Our firm was founded by a visionary engineer who saw that modern heating and ventilation technologies would revolutionize the built environment. We grew along with the Atlanta skyline, shaped by the vibrancy and energy of our city and the region.

Today we celebrate that inventive and creative spirit as we look forward to tomorrow’s projects.

History in the Making

Robert S. Newcomb

1923: On September 26th Robert S. Newcomb announced the opening of a Consulting Engineering practice in the Walton Building located in Atlanta.

Spencer W. Boyd

1928: Spencer W. Boyd joined the firm.

Newcomb & Boyd

1931: Spencer Boyd became a partner and the name of the firm was changed to Newcomb & Boyd.

The Fox Theatre (1934)

1934: Newcomb & Boyd provided services on their first mechanical ventilation project – The Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

Project Summary

The firm designed mechanical and electrical systems for forty-two schools and universities, seventeen retail and department stores, thirty-seven banks and offices, twenty-six hospitals, seven country clubs, thirteen hotels, nine housing projects, and 104 Southern Bell projects throughout the Southeast from 1923-1940.

Elmer L. Riker

1946: Elmer L. Riker joined the firm.

Project Summary

From the mid-1940s through the 1950s, Newcomb & Boyd’s two major clients in the Southeast were Southern Bell (more than 400 projects by 1953!) and Sears, Roebuck & Company.

30 Years of Service

1953: An excerpt from Newcomb & Boyd’s “illustrated resume,” which commemorated 30 years of service.

Lloyd Barnard, Jr.

1954: Lloyd Barnard, Jr. and I. Ben Kagey joined the firm.

Warren D. Shiver

1959: Warren Shiver joined the firm while finishing his education at Georgia Institute of Technology. At this time, the firm had 25 employees.

Air France Crash

1962: Newcomb & Boyd suffered a major loss when Robert S. Newcomb and his nephew (also a Newcomb & Boyd employee) were two of the 111 Atlanta art patrons, and civic and cultural leaders killed in the crash of an Air France jet at Orly Airport, Paris.

New Partners

1964: Ben Kagey, Lloyd Barnard, and Elmer Riker partners of the firm.

New Partner

1973: Warren Shiver became a Partner in Newcomb & Boyd.

Year of Change

1974 brought about a lot of change for Newcomb & Boyd. After Ben Kagey retired, leaving Shiver, Riker, Barnard, and Boyd as partners, Newcomb & Boyd moved from its Spring Street location to a one story office building on Commerce Drive and introduced a new logo to help create a new corporate identity.

Steven F. Bruning

1976: Steven F. Bruning joined the firm after working since 1973 as a full-time draftsman with the “flextime” to complete his education at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Shenandoah Community Center

1977: The firm participated in the Shenandoah Community Center project, the largest solar heated and cooled building in the world at the time, as solar system engineers and subsequently performed solar feasibility studies on numerous projects for military agencies, which culminated in Newcomb & Boyd’s earned reputation of energy analysis experts.

First Computer

1978: Newcomb & Boyd purchased its first computer: a PRIME Model 350 with 320K of Memory, an 80MB disk drive, three terminals and one printer, becoming one of the first consulting engineering firms in the country with its own computer!

Project Summary

Significant projects in the 70s included services for the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah (including two Army Hospitals at Fort Benning and Fort Bragg), Southern Bell (including the fifty story, 2,000,000 square foot headquarters complex in Atlanta), and numerous energy conservation projects (including the design of Energy Monitoring and Control Systems (EMCS) for three Air Force Bases).

New Location

1979: Newcomb & Boyd moved to the Alpha Building at One Northside 75.

World's Fair 1982

1979: The FABRAP-Newcomb & Boyd team won a design competition for the United States Pavilion used for the 1982 World’s Fair “Energy Expo 82”.

Energy Studies Overseas

1980: As a result of the firm’s energy experience and reputation, Newcomb & Boyd was selected for its first major overseas project: energy studies for 18 Army installations in the Heidelberg, Germany area and at three locations in England. Since that time, the firm has worked on projects in Kuwait, the Azores, Brazil, Netherlands, Honduras, South Korea, Panama, China, Djibouti, Azerbaijan, and other foreign countries.

