January 2022
Announcing Ownership Transition
Keast & Hood is excited to announce the transition to its third generation of ownership. On January 1st, 2022, firm veterans Denise Richards, PE and John Davis, PE assumed full ownership of the firm with Ms. Richards as the majority shareholder. Richards and Davis are committed to building on the legacy of quality work and client collaboration instilled in the firm by its founders. Former owners Frederick Baumert, Constantine Doukakis, and Thomas Normile will remain fully engaged with the firm to ensure a seamless transition and the transfer of institutional knowledge. Keast & Hood was founded in 1953.
“Keast & Hood has a reputation for its collaborative problem solving and innovative structural solutions,” said Baumert. “Denise and John have demonstrated their ability to carry forward and build upon this reputation. Dean, Tom, and I are thrilled to support our new Partners, whom we are confident will build upon this existing foundation and strengthen the firm as it moves into the next phase. The firm has a strong core of engineers at every level and we are eager to help Denise and John develop the potential of the team.”
MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF PARTNERS
Denise and John bring a collective 40 years of experience to their new titles as Partners. In these new roles, they are excited to bring new energy and ideas to Keast & Hood, a firm already known for its vitality, quality of work, and commitment to collaboration internally and externally within Philadelphia and the greater mid-Atlantic area. Both new Partners are eager to continue that legacy while implementing a new strategic plan for the next phase of the firm’s history. Additionally, as this transition elevates existing Principals to ownership status, all Keast & Hood staff are keen to usher the team into a new era.
Moreover, both Denise and John are particularly excited to bring new sustainability initiatives to Keast & Hood, and have committed to the SE2050 challenge. Furthermore, they will be working closely with firm staff to implement a more robust DEI committee and continue important conversations about diversity at all levels. In this vein, Keast & Hood will officially become a women-owned business following this transition, given Denise’s ownership stake in the company. This is an exciting continuation of the firm’s established history of championing women in the engineering industry, given their impressive number of women in technical roles.
Read the Full Transition Press Release HERE