AECOM

Corporate brand

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A U.S.-based multinational infrastructure consulting and professional services company.

Last updated August 31, 2026

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Overview

AECOM is a Dallas-headquartered multinational professional services company focused on infrastructure, the built environment, government programs, and related technical services. Its work commonly spans the full or substantial portion of a project lifecycle, from strategy, economics, feasibility studies, planning, architecture, and engineering through environmental assessment, program management, construction management, asset management, operations support, and decommissioning. The company serves public agencies, national and local governments, defense and security organizations, utilities, developers, institutional owners, and other commercial clients. The company’s name is derived from the terms Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Management. Although AECOM has participated in construction and has historically owned construction-related businesses, its post-2020 strategy has emphasized professional services with comparatively lower capital intensity and risk. Its principal areas of activity include transportation, buildings and places, water, environment, energy, defense, international development, digital and cyber services, and program delivery. Typical assignments include airports, railways, roads, bridges, ports, water and wastewater systems, public buildings, urban districts, environmental remediation programs, and large government or institutional capital programs. AECOM traces its corporate lineage to businesses associated with Ashland Oil, including the acquisition of the architectural and engineering firm Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall in 1984. Ashland Technology was separated from Ashland Oil through an employee-backed buyout in 1990, creating the independent company that became AECOM Technology Corporation. The business expanded through acquisitions of engineering, environmental, architecture, planning, water, construction-management, and international-development firms. Important additions included Metcalf & Eddy, Maunsell, UMA Engineering, EDAW, ENSR, Earth Tech, Tishman Construction, and URS Corporation. AECOM completed its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007. The 2014 agreement to acquire URS, completed in 2015, substantially increased the company’s engineering, construction, government, and technical-services capabilities. In subsequent years, AECOM divested its Management Services, Power construction, and Civil construction operations. The Management Services transaction created Amentum, while the construction divestitures removed substantial lower-margin construction exposure. AECOM described these actions as a transformation toward a higher-margin professional-services model. AECOM operates internationally and has worked for clients in more than 150 countries. It does not primarily sell standardized consumer goods; its brand value is based on specialist expertise, multidisciplinary teams, project delivery experience, technical credibility, and long-term institutional relationships. Its business is therefore influenced by public infrastructure budgets, government procurement, private capital expenditure, construction and real-estate cycles, interest rates, regulation, and the timing and risk profile of major programs. AECOM is listed under the ticker ACM and remains an active global infrastructure-services brand.

History

AECOM’s roots extend to Ashland Oil and its earlier industrial businesses. Ashland acquired Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall, a Los Angeles architecture and engineering firm, in 1984. The business became part of Ashland Technology Corporation, whose leadership advocated separating the technical-services operation from Ashland’s petroleum-focused activities. An employee-backed buyout completed in 1990 created the independent company that adopted the AECOM name, representing Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Management. During the 1990s and 2000s, AECOM assembled a broad professional-services portfolio through acquisitions and organic expansion. It added urban design and sustainability expertise through EDAW, economic and planning capabilities through Economic Research Associates, and environmental expertise through ENSR and The RETEC Group. The acquisitions of Metcalf & Eddy and Maunsell expanded water, wastewater, engineering, and international capabilities. UMA Engineering strengthened the Canadian business, while the additions of Earth Tech and Tishman Construction broadened technical consulting and construction management. AECOM went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007. It continued to expand its government, development, and infrastructure work, including the acquisition of The Services Group, which served USAID and other international-development institutions. In 2014, AECOM announced the acquisition of URS Corporation, and the combination was completed in 2015. URS brought major engineering, construction, government, energy, and technical-services operations, materially increasing AECOM’s scale. The company also acquired ACE International Consultants and Hunt Construction Group during the same period. AECOM bought Shimmick Construction in 2017. The acquisition later became associated with criticism from officials concerning delays to a Golden Gate Bridge safety-barrier project. Separately, AECOM faced strategic pressure to simplify its portfolio and improve the risk and margin profile of its business. In 2019 it announced the sale of its Management Services division, which supported government clients including the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense. The transaction closed in 2020 and created Amentum. AECOM then sold its Power construction business and its Civil construction business, including Shimmick, in transactions announced in 2020 and completed in 2020–2021. These divestitures marked a shift away from owning substantial construction operations and toward infrastructure consulting, design, engineering, program management, environmental services, and other professional services. In 2020, W. Troy Rudd became chief executive and Lara Poloni became president. In 2021, AECOM announced the relocation of its global headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas. The company continues to operate internationally across transportation, buildings, water, environment, energy, government, defense, digital services, and urban development. Its project-based model means that results depend on public and private investment, procurement cycles, project execution, regulation, and client demand.

2021
Global headquarters moves to Dallas
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
AECOM announced and implemented the relocation of its global headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas.
2020
Management Services becomes Amentum
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
AECOM completed the divestiture of its Management Services division, which became Amentum.
2015
URS combination completed
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
AECOM completed its acquisition of URS Corporation, expanding global engineering, construction, government, and technical services.
2010
Tishman Construction acquisition
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
The transaction strengthened construction-management capabilities in the United States.
2007
Initial public offering
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
AECOM listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under ACM.
2005
EDAW and ENSR join AECOM
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
AECOM added urban design, landscape, sustainability, and environmental capabilities.
2000
Metcalf & Eddy and Maunsell acquisitions
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
The acquisitions expanded water, wastewater, engineering, and international operations.
1990
AECOM becomes an independent company
[2]AECOM official company overviewaecom.com
An employee-backed buyout separated Ashland Technology from Ashland Oil and created the independent AECOM organization.
1984
Ashland acquires DMJM
[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
Ashland acquired Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall, establishing a major architecture and engineering foundation for the later AECOM business.

