Our History
— Waggoner —
Waggoner Engineering, founded in 1976, is a civil engineering and professional consulting firm dedicated to helping communities across the Southeast United States realize their full potential. As trusted client advisors for 50 years, Waggoner has provided engineered solutions through a culture of integrity, service, and creativity. View the timeline for a history of Waggoner Engineering.
2021-Present
Expansion and National Recognition
Reunion Parkway Phase 2 Opens
NOVEMBER 2025 – Waggoner celebrated with Madison County, Mississippi, the opening of Reunion Parkway Phase 2. This vital infrastructure addition included a new bridge over I-55, connecting Bozeman Road to Parkway East, as well as four travel lanes and a multi-use path. Responsibilities included design-phase services, mapping/deed preparation, CE&I, and utility relocation coordination.
Huntsville Office Opening
OCTOBER 2025 – Waggoner proudly expanded into Huntsville, Alabama, marking a new and exciting chapter in our regional growth. The new office, shared with Trilon Group partner firms, enhanced our presence in the Southeast and reflects our ongoing commitment to serving clients in rapidly growing markets.
Advancement in ENR Top 500 Ranking
JUNE 2025 – Following our 2024 debut, Waggoner advanced 53 places in the 2025 ENR Top 500 Design Firms list, rising to No. 348 from 391. This leap reflects our ongoing growth and expanding recognition, confirming that our initial ranking marked the start of continued upward momentum.
Milestone of 300 Employees
DECEMBER 2024 – Waggoner reached 300 employees, tripling in size in just over two years. This achievement reflects steady growth, greater capacity, and our commitment to a thriving workplace. Reaching 300 was both a celebration and a foundation for future growth.
Unification Under the Waggoner Brand
MAY 2024 – Waggoner, Sigma, and Manchac aligned under the Waggoner Engineering brand. Under the Waggoner name, we continue our commitment to transforming communities in Louisiana and beyond, working together as one team. Atakapa Services, LLC moved forward as a wholly owned subsidiary of Waggoner Engineering.
ENR Top 500 Design Firms Debut
APRIL 2024 – Waggoner celebrated being named to the ENR Top 500 Design Firms list for the first time at No. 391. This significant milestone, earned through years of strategic growth, reflects the strength of our team and the enduring trust of our clients. The recognition signals our transition from regional leader to a firm with national visibility.
ACEC-MS Grand Award for Holly Springs Road
APRIL 2024 – The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors and Waggoner Engineering received the ACEC-MS Engineering Excellence 2024 Grand Award for Holly Springs Road, one of the most extensive local road developments in DeSoto County history. This prestigious award honored not just the monumental scale of the project but also the outstanding local, state, and federal collaboration that made it possible.
Acquisition of Manchac Consulting Group
AUGUST 2023 – Established in 2009, Manchac offered a full range of engineering services to municipal, state, federal, and private industrial clients. Waggoner gained three offices in Louisiana, located in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and Bossier City, and added 90 qualified employees. Manchac also brought its subsidiary, Atakapa Services, a professional engineering company specializing in pipeline cleaning and CCTV inspections. The combination took effect on August 31, 2023.
Zweig Group Hot Firm Recognition
MAY 2023 – Waggoner was named to the Zweig Group Hot Firm List, which recognizes the 100 fastest-growing AEC firms in the United States and Canada. The award highlighted Waggoner’s recent expansion and innovative approach to engineering and management services.
Holly Springs Road Construction Completed
DECEMBER 2022 – The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors had grappled with the recurring flooding of Holly Springs Road through the Coldwater River floodplain for several decades. The construction of that 2.6-mile segment was one of the most extensive local road developments in the history of DeSoto County, Mississippi, aimed at ensuring the safety and benefit of the traveling public.
Acquisition of Sigma Consulting Group
NOVEMBER 2022 – Founded in 1987 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Sigma’s full-service civil engineering and surveying expertise spanned the transportation, water resources, coastal, and program management markets. Waggoner’s team expanded to more than 150 employees, with an additional office in Pensacola, Florida. The combination took effect on November 4, 2022.
Trilon Group Partnership Established
FEBRUARY 2022 – Trilon was formed with a vision to build the next Top 20 design firm in North America by bringing together some of the nation’s best infrastructure consulting firms. Strategic growth partnership with Trilon provides Waggoner with accelerated growth potential, shared common culture and values, and the ability to provide services within a family of companies while retaining our unique identity. The partnership went into effect on February 2, 2022.