Communications

In 1980, Newcomb & Boyd was chosen to design the communications, EMCS, and fire alarm systems for the proposed submarine base to be built at Kings Bay near Saint Marys, Georgia. This project led to the development of Newcomb & Boyd’s communications practice.

James H. Costley, Jr.

1981: James H. Costley, Jr. joined the firm.

Christopher P. Rousseau

1981: Christopher P. Rousseau joined the firm just before graduating from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Acoustics & CAD

In 1982, Newcomb & Boyd landed its first major acoustical project – a 200-seat fine arts facility at Alabama State University. The company also purchased a computer aided drafting (CAD) system called Design Oriented Graphics System (DOGS), which was later replaced by AutoCAD.

New Partners

1984: Steve Sessler and Steve Bruning were made partners.

William W. Dean

1985: William W. Dean joined the firm.

Audio-Visual

1986: Newcomb & Boyd began providing consulting and design services in audio-visual systems.

Orlando International Airport

In 1987, Newcomb & Boyd was awarded the 3 million square foot Passenger Terminal Complex Expansion of Orlando International Airport enabling the firm to broaden its services into the aviation market. Lloyd Barnard also retired as a full-time partner in 1987 but remained associated with the firm as a marketing consultant through 1990.

Coca-Cola Atlanta Office

1988: Newcomb & Boyd completed the Coca-Cola Atlanta Office Complex Expansion with Heery Architects. The project was an 820,000 square foot expansion, including a 34,000 square foot employee center, a central reception facility, and an 80-seat seminar center.

Andrew A. Dymek

1988: Andrew A. Dymek joined the firm.

Robert A. Howell

1988: Robert A. Howell joined the firm.

Steven C. Severini

1988: Steven C. Severini joined the firm.

Retired

1989: Elmer Riker and Spencer Boyd retired.

Gregory R. Johnson

1989: Gregory R. Johnson joined the firm.

Project Summary

During the 1980s, Newcomb & Boyd completed a number of large and complex projects, including the 211,000 square foot South Clinic and the Woodruff Physical Education Center for Emory University; industrial projects for the JVC Compact Disc and Tape Manufacturing Plants and the Hitachi Semiconductor (America) plant; several data centers for AT&T, the CSX Advanced Information Technology Center, and the Barnett Banks Data Center.

Jeffrey L. Linde

1990: Jeffrey L. Linde joined the firm.

Cooperative Education Program

1991: Newcomb & Boyd began participating in the Cooperative Education Program at Georgia Institute of Technology giving students a competitive advantage by allowing them to gain professional work experience prior to graduation. Today, the firm also participates in the program with Southern Polytechnic State University.

Three Distinct Services

1992: Recognizing the firm’s specialty discipline practice had matured and needed separate identification, Newcomb & Boyd reorganized into three practice groups to define and distinguish the different services offered.

Spencer W. Boyd

1992: Spencer W. Boyd passed away.

NBIT

1993: Stressing the importance of continued education, Newcomb & Boyd implemented an in-house educational program named Newcomb & Boyd Institute of Technology (NBIT). This practice focused on project management, risk management, leadership training, discipline-specific presentations, and design review sessions.

Olympic Aquatic Center

1993: To prepare for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Newcomb & Boyd had the opportunity to contribute to the Olympic Centennial buildings program, including the Olympic Aquatic Center and the Olympic Village located on the Georgia Tech campus. In 1994, the firm was involved in the Coca-Cola Olympic City, a 500,000 square foot temporary entertainment complex.

Healthcare

In 1994, an open-end contract with the United States Medical Command helped to expand Newcomb & Boyd’s health care involvement resulting in over 25 projects at military health care facilities in 15 states. Additionally, Celebration Health (pictured above), in Orlando, Florida was a large health care project designed in 1994.

H. David Chandler

1994: H. David Chandler joined the firm.

New Partners

1995: Christopher Rousseau, William Dean and James Costley were appointed partners of the firm. Additionally, two of Newcomb & Boyd’s engineers were honored by Metro Engineers Week: Shiver as the 1995 Outstanding Engineer and Bruning as the 1995 Outstanding Engineer in Private Practice.

Theodore Mowinski, II

1997: Theodore Mowinski, II joined the firm.

Adam R. Bare

1997: Adam R. Bare joined the firm.

