MWY’s executive management team (left to right: James Ulmer, Jeffrey Richards, Carl Yates, Lane Crider, Brad Hammond), posing with a portrait of the company’s founders, L.M. McGoodwin, Terry Williams and Carl Yates.
Although it was founded long before the University of Arkansas Technology Development Foundation existed, McGoodwin, Williams and Yates has a long history of working closely the U of A and providing jobs for College of Engineering graduates.
According to company legend, L.M. McGoodwin, moved to Fayetteville in 1946 with plans to open a toy factory. It was George P. Stockard, the dean of the College of Engineering at the time, who convinced him to open a civil engineering firm instead. Sixty-five years later, McGoodwin, Williams and Yates employs 13 licensed Professional Engineers, all of them graduates of the University of Arkansas, including Carl Yates, CEO, and Brad Hammond, President.
The company’s executive team agree that U of A civil engineering graduates have been well-prepared to work in the field. “We interact with engineers from all over the country that have gone to other schools,” said Hammond, “and we can say that U of A grads are second to none.”
“They come here very technically proficient,” explained Jim Ulmer, chief operating officer, who also praised the Razorback work ethic. “It’s really over and beyond what you expect these days.”
Hammondgraduated in 1992, and believes that theCollegeofEngineeringhas only gotten better since then. “I’ve been really impressed with the younger students,” he said.
McGoodwin, Williams and Yates specializes in water and wastewater engineering. They also provide other civil engineering and architectural services. In 2006, they won a National Honor Award for Excellence in Engineering from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) for their design of the Beaver Water District’s raw water intake facility. In addition, the company has won the Grand Conceptor Award from ACEC of Arkansas four times in the past six years, most recently in 2011 for a water master plan they developed for the city ofBentonville.
These awards recognize excellence in engineering, innovation and sustainability. For McGoodwin, Williams and Yates, sustainability is a factor in every project. Three of the company’s engineers are LEED Accredited Professionals and three are board-certified environmental engineers. Their design for the Beaver Water District administration building was certified as LEED Gold, the second-highest LEED classification.
As part of their plan for the Fayetteville West Side Wastewater Treatment Plant, McGoodwin, Williams and Yates restored the wetlands in the area. The wetlands had been compromised by farming activities, and instead of building over it, the company increased the size and quality of this ecologically important area. Now called the Woolsey Wet Prairie, the wetlands are a thriving habitat for plants and birds.
The engineers at McGoodwin, Williams and Yates make their experience available to faculty and students in theCollegeofEngineeringthrough interaction in the various organizations associated with the university. “You can study a textbook,” said Ulmer, “but a person who has been there done that can speak to the issues from a technical standpoint. That’s really important.”
The relationship between McGoodwin, Williams and Yates and the U of A has been beneficial for both sides. The company lends its expertise to students and provides jobs for graduates, while the university supplies a steady stream of talent. “We think we’ve hired the cream of the crop,” said Yates.