2016-2020
Resilience and Large-Scale Initiatives
Expansion of Strategic Services and Program Management
2021 – Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities encountered financial and logistical challenges in maintaining critical infrastructure. Waggoner helped clients secure American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and other funding, enabling completion of essential water, wastewater, and public works projects. These efforts closed resource gaps and supported community resilience and economic recovery.
Lake Harbour Drive Extension
SEPTEMBER 2020 – The $28 million Lake Harbour Drive Extension officially opened in Ridgeland, Mississippi, over two decades in the making. This multi-lane boulevard transportation facility connects U.S. Highway 51 to Highland Colony Parkway. Waggoner provided route location, environmental assessment services, conceptual design alternatives, final design phase, construction engineering, and inspection services.
Acquisition of Applied Engineering & Science Consulting
JULY 2020 – AES, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, provided complimentary services to Waggoner, including engineering and consulting in water, wastewater, and asset management planning to a diverse client base in the utilities and industrial markets throughout the Southeast. The combination took effect on July 1, 2020.
Hinds Parkway Segment 2 Recognized
APRIL 2020 – A fully functional, 3.53-mile, stand-alone roadway, this segment is part of the overall Hinds Parkway, linking the cities of Byram and Clinton. With a project cost totaling $28 million, the economic and energy efficiency impacts of this project were valuable to the county, its surrounding communities, and the broader metropolitan area. The project was awarded the ACEC/MS Engineering Excellence 2020 People’s Choice Award, as well as recognition from ACEC National.
Technology and Collaboration Modernization
2020 – To support remote operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, Waggoner invested in advanced technology systems, virtual collaboration tools, and IT infrastructure, ensuring continued project progress and uninterrupted client support. This modernization strengthened connectivity and resilience, laying the groundwork for accelerated growth in the years that followed.
CCID Master Plan Adopted
MARCH 2019 – The Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration (MDFA) selected a Waggoner-led team to create a Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID) Master Plan for improvements to public infrastructure within the CCID, an area in downtown Jackson, Mississippi that includes the State Capitol Building complex.
40th Anniversary Celebration
NOVEMBER 2016 – Waggoner celebrated four decades of growth and service. By 2016, the firm had 90 employees and had expanded from its Jackson headquarters to offices in Gulfport, Hernando, New Orleans, North Louisiana, Memphis, and Washington, D.C., serving clients across multiple markets.
Support for Opelika Utilities
2019 – Waggoner established a trusted partnership in the Alabama market and supported Opelika Utilities leadership in strategic planning and data-driven decision-making. This client relationship led to a Total Asset Management Plan, formalizing asset inventories, risk-based planning, and levels of service that continue to inform capital planning, operations and maintenance strategies, and long-term financial planning.
Public-Private Partnership With Bossier City
2016 – The Public Utilities Department in Bossier City, Louisiana, faced an annual deficit of $2 million. To address this, the city engaged a dedicated Waggoner team to streamline operations, enhance staff capabilities, and implement efficiencies while maintaining customer affordability. Our operations and maintenance (O&M) support helped save over $2.7 million in the first year. This public-private partnership continues to date.
2006-2015
Disaster Recovery and Water/Wastewater Growth
Grand Award for DeSoto County Regional Wastewater Program
MARCH 2014 – Waggoner’s work on the DeSoto County Regional Wastewater Program earned the ACEC-MS 2014 Grand Award for its innovation, leadership, and broad community impact. The program established the DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority as a model for regional utility management, influenced the state’s digital mapping system, and became a national pilot for partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Johnson Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility
SEPTEMBER 2013 – The $13.8 million facility opened in September 2013, a milestone that culminated the critical “backbone” elements for DCRUA. Designed to meet the needs of western DeSoto County for the next 20 years, this environmental infrastructure project provided for adequate treatment of increased wastewater, allowing the county to remain in compliance with water quality certification.
Wirtz Road Water Well and Treatment Plant
2012 – Waggoner designed a specialized system to meet Flowood’s complex needs—a state-of-the-art and aesthetically pleasing 1,750 gpm water well and treatment plant that produced over one million gallons of water daily. The new system featured an 8,100-gallon storage tank for holding liquid sodium hypochlorite, reducing the frequency of maintenance personnel’s exposure to the chemicals.
Dr. Robert Smith Sr. Parkway (JSU)
2007 – Waggoner was engaged to present alternatives to address transportation deficiencies, the decline of residential and commercial areas, and blight, while also providing an entrance to the Jackson State University campus that enhanced visibility. The two-phase project involved the development of a four-lane, median-divided parkway concept with bike and pedestrian trails, underground utilities, extensive use of pocket parks, traffic roundabouts, and vegetative plantings.