Commissioning

1999: The Commissioning and Operations Group began, offering commissioning, retrocommissioning, operations support, and systems training. Additionally, the Special Technologies Group added theatrical services and court technology. The firm was awarded a contract with the Administrative Office of United States Courts to provide a design for courtroom audio-visual enhancements and structured cabling design.

Project Summary

Major projects of the 1990s include the Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in Atlanta, the sixty story SunTrust Plaza in Atlanta, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Kentucky; Newcomb & Boyd’s first Federal Bureau of Prisons project – Estill Federal Correctional Institute in South Carolina, the firm’s first major design/build project for the Federal Courthouse in Louisiana; and multiple mixed-use projects with John Portman & Associates.

Firm Growth

2000: The firm had grown to 140 people with a record number of licensed engineers.

New Location

2001: Newcomb & Boyd moved to its current location, the SunTrust Plaza Garden Offices. The leased 35,000 square foot office space was designed by Newcomb & Boyd with IA Interior Architects and the Lighting was provided by the firm’s Lighting Design Group.

New Logo

2001: Along with a new office, the firm debuted a new logo.

A Growing Office

By May of 2002, all workstations were occupied so Newcomb & Boyd leased an additional 8,000 square feet of office space on the South side of the building.

CONRAC

2003: Newcomb & Boyd commissioned projects at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was awarded a contract for a consolidated rental car facility.

New Partners

2004: Andrew Dymek and Bob Howell were appointed partners of the firm.

Shelby Hall

2004: Shelby Hall at the University of Alabama received the Construction Award of Excellence from the ABC Mid Tennessee Chapter.

Sustainability

2006: The sustainable design movement in the construction industry provided an opportunity for the firm to showcase its leadership in energy management and conservation. By the end of 2006, over 50 staff members were LEED APs, including all of the partners.

Klaus Advanced Computing

2007: The Klaus Advanced Computing Building received a 2007 Engineering Excellence Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies and the Georgia Engineering Alliance. Additionally, the Biodesign Institute Building B at Arizona State University was Newcomb & Boyd’s first certified LEED Platinum project and was named Laboratory of the Year by R&D Magazine!

Donald L. Walker

2007: Donald L. Walker joined the firm.

Performing Arts Centre

2008: The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre received the Best of Assembly Forum Design award from the International Interior Design Association’s (IIDA) Georgia chapter and the Gold Award in the 2008 Building Team Awards from Building Design+Construction magazine. It was named the 2008 Project of the Year by Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Atlanta.

Project Summary

Significant projects of 2000s include three buildings on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta; Georgia, multiple projects for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, Georgia; a Federal Penitentiary at Terre Haute, Indiana; Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida; the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston; and Redstone Arsenal Von Braun Phase III in Huntsville, Alabama.

Coca-Cola Atlanta Office

2010: Newcomb & Boyd began the renovation of the Coca-Cola Atlanta Office Complex, with Gensler. The firm completed the 820,000 square foot campus expansion in 1988.

Intelligent Building Systems

2012: Newcomb & Boyd began to provide Intelligent Building Systems.

NOBIC

2013: The New Orleans BioInnovation Center received a 2013 American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

Mount Pleasant, SC

2013: Newcomb & Boyd opened a second location in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

ESGR

2014: Steve Bruning, Jim Costley, and Andrew Dymek (pictured above) were presented with the Patriot Award. The award is presented by the Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize employers for their employment policies and practices that are supportive of their employees’ participation in the National Guard and Reserve.

New Logo

2014: The firm updated the logo to include two versions utilized for different media formats.

New Partners

2016: David Chandler, Gregory Johnson, Jeffrey Linde, Theodore Mowinski, Steven Severini, and Donald Walker were appointed partners of the firm.

The Cigar Factory

2016: The South Carolina office moved from Mount Pleasant to the renovated historic Cigar Factory in Charleston.

Renovations

2016: Our Atlanta office underwent renovations that resulted in two new conference rooms - the Kagey and Conference Room A - as well as six new Partner offices.

New Partner

2017: Adam R. Bare became a partner in Newcomb & Boyd.

Partner Emeritus

2017: James H. Costley, Jr. became a Partner Emeritus.

Fitwel Ambassador

2017: Danna Richey became Newcomb & Boyd's first Fitwel Ambassador.

WELL Accredited Professional

2017: Ramya Shivkumar became Newcomb & Boyd's first WELL Accredited Professional.