Engineering Inc. - March/April 2007 - 33

“People will give you a chance, but you have to consistently do outstanding, over-the-top work.” —DERYL McKISSACK sack’s numerous follow-up visits to the Department’s contracting offices, eventually yielded a $200,000 design review contract. In June 1996, the U.S. Secret Service summoned her to the Treasury Building, where a roof fire had damaged portions of the historic structure. The next day, McKissack found herself with a $10-million contract to expedite the cleanup and get the Treasury Department back in business. “Within 24 hours, we had 200 engineers and craftsmen on the job, and got 80 percent of the building reoccupied three days later,” she says. “That project helped us turn the corner by proving that we could handle a large program. We were later awarded a $160-million contract to manage the building’s renovation and restoration. McKissack & McKissack of Washington was finally on its way.” Gaining Momentum During the past decade, McKissack & McKissack proved itself in many other ways. Along with project-specific and ongoing services to federal, municipal, education and private sector clients in metropolitan Washington, the firm also quickly established itself as a leading consultant to Chicago’s public agencies. Current projects include owners’ representative services to the city’s Housing Authority and Public Schools, and program scheduling for O’Hare International Airport’s $2.9-billion expansion program. architecture and interior design, ranging from renovations to the Wilson Building—the headquarters of the District of Columbia government—to the new residence halls at Howard University. The firm’s broad base of management and design expertise has earned it ongoing projects with agencies such as the National Institutes of Health. And there’s more to come. McKissack plans to have 500 professionals on staff in the next five to 10 years, and to establish branches in other parts of the country. “Deryl wants to grow this into a large company,” says Sam Condit, an architect for 35 years, who joined the firm in 2003 as managing partner of McKissack & McKissack’s Washington office. “She understands that as you reach plateaus, you have to continually invest in future success, not simply work to stay where you are.” Part of that success includes making the adjectives “woman/ minority-owned” less important to McKissack & McKissack’s ability to secure new projects. Condit notes that while the firm has benefited from programs such as the federal government’s 8(a) development incentives for small, disadvantaged businesses, McKissack also has worked to avoid becoming dependent on them. “Deryl took advantage of every program available to help her company grow, but she never lost sight of the need to build a successful business that could succeed and compete in the real world,” he says. “The firm’s talent and quality of service have made the difference.” Setting a Standard McKissack & McKissack was a subconsultant on the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge providing design oversight, construction engineering and inspection services. ACEC/Illinois Executive Director David Kennedy is particularly proud that McKissack has made his state her second home. When an amendment affecting Qualifications-Based Selection was making its way through the Illinois legislature, he called on McKissack for some lobbying assistance. “I couldn’t believe how quickly she responded, and how willing she was to contact legislators she knew,” Kennedy says. “Our members don’t always realize how influential they can be. Deryl does, and will use it for causes she believes in, such as issues that affect our profession. Her help was instrumental in getting the amendment passed.” McKissack & McKissack steadily has built its reputation in Still, McKissack realizes that as a woman and minority business owner, she always will be something of a rarity in the A/E profession. That, too, is a familiar challenge that her emphasis on building relationships has helped mitigate. “I have to become a trusted partner to my clients, and they have to feel comfortable working with us,” she says, adding that her firm nevertheless faces a somewhat different set of expectations. “People will give you a chance, but you have to consistently do outstanding, over-the-top work. We simply cannot afford to fail our clients. It will affect not only my firm, but the other woman- and minority-owned firms that will come after us.” Those are the values and realities McKissack conveys to other small firms that she mentors. “I see it as our duty to bring other small companies along, regardless of who their owners are,” she says. “I’m very pleased that many of them are using our company as a model—following our path and doing the same things we did to establish and grow the company.” Those footsteps are no different from the ones taken by the four previous generations of McKissacks and, perhaps, by those to come now that Deryl’s three-year-old daughter is a regular visitor to Mom’s office. “I’ll probably tell her the same things that I’d say to anybody else starting out,” she says. “Passion is worth a lot more than sacrifice and circumstance. Don’t listen to naysayers, and always stick with your plan.” ■ MARCH / APRIL 2007 ENGINEERING INC. 33

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2007

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