Eighty years in business is an amazing accomplishment, showing solidarity, devotion, and perseverance, while also creating a solid appreciation for our rich history. Few companies can claim to have had more of an impact on shaping Southwest Florida than Johnson Engineering.
Our team has spent eight decades adapting to an ever-changing industry. As regulations were imposed, technology advanced, and the population surged, it was our duty to anticipate, guide, and provide reliable long-term solutions for development.
Our leaders continued to add knowledgeable professionals who specialized in the various layers of civil engineering and allowed them to focus on providing the specific services needed to complete all aspects of a project.
We are proud of our past, of those who came before us, and we continue to move into the future under a new name of Apex Companies, with the solid foundation of values and practices bestowed before us.
SHAPING FLORIDA COMMUNITIES
Throughout the last 80 years, Johnson Engineering has worked with some great clients and been a part of countless projects that have helped to shape the face of our communities.
1940s– 50s– 60s
Our story began in 1946 when Clewiston surveyor, Carl E. Johnson, P.L.S., purchased the assets of a local surveying company owned by Harry K. Davison, well-known in the Southwest Florida community since the early 1900s. Carl established an office in downtown Fort Myers. His surveying work during the next twenty years stretched from Collier County to all surrounding counties. The well-known Lovers Key/Carl E. Johnson State Park in Fort Myers Beach became a reality largely due to Carl Johnson’s efforts helping to acquire the land and surveying the island in the mid-1960s.
In 1968, Carl sold the company to Archie T. Grant, P.E., P.L.S., who established a strategic plan to ensure the company’s future success. He subsequently asked Forrest H. Banks, P.E. to join the firm in 1969 as Vice President. What started as one man surveying Southwest Florida began to develop into a team of professionals offering not only surveying, but a broad spectrum of civil engineering sub-disciplines. With each decade, the company continued to evolve as technologies changed to best serve the needs of clients.
1970s
In 1972, Archie established a new company headquarters on Johnson Street off McGregor Boulevard in downtown Fort Myers, where the company still resides today. In the 1970s desks were drafting tables and everything was drawn by hand using T-squares, triangles, compasses, and pencils. There were no computers or cell phones, only typewriters and landline phones.
Throughout the 1970s projects centered around building new infrastructure, highways, streets, roads, airports, water supply, wastewater management, and water resources. The company became the local expert for developing and updating water management plans, establishing water levels, and designing master drainage plans. In 1979, Forrest H. Banks, P.E., became the company’s third president and by the end of the decade the company grew to a team of around 50 employees, seven of whom remarkably still work here today.
1980s
Throughout the 1980s business was transformed significantly by the introduction of computers and cell phones. The population in Southwest Florida doubled and development was flourishing. The company contributed to shaping many of the area’s recognizable airports, schools, shopping plazas, and residential communities. Land planning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were the new services added to compliment the civil engineering work. By the end of the decade the team grew to nearly 100 employees.
1990s
As the company continued to grow, two new offices were established in Naples and Port Charlotte. The company started offering FDOT Construction Observation & Inspection (CEI). In 1995, in an effort to better assist clients, the company reorganized its corporate structure, establishing six separate market groups; Surveying & Mapping, Site Development, Water Resources, Transportation & CEI, Utilities, and Planning. Many well-known highways, hospitals, universities, parks, and commercial developments have resulted from our efforts throughout the 1990s.
In 1997, Steven K. Morrison, P.E., was elected as the company’s fourth president, succeeding Forrest Banks. The team grew to 130.
2000s
Significant growth occurred as the employee count doubled in a mere five years to 260 employees by 2005. Johnson Engineering was named in ZweigWhite’s annual list of the 100 Fastest Growing Engineering/Architectural Firms in the United States. Landscape Architecture was added to the list of services the company provides. An office was established in LaBelle, and a year later in Pasco County. In 2007, the corporate headquarters on Johnson Street expanded, doubling its square footage. The year 2008 brought the economic downturn, forcing the company to dramatically cut expenses and resulted in downsizing back to less than 100 employees.
2010s
The company was fortunate to rebound from the economic downturn and 14% of the workforce was rehired.
In 2012, Lonnie V. Howard, P.E., was elected president, succeeding Steve Morrison. The company’s continued growth allowed us to establish five additional offices in Sebring, Clewiston, Pembroke Pines, Lakeland, and Miami. By the end of the decade, the company had strategically consolidated its operations, with some offices closing as part of this process.
The team grew to 115 dedicated team members, with an average employee tenure of 12 years. Nearly a quarter of employees had been there for more than 20 years, and an astonishing 10% had stayed for more than 30 years. This was a testimony to our character and commitment to uphold the company’s traditions together as we moved forward to provide new specialties and seeking better ways to continue shaping Florida’s communities.
2020s
In 2020, the company successfully navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic as an essential business and helped move public infrastructure projects forward, ensuring continued progress despite the challenges of the global crisis. The team grew to 125. In 2022, Southwest Florida was hit hard by Hurricane Ian, impacting our operations and many employees, yet the team rallied together and supported community recovery and resiliency efforts across the region. The company continued to contribute significantly to the region’s planning & development projects. In late 2024, the company was purchased by Apex Companies, LLC. and became a part of the national firm. The Johnson Engineering brand will sunset early in 2026, yet the dedicated and trusted team will remain, strengthened by expanded capabilities.
