It's hard to imagine a firm that has left a more indelible imprint on downtown Seattle than Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), a Seattle-based structural and civil engineer that has had a hand in virtually every significant public building constructed in the city over the past two decades, including Seattle Federal Courthouse, Safeco Field, home to Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners, and Century Link Field, home to National Football League's Seattle Seahawks.


The firm also has dazzled with such structural virtuosos as Seattle's EMP Museum and Seattle Central Library, the flagship of the Seattle Public Library System.


At the center of it all is former firm Chairman and current Senior Principal Jon Magnusson, whose innovations and contributions to his field have earned him countless accolades, most recently Outstanding Projects and Leaders Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2014.


ENR Northwest is delighted to extend the tradition by naming Magnusson the recipient of its inaugural Legacy Award, which recognizes the enduring contributions of industry professionals to their profession, their community and the built environment.


Magnusson made his mark early. After earning a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering, summa cum laude, from University of Washington in 1975 and a masters of science degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1976, he joined the firm currently bearing his name, assuming the role of principal by age 30 and CEO by age 34. Later, he was named chairman of the board, a position he held for 18 years.


Some 25 of his projects have received received national recognition from the American Council of Engineering Companies in 27 years. In all, MKA has executed projects in 46 states and 53 countries collectively valued at $87 billion.


As noted by firm Chairman and CEO Ron Klemencic, who nominated his colleague of 20 years for the Legacy Award, “Jon possesses a unique combination of skills found in few: world-class technical engineering abilities, a profound capacity to see the big picture, and an unequaled talent of communicating ideas clearly and understandably. Always taking the high road in an understated manner, Jon's contributions to the profession are respected by colleagues throughout the industry.


Magnusson will be profiled in the May 11 edition of ENR Northwest. Our warmest congratulations to him and his colleagues.