History

Seventy 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 seven 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 with the solid foundation of values and practices they bestowed before us.

Shaping Florida Communities

Throughout the last 70 years, Johnson Engineering has worked with some great clients and been a p art 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.

2010 - Today

The company was fortunate to rebound from the economic downturn and to date 14% of our current 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.

Today we have a team of 115 dedicated team members. Our average employee tenure is 12 years, nearly a quarter of our employees have been here for more than 20 years, and an astonishing 10% have been here for more than 30 years. This is a testimony of our character and commitment to uphold the company’s traditions together as we move forward to provide new specialties and fields of study, looking for ways to continue shaping Florida’s communities.

A Glimpse Back into Johnson Engineering’s 70 Years

1946

Clewiston surveyor, Carl E. Johnson establishes Johnson Engineering

1968

Archie Grant becomes President & owner of the company

1972

New company headquarters established on Johnson Street in Fort Myers

1979

Forrest Banks becomes company president

1991

Collier County office established

1992

Charlotte County office established

1997

Steve Morrison elected president

2002

Hendry County office established

2003

Pasco County office established

2007

New corporate headquarters office expansion

2012

Lonnie Howard elected as company’s 5th president

2013

Company establishes Clewiston office

2019

Steve Morrison retired, he was the company’s 4th president

2022

Entering 75th year in business

Contact any of our office locations by calling

our toll free number 1-866-367-4400

Fort Myers / Naples / Port Charlotte / LaBelle / Clewiston / Lutz

Matt Howard, PSM

Director of Survey & Mapping Services

Matt has been with Johnson Engineering since 2000 and has more than four decades of experience in the field of surveying. Matt became a partner of Johnson Engineering in 2005 and is the firm’s Director of Survey and Mapping. He has performed surveys for the public and private sector of Southwest Florida for many years. Matt has performed surveys for large landowners such as Babcock, Kitson Partners, United States Sugar Corporation, Hilliard Brothers of Florida, ALICO, McDaniel Ranch, Bob Paul, Inc. and Bonita Bay Group. Surveys included boundary surveys, topographic surveys, route/right-of-way surveys, construction layout and control surveys. He was born and raised in Hendry County and has a thorough working knowledge of Southwest Florida.

Ryan Bell, PE, PTOE

Director of Transportation Services

Ryan serves as the director of the transportation group and is a shareholder of the company. With a degree in civil engineering from the University of Florida, Ryan was born and raised in Southwest Florida giving him a keen understanding and inherent appreciation for local transportation issues. Ryan has experience in both the design and construction of various transportation improvement projects. As project manager for various transportation design and CEI projects, such as the Six Mile Cypress widening design, S.R. 31 widening design and the Three Oaks Parkway/Imperial Street CEI, he brings comprehensive management and oversight to all of Johnson Engineering’s transportation projects.

Dana Hume, PE

Director of Development Services

Dana joined Johnson Engineering in 1989 and has more than three decades of civil engineering experience. During his time with the firm, Dana has overseen residential, commercial, educational, and institutional projects. In addition to managing the development department in Lee County since 2005, his responsibilities include being the project manager and professional engineer for all phases of development, including site planning, infrastructure design, government agency permitting, quality control, construction administration and contributing to LEEDs credits while continually coordinating with his clients, consultants, and team members to meet the client’s vision, goals, and schedule.

Laura Brady Herrero, CSE

Director of Environmental Consulting/ Principal Ecologist

Laura joined the firm in 2000 and serves as director of the firm’s environmental consulting team, whose ecologists have more than 100 years of combined experience. As a certified ecologist, her duties include State and Federal wetland jurisdictional determinations, protected species surveys, habitat and species management plans, coordination and permitting with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), FWS Biological Assessments and Biological Opinions, wetland/listed species mitigation proposals and mitigation monitoring, Environmental Resource Permit and Federal Dredge and Fill applications, as well as follow-through to permit issuance and post-permit compliance. She is also an FWC Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent, Federal Aviation Administration Qualified Wildlife Biologist, and FWS qualified caracara observer with over 1,600 hours of caracara survey experience and 40 nests found to date.

Michael Dickey, PE

Director of Utility Services

Mike joined Johnson Engineering in 1999 and serves as the firm’s director of the utilities market group. His project experience on utility projects includes master planning, hydraulic modeling, design of water distribution systems, wastewater collection systems, irrigation systems, and pumping facilities. Prior to joining Johnson Engineering, Mike worked for a local utility contractor which gave him a unique perspective of how the utilities he designs today come together in the field. With both utility design and construction experience, Mike has a comprehensive understanding of the entire utility development process from planning to design, to permitting through construction. He knows how to develop a design that works both in theory and in practice.

Andy Tilton, PE

Director of Water Resources

Andy joined Johnson Engineering in 1978 and is the director of the Water Resources Group. He is the office manager for the LaBelle office. Andy is currently providing quality control on the projects under design and permitting for the Bluehead Town of Fort Myers Beach and recently completed engineering design of the Jack’s Branch Mitigation Bank.

Andy was District Engineer for Babcock Ranch Community Independent Special District and has been the engineer of record for several districts, which are special governments under the laws of the State of Florida. Work within the districts includes annual inspections of water management facilities for the annual report required under Chapters 189, 190 and 298 Regulations and annual certifications as required by the Water Management District permit. Experience with these special governments is very similar to working for a city or county.

Kevin Winter, PE

Director of Land Development

Kevin joined Johnson Engineering in 1986 as a civil engineer with responsibilities for all phases of utility, drainage and road design. He became a partner in the firm in 1992 and is the firm’s Chairman of the Board and director of development services. Kevin has served as project manager for many of the firm’s larger projects.

Kim Arnold, PG

Hydrogeologist

Kim joined Johnson Engineering in 2005 and is a hydrogeologist in the company’s water resources group. She is responsible for performing groundwater modeling, hydrogeologic investigations, water resource assessments, aquifer performance testing, hydrologic monitoring program development, and water management district water use and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) permitting. Additionally, Kim has worked on Public Service Commission (PSC) utility certification cases, comprehensive plan amendment applications and Development of Regional Impact (DRI) applications for large-scale developments. She is familiar with the hydrogeology of Southwest Florida and regulatory requirements. Kim joined Johnson Engineering with 2.5 years of previous experience as a hydrogeologist with the SFWMD, where she reviewed over 500 water use permit applications.

Matt Howard, P.S.M.

Director of Survey & Mapping

Lonnie Howard, PE

President

Lonnie began working for Johnson Engineering in 1994 after completing the University of Florida’s graduate program in groundwater and open channel hydraulics. His dedication and leadership enabled him to be elected President of the firm in 2012. Under his direction, the firm has continued to successfully exceed its target revenue, profit, and business growth objectives. This success is based in part to Lonnie’s relentless commitment to client satisfaction and out-of-the-box strategies to improve efficiency. In addition to running the overall operations of the firm, Lonnie is a professional engineer that also works alongside the firm’s groundwater resources team. He has extensive experience in hydrogeological investigations, well construction, wellfield design, groundwater modeling, dewatering plans, deep injection wells, water supply planning, and water use permitting. He has worked on numerous projects for municipalities, utilities, private developers, and agricultural clients. Lonnie has also provided expert testimony before hearing examiners related to zoning cases and before the Governor’s cabinet pertaining to water supply and hydrogeology at the Babcock Ranch.