RIDGELAND, MISS. — In 1985, Burns Cooley Dennis, Inc. (BCD) opened for business with a small office in downtown Jackson, a drill rig, a water truck, and a pickup truck. This year BCD commemorates its 25th anniversary as the largest Mississippi-based geotechnical and materials engineering consulting firm with a staff of 110 employees.

“What started out 25 years ago on a shoe-string budget has steadily grown into a business far exceeding anyone's expectations,” said BCD President David Dennis, P.E. “We are very grateful to our loyal clients and talented employees who helped get us here.”

BCD provides complete geotechnical and materials consulting services, including engineering, soil borings, laboratory testing, construction observations, and testing for earthwork, concrete and asphalt, and pavement studies and design. BCD is headquartered in Ridgeland, Miss. and has offices in Hattiesburg, Tenn., Gulfport, Tenn., Memphis, Tenn., and Kenner, La.

"Throughout BCD's history, despite changes in markets and the economy, the one thing we could always count on was the loyalty of our clients," said Eddie Templeton, vice president of BCD. "We're proud of our relationships, many of which date back to our beginning, and we value the client support that has allowed us to remain successful through the years."

The firm has earned widespread recognition for its high quality, innovative, and practical solutions to challenging projects. BCD received a 2009 National Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) for its work on the U.S. 90 over St. Louis Bay Bridge project. BCD submitted with HNTB Corporation (Kansas City, Mo.), and the team received the award as one of the top 25 projects by American engineering companies throughout the world during ACEC’s annual Engineering Excellence Awards program in Washington, D.C. Since 2000, BCD has received six ACEC-Mississippi Grand Conceptor Awards and one Grand Award involving specialized and unique projects. The Grand Conceptor Award is the highest honor given on a yearly basis by ACEC-Mississippi.

For more information, visit www.bcdgeo.com or call 601.856.9911.