October 5, 2023
Horner & Shifrin Celebrates 90 Years in Business
As Horner & Shifrin embarks on this remarkable milestone, join us by revisiting the last 90 years. Our company timeline paints a vivid picture of our evolution, highlighting the transformative moments, pioneering achievements, and enduring values that have defined us over the decades. We’re proud to celebrate that H&S has been and continues to be the Right Choice Since 1933!
1930s
October 1, 1933
Horner & Shifrin Consulting Engineers is founded in St. Louis by Wesley Horner and Hymen Shifrin, with offices in the International Building at 722 Chestnut Street
1934
Horner & Shifrin receives the first of many engagements with the US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
1935
The Cities of Cape Girardeau, Crystal City, Glendale, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Webster Groves, Missouri are among Horner & Shifrin’s earliest clients
H&S secures a project with the Department of the Interior (National Park Service) to study solutions for the elimination of pollution from Rock Creek in the District of Columbia and tributaries in Maryland
A contract is signed with East St. Louis, Illinois for services on the new Veterans Bridge over the Mississippi River
1936
Wesley Horner is selected to serve as a consultant to the Little Rock, Arkansas Sewer Committee
1939
H&S is responsible for design of “all matters concerning the drainage” at the new National (Ronald Reagan) Airport in Washington DC
1940s
1940
The firm is engaged by the US War Department for reconnaissance surveys and reports related to three potential Army Camps in the Midwest
1942
Plans and specifications are prepared by H&S for an expansion at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
Work begins on two reports for Lambert Field – H&S would go on to complete most design work at Lambert from the 1940s through the 1970s
Horner & Shifrin serves as the stormwater and subsurface drainage consultant for Idlewild (JFK) Airport in New York
1943
Project reports are developed by H&S for two reservoirs on the Meramec and Big Rivers for USACE, St. Louis District
1944
The firm relocates to larger offices in the Shell Building at 1221 Locus Street, as H&S grows to ten employees
1945
H&S is recognized with the Andrew J. Haire Airports Award from the National Aerounautics Association
The firm marks its first assignment with Union Electric Company (Ameren) of St. Louis
1947
The Cities of Clayton, Olivette, Ladue, University City, and Mexico, Missouri have joined the H&S client roster
1950s
1950
Horner & Shifrin prepares a report of the sanitary and storm sewer needs of St. Louis City and County for the Bi-State Development Agency
The City of St. Louis Water Division contracts H&S for the Chain of Rocks purification plant improvements
1952
H&S provides recommendations for revision of interior drainage for St. Louis flood protection for USACE, St. Louis District, and later designs by the firm prevent excessive damages resulting from the floods of 1973 and 1993
1954
Horner & Shifrin provides advice on the organization of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District and was responsible for determining its initial boundaries
1955
Co-founder Hymen Shifrin passes, age 62
1956
St. Louis County Highway Department retains H&S for design of numerous roadway bridges throughout the County
1958
H&S studies and designs the sewage interception and treatment system for the 191 mi2 Mississippi River watershed for MSD
Co-founder Wesley Horner passes, on his 75th birthday
Irwin Bloss, with the firm since the mid-1930s, becomes Managing Partner
1960s
1960
H&S designs grading, storm drainage, runway and taxiway, and street paving for the initial development of Spirit of St. Louis Airport
1963
The firm designs new sewers, pumping stations, and wastewater treatment plants for Jefferson City and Washington, Missouri
June 13, 1966
The firm is legally incorporated, officially becomes Horner & Shifrin, Inc.
1967
Bi-State Development Agency acquires Parks (St. Louis Downtown) Airport and solicits Horner & Shifrin for planning and design of airport improvements and expansion
Horner & Shifrin establishes a relationship with East St. Louis & Interurban Water Co. (Illinois American Water) as designer of more than 50 projects, including additions and improvements to their water system
H&S pioneers the feasibility of prepared refuse as fuel for the generation of electricity within the St. Louis Metropolitan area, through the design of two prototype refuse incinerator plants for St. Louis County and improvements of two existing incinerators in St. Louis City, as part of the St. Louis Energy Recovery Plan
1969
H&S is engaged in the first of more than 200 planning and engineering assignments for Earth City Business & Industrial Park
The firm relocates to a new St. Louis office at 5200 Oakland Avenue
1970s
1970
Erwin Breihan is elected President of Horner & Shifrin, the third in the firm’s history, after 34 years of continuous service
The firm marks revenues of $1 million annually
1978
H&S is responsible for design of the Hampton Avenue Bridge in St. Louis, a 10-span structure linking I-64 and I-44 over the River Des Peres drainage channel, Manchester Road, and railroad tracks
1980s
1981
Design work related to the rehabilitation of Stacy Park Reservoir for the City of St. Louis is awarded to Horner & Shifrin
1983
H&S is selected for its first IDOT project, the replacement of the Market Street Viaduct in Venice, Illinois (the project was subsequently canceled), and two additional major bridge projects were awarded within two years
Horner & Shifrin, Inc. celebrates 50 years of engineering excellence
1984
The Tower Grove/Vandeventer Avenue Bridge Complex designed by Horner & Shifrin opens to traffic in the City of St. Louis
1987
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is established for the firm, earning it the official label of an “employee-owned company”
1988
21-year veteran of H&S Len Kirberg is elected President
H&S opens an office in the Metro East, located in Belleville, Illinois
1990s
1990
Construction begins on MetroLink, the St. Louis region’s light rail system, which H&S was involved in designing
1991
A Joint Use Agreement is signed between Scott Air Force Base and St. Clair County, Illinois, resulting in the development of MidAmerica Airport
1994
Work begins with the City of Maryland Heights, Missouri on the development of a Stormwater Master Plan, eventually leading to design of stream restoration and bank stabilization projects over the course of a decade
1996
H&S designs the first multiport diffusion system in the Mississippi River for the American Bottoms Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility in Sauget, Illinois
1997
Horner & Shifrin is the lead consultant for MSD’s Stormwater Management Plan, which governs the control of stormwater runoff from developing areas in the region
1999
The firm marks a record $9 million in revenue, a gain of more than 350% in 11 years
2000s
2000
CE News ranks Horner & Shifrin 16th in their nationwide list of “Top 25 Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For”
2002
H&S is again recognized by CE News as one of the “Top 50 in the Nation Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For”
2004
Bill Clarke, a 25-year veteran of Horner & Shifrin, is elected as the firm’s fifth President
2007
Construction begins on the $524 million New I-64 Design-Build project in St. Louis, on which H&S was responsible for roadway and bridge design for a three-mile segment from east of Clayton/Warson Roads to west of Spoede Road, including the dual roundabout interchange at Spoede
2008
Horner & Shifrin celebrates 75 years of continuous service to the community
Nearly a decade of work by Horner & Shifrin on MSD’s Lower Meramec Lift Station and Interceptor Tunnel culminates in the presentation of the Grand Conceptor Award from American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Missouri to H&S
2009
Designed by H&S, the new 23-span, four-lane Jefferson Boulevard Viaduct in the City of St. Louis is completed and opens to traffic
2010s
2011
Duane Siegfried, a 14-year veteran of the firm, is elected President
2012
The successful implementation of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) by H&S on IDOT’s Illinois Route 3 Waterloo project is recognized at a nationwide Federal Highway Administration workshop
2014
H&S establishes new St. Louis headquarters in the Power House at Union Station, 401 S. 18th Street
2015
The geographic reach of H&S expands to the north, with the addition of an office in Chicago
Preliminary engineering work by Horner & Shifrin begins on the replacement of I-270 over the Mississippi River
2016
Steve Donahue becomes the seventh President in Horner & Shifrin’s history after an 18-year tenure
2017
Horner & Shifrin is named a Top Workplace by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
2020s
2020
The firm adapts to the COVID-19 pandemic era through the expanded use of hybrid work schedules and telecommuting
2021
Horner & Shifrin establishes a physical presence in the state of Arkansas with the addition of an office location in Bentonville
2022
Design and construction of Oglesby Park in St. Charles County is completed by the Horner & Shifrin team in record time, with only 166 calendar days elapsing between initial site visit and the park’s grand opening, garnering the firm numerous recognition awards
2023
H&S acquires Clarida & Ziegler Engineering Co. in Marion, Illinois
The firm is recognized as a Top Workplace for the seventh consecutive year by the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