Gulf Region Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Program
2006 – Waggoner led a consortium of three firms to develop the Gulf Region Water and Wastewater Plan following Hurricane Katrina and subsequently managed the implementation of $641 million in capital improvements over 65 different projects in five counties.
1996-2005
Expansion and Innovation
County Line Road Corridor Revitalization
NOVEMBER 2005 – Waggoner partnered with the City of Ridgeland to tackle one of the region’s most congested commercial corridors. Instead of expanding lanes, the team implemented a counterintuitive yet transformative strategy: reducing the number of lanes and adding landscaping. This approach resulted in safer travel, smoother traffic, and renewed economic energy for a major retail hub. The project was later awarded the ACEC-MS 2007 Grand Award.
Initiated Statewide Mapping Program
2004 – Waggoner was selected to manage the development and implementation of the Mississippi Digital Earth Model (MDEM), a statewide digital mapping system for the State of Mississippi, collecting seven core data layers of the state. Waggoner has retained continuous involvement in this project for over 20 years and is currently mapping in three dimensions.
Coastal Highway LA 1 Mega Project
2003 – Waggoner was engaged as a subconsultant for Phase 1 of a multi-segment mega project to add 17 miles of tolled bridge on a new alignment through coastal Louisiana. The firm provided line and grade study, roadway, bridge, and coastal restoration design, permitting and construction support for the segment between Fourchon and Leeville. Waggoner later continued as a prime consultant for Phase 2 permitting for the segment between Golden Meadow and Leeville.
Mississippi Geographic Information, LLC (MGI)
2003 – Waggoner formed MGI as a joint venture with two other firms to serve the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in implementing the Mississippi Flood Map Modernization Initiative.
Nissan Vehicle Assembly Plant
2001 – Waggoner supported the development of the $1.2 billion, 1,700-acre Nissan Manufacturing site located in Canton, Mississippi. Within an 18-week schedule, Waggoner designed and managed the development of the 100-acre building pad, including grading design for 3.5 million yards of fill material, site drainage, clearing and demolition plans, and property acquisition.
Sardis Lake Master Plan
1999 – The Sardis Lake Recreation and Tourism Master Plan was developed to organize recreational activities within the 6,000 acres surrounding Sardis Lake and create a viable rural economic development resource that serves the recreational and tourism needs of a regional population.
DeSoto County Regional Wastewater Program
1998 – Faced with a combination of environmentally impaired streams and rapid population growth, DeSoto County partnered with Waggoner to launch a strategic program with master planning. The early formation of the DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority (DCRUA) made DeSoto the first county in Mississippi to implement a consolidated wastewater system. DCRUA retained Waggoner to further advance this long-term, transformational program.
20th Anniversary Milestone
NOVEMBER 1996 – In its first 20 years, Waggoner completed projects of regional significance that helped shape communities and advance infrastructure in water resources and transportation. These included Pelahatchie Wastewater System Improvements, Purple Creek Hydrological Study, State Water Management Plan, Highland Colony Parkway and Metro Parkway. Together, these efforts reflected Waggoner’s early commitment to forward-thinking planning, engineering excellence, and lasting public impact.
1986-1995
Regional Water and Transportation Leadership
Highland Colony Parkway
APRIL 1994 – Highland Colony Parkway was a flagship effort for Waggoner. Recognized as the state’s first public-private partnership infrastructure project, the $10 million initiative delivered an eight-mile, four-lane roadway in metro Jackson that enhanced regional mobility and did not require federal participation. This landmark economic development corridor showcased Waggoner’s ability to lead transformative infrastructure efforts. The project was awarded the Mississippi CEC 1995 Grand Conceptor Award.
Statewide Water Resources Management Plan
1992 – Waggoner served as the prime consultant to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for the first plan of its kind in Mississippi and one of only a few nationwide. The project addressed the evaluation and identification of the interdependencies between surface water and groundwater management, conservation, environmental protection, economic development, flood control, and institutional governance.
1976-1985
Founding and Early Growth
Incorporation of Waggoner Engineering
JANUARY 1984 – Waggoner Engineering, Inc. was registered in Mississippi, a milestone in the firm’s growth from a small practice to a profit corporation offering multidisciplinary civil engineering services.
Founding of Waggoner Engineering
NOVEMBER 1976 – Joe A. Waggoner, P.A. was founded in Brandon, Mississippi. Waggoner, a third-generation engineer and Mississippi State University graduate, hired part-time employees within six months, marking the beginning of the firm’s steady growth.
We do more than plan and design infrastructure.
We transform communities.