Frank G. Waldraff founded KCE as Waldraff Associates in June 1972; Formerly an engineer at a large local manufacturing company, Frank had always bristled at its hierarchical “top-down” style of management, which he described as “people parading around wearing stripes and expecting everybody to salute them.” As a result, Frank knew exactly the kind of engineering firm he did not want KCE to be.

Instead, Frank empowered people by treating everyone as equals. The result is a company of people who cooperate with each other and collaborate with its clients to exceed their expectations — by working effectively, efficiently and expeditiously.

In 1984, Waldraff Associates changed its name to Keystone Consulting Engineers (KCE). Frank retired in June 2002, but his management style inspired a whole company of people to embrace the same client service orientation and work ethic he brought to the office every day. KCE’s low employee turnover and high average years of service are a testament to the level of satisfaction enjoyed by KCE’s employees and clients.