Products and positioning

A global, multidisciplinary infrastructure and professional services platform serving governments, public agencies, institutional owners, and major private-sector clients.

Professional services
Infrastructure consulting and advisory
AECOM advises governments, agencies, investors, and asset owners on infrastructure strategy, economics, feasibility, planning, procurement, financing, resilience, and delivery. Assignments can cover individual assets or entire infrastructure systems, particularly in transportation, water, buildings, energy, and urban development.
Design and engineering
Architecture and engineering
The company provides architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, structural engineering, systems engineering, and multidisciplinary design. Its work includes buildings, airports, railways, roads, bridges, ports, water facilities, public campuses, and complex urban districts.
Program delivery
Program and project management
AECOM manages complex capital programs on behalf of public and private clients. Services may include governance, procurement support, cost and schedule control, risk management, stakeholder coordination, quality assurance, claims support, and owner’s-representative functions.
Environmental consulting
Environmental services
Environmental services include assessment, permitting, impact analysis, remediation, contaminated-site management, sustainability, climate adaptation, ecological work, and environmental engineering. These capabilities are often integrated into transportation, industrial, government, and urban-development programs.
Water infrastructure
Water and wastewater
AECOM supports water and wastewater owners with master planning, treatment-plant design, network planning, hydraulic analysis, asset management, resilience, construction support, and operational improvement. The offering serves municipal, industrial, and regional water systems.
Government technical services
Government, defense, and international development services
AECOM provides technical, planning, engineering, cyber, risk, and program-delivery support to government and defense clients as well as international-development institutions. The former Management Services division was divested and became Amentum in 2020.

Marketing campaigns

2003Jinji Lake landscape plan
China
AECOM developed a landscape plan for Jinji Lake in Suzhou Industrial Park, helping transform a shallow marshy water body into a major lakeside public park.
Outcome. The plan received recognition and contributed to the lakefront’s development as a prominent public landscape.
Source

Brand decisions

2025
Acquire ConsigliM&A
Background
AECOM sought to add artificial-intelligence capabilities relevant to infrastructure and professional-services work.
Action taken
AECOM acquired Norway-based artificial-intelligence startup Consigli.
Aftermath
The acquisition added an AI-oriented capability to AECOM’s technology and infrastructure-services portfolio.
Source
2021
Relocate global headquartersStrategy
Background
AECOM sought to establish its global headquarters in Dallas while continuing to operate as an international company.
Action taken
The company announced the relocation of its global headquarters from Los Angeles, California, to Dallas, Texas.
Aftermath
Dallas became the company’s headquarters location.
Source
2020
Exit selected construction operationsStrategy
Background
AECOM was repositioning itself as a higher-margin, lower-risk professional-services company.
Action taken
AECOM announced sales of its Power construction business and Civil construction business, including Shimmick Construction.
Aftermath
The divestitures reduced AECOM’s direct construction exposure and reinforced its focus on consulting, design, engineering, and program management.
Source
2020
Appoint new senior leadershipStrategy
Background
The leadership change followed a chief-executive succession process and discussions involving activist shareholder Starboard Value.
Action taken
AECOM selected W. Troy Rudd as chief executive and Lara Poloni as president.
Aftermath
The appointments established the company’s current leadership direction during its professional-services transformation.
Source
2019
Divest Management ServicesStrategy
Background
AECOM pursued a simpler business model with greater emphasis on professional services and less exposure to lower-margin or higher-risk operating businesses.
Action taken
The company agreed to sell its Management Services division to private-equity firms American Securities and Lindsay Goldberg.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in 2020 and the business became Amentum.
Source
2014
Acquire URS CorporationM&A
Background
AECOM sought to increase its scale and broaden engineering, construction, government, energy, and technical-services capabilities.
Action taken
AECOM announced a cash-and-stock acquisition of URS Corporation, with the transaction valued at approximately six billion U.S. dollars on an enterprise-value basis.
Aftermath
The combination was completed in 2015 and significantly expanded AECOM’s global service platform.
Source

Recent events

2025
AECOM acquires Norway-based artificial-intelligence startup Consigli[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
M&A · Product launch
AECOM acquired Consigli to add artificial-intelligence capabilities to its infrastructure-services platform.
2021
AECOM announces global headquarters relocation to Dallas[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
Other
AECOM announced that its global headquarters would move from Los Angeles to Dallas, Texas.
2020
AECOM changes chief executive and president[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
Leadership change
W. Troy Rudd was selected as chief executive and Lara Poloni as president during a leadership transition involving activist-shareholder representation.
2020
AECOM completes Management Services divestiture[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The divested business began operating as Amentum.
2020
AECOM announces sale of Power construction business[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
M&A
AECOM announced the sale of its Power construction business as part of its professional-services transformation.
2020
AECOM sells Civil construction business[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The Civil construction operations, including Shimmick Construction, were sold to Oroco Capital and transferred in early 2021.
2019
AECOM announces sale of Management Services division[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
M&A
AECOM agreed to sell its government-oriented Management Services division to private-equity buyers; the resulting company became Amentum.
2017
Officials link Golden Gate safety-barrier delay to Shimmