Leading a company can pose many challenges. The reality is that many businesses don’t stick around for long. Rather than finding a way to transition leadership and grow from decade to decade, they get caught up in the present moment, never stopping to think about—or plan for—the long road ahead.
That’s why we were proud and excited to see DLR Group reach its milestone 60th year in business this past spring.
But reaching this milestone wasn’t simply good fortune. There’s been vision and strategy behind DLR Group since the very beginning, before I was even part of the company, let alone its CEO.
Three industry professionals—architects Irv Dana and Bill Larson, along with engineer Jim Roubal—established DLR Group (named for the initials of their last names) on April 1, 1966, in a 12-by-12-foot space in a basement at 102nd and Wright in Omaha.
Over the 60 years that have followed, DLR Group has been guided by—and credits its longevity to—five pillars that make its business style unique.
These pillars won’t apply to every business—but you may glean value from what we’ve implemented and find a way to use it for your own success.
1. Employee ownership
Since the beginning, profit and incentive sharing has been a foundational element of our business practices, and it’s one that continues today in an even bigger way.
DLR Group started its first employee stock ownership program in 1978. This meant employees gained an ownership stake in the company. By 2005, we were a 100% employee-owned firm.
This 100% model, while not as common as other company structures, is a big part of our success. DLR Group is an S-ESOP—an S Corporation owned by an Employee Stock Ownership Plan—with a single shareholder structure. We do not pay corporate taxes and are able to use those dollars to reinvest in ourselves and grow our business.
Employee ownership at DLR Group doesn’t just mean owning stock in the firm—our collective investment in our firm’s growth and success leads to a unified purpose and a willingness to innovate. I believe this is an essential mindset that enables us to stay competitive and resilient.
We believe in empowering people to “act like an owner.” This means taking accountability and doing what’s best for the firm, not just for yourself. The more you are informed, the more you’re fueled to act like an owner. We consistently share our growth strategies, operations, and financial performance with employee owners. When there is transparency around these aspects of the business, people understand where the firm stands and start identifying opportunities to refine and grow. If you are aware of a strategic goal and plan to grow a sector or market, for example, it drives team momentum to rally around that effort—and the outcome belongs to everyone.
2. Grow with intention
DLR Group has grown organically, expanding to serve new geographic areas and meeting new client and community needs. Our mergers and acquisitions have been intentionally chosen for the way they seamlessly fit into what we’ve already done since our first acquisition in 1978—just 12 years after the company was established.
Between May 2024 and May 2026, we’ve merged with four firms that were chosen because their expertise complements and strengthens our integrated design practice, and they fit with our values and align with our culture. We look for firms that fit us, not firms that we would have to force into what we’ve already established. You can’t force cultures to fit together. If anything, the process of evolution is a natural synthesis of common understanding. When you achieve that, you’re able to serve more clients—and serve them better—without compromising your brand.
3. A culture of design excellence
DLR Group has always understood the importance of delivering the highest possible client service. As we’ve grown, however, we’ve learned to lead rather than respond. Our leadership demonstrates this by creating a culture of design excellence that drives what we share, discuss, and create.
We have supported and immersed ourselves in internal and external knowledge communities, participating in many forms of design forums and discussions. We’ve established leadership roles dedicated to the rigorous practice of charrette, critique, and sharing work in a space that nurtures debate about the value it creates. We are also committed to delivering our work using a research-focused, evidence-based, integrated design platform.
Because of this, not only is the design work we’re doing the best it can be, but we’re promoting excellence for others in the field.
4. Local presence with scalable expertise
Over the years, DLR Group has become a global company—and we emphasize that we’re global, not merely international. We make the distinction between simply doing work abroad and truly building a global presence through local offices and talent.
When offices and talent are local, it creates added value for our clients, their projects, and the communities they impact. That’s because local expertise and talent is, by proximity, immersed in the culture, history, community, politics, and context of a place. We endeavor where possible to staff international offices with local professionals who have the deep knowledge and cultural insight we need to succeed. That gives us authenticity wherever we have a presence.
5. Consistently evolving institutional knowledge
Growth isn’t simply about numbers. We have 1,800+ employees across 38 locations (and growing), but the true measure of our growth is the way our institutional knowledge has evolved. We remain committed to the knowledge sharing and relationship building that we had when we were much smaller.
Back then, institutional knowledge was passed down through personal interactions. We often call this “windshield time,” because you can build mentorship through the casual conversations you have during long drives behind a car’s windshield.
We’re too big to have windshield time with each of our 1,800 employees, so we found new ways to maintain the intimacy needed for this kind of mentorship. Our intranet serves as a knowledge-sharing platform to connect people, projects, and data, but it’s less about the platform itself and more about creating an environment where people feel comfortable contributing ideas.
Why does it matter?
Like I said in the beginning, not every pillar is going to be the right fit for every business—but I’m sure some part of our approach will help you expand your reach and serve more clients and customers.
Steve McKay is CEO of DLR Group.
