.

Barge recognizes Nashville IT Support Analyst Thang Nguyen with the employee-nominated Honey Badger Spotlight Award for living the firm’s values.

Barge’s Nashville office again earns Silver Bicycle Friendly Business recognition from the League of American Bicyclists for supporting employees who bike.

Barge’s Wilburn’s Hideaway Terrace design becomes Metro Nashville’s first permanent parklet after a Civic Design Center design competition.

Barge’s planning and urban design for City Walk BHAM receives the Alabama APA Franklin M. Setzer Outstanding Urban Design Award.

Barge earns an ACEC Tennessee Honor Award for developing NDOT’s Tactical Urbanism Guide to help Nashville residents improve neighborhood streets and spaces.

Barge acquires Environmental Consulting & Design, expanding environmental permitting, land planning, mitigation, geospatial, and Florida capabilities.

Barge names longtime leader Carrie Stokes as its first Chief of Staff, expanding her role after more than 25 years with the engineering and architecture firm.

Barge appoints civil engineering leader Casey Tyree to direct its Private Client Center, the firm’s largest division serving private-sector clients.

Barge recognizes Dothan engineering associate Eli Wood with the employee-nominated Honey Badger Spotlight Award for living the firm’s values.

Barge announces new officers and leadership appointments, including Karen Cosentino, Erika Booker, Carrie Stokes, Casey Tyree, and Jonathan Childs.

Barge and Vanderbilt University collaborate on Generative AI for Leaders, a course designed to help executives understand and apply generative AI.

Barge promotes Erika Booker to Chief Marketing Officer, recognizing more than two decades of marketing expertise and leadership of the firm’s brand strategy.

CEO Roundtable names Barge CEO Bob Higgins its 2024 Innovator of the Year, recognizing his record of innovation and impact across Tennessee.

Bay County selects Barge to design filter expansion and resiliency improvements at the Transmitter Road Water Treatment Plant in Panama City, Florida.

Barge’s AM24 annual meeting brought employees together in Nashville to celebrate accomplishments, recognize team members, and look ahead to the firm’s future.

Barge launches a chemical process engineering department led by Dennis and Phil Knisley, expanding capabilities for energy and industrial clients.

Barge acquires Core Engineering Group, strengthening its Florida transportation presence and expanding professional engineering and consulting capabilities.

AIA Tennessee certifies Barge as an Emerging Professionals Friendly Firm, recognizing the firm’s support for early-career architecture professionals.

Barge and Vanderbilt University launch a research collaborative exploring how generative AI can help address infrastructure challenges and shape future solutions.

ENR’s 2024 Sourcebook ranks Barge No. 6 for Auto Plants and No. 23 for Manufacturing, reflecting continued growth in industrial design and engineering.