Olsson Establishes a General Civil Engineering Team in Fayetteville


October 31, 2019

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (Oct. 31, 2019) – Olsson, a nationally recognized engineering and design firm, has established a General Civil team in Fayetteville, Arkansas, dedicated to serving clients in the greater region.

The move is part of the firm’s plan to expand and extend the services it provides in Fayetteville and throughout the state of Arkansas. Olsson’s Fayetteville office also provides water/wastewater, transportation, power, field operations, land development and surveying services to the Arkansas area.  

“Site-civil work is an important part of our business across our geographical footprint,” said Len Swartz, General Civil practice leader at Olsson. “We’re excited to start offering this service in Arkansas so we can better serve our clients in this area.”

A key part of Olsson’s Fayetteville General Civil team is senior landscape architect Dennis Blind, a certified professional landscape architect who recently joined the firm. Blind brings decades of experience in planning, design and land development to the firm. He joins a team of engineers to provide site-civil services to Arkansas, Southwest Missouri and Eastern Oklahoma.

Blind has worked with public- and private-sector clients and nonprofit and philanthropic foundations during his 40-year career. He provided active transportation design and management expertise to several high-profile projects, including the Razorback Regional Greenway; the University of Oklahoma bicycle and pedestrian master plan; the Northwest Arkansas Regional Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan; bikewalkokc; the complete streets policy for Oklahoma City; the Bella Vista Trail and Greenway Master Plan; and Blind has personally developed several medical and commercial office parks in Northeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas.

Prior to joining Olsson, Blind owned and operated ACTIVE Planning + Design. He also worked for the City of Oklahoma City as its planning and redevelopment division manager, Alta Planning + Design in Bentonville, Arkansas and Glory Development in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“Dennis is an experienced landscape architect who knows the area well and will be a valuable asset to our firm and our clients,” said Jared Rasmussen, team leader for Olsson’s General Civil teams in Springfield, Missouri, and Fayetteville.

Olsson maintains offices in eight states, but the firm works on projects throughout the United States. This year, the firm has worked in more than 40 states from coast-to-coast. In 2017, Olsson established a presence in Arkansas with the acquisition of McGoodwin Williams & Yates.   

Olsson has worked on several projects in Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding area, including the Cultural Arts Corridor in Fayetteville, the Spring Creek Lift Station in Springdale, Water Master Plans in Fayetteville and Bentonville and the Monte Ne Road realignment project in Rogers.

Olsson is a nationally recognized engineering firm made up of people who craft expert solutions and designs that improve communities. The firm offers design and consulting services in planning and design, engineering, field services, environmental and technology. For more information, go to www.olsson.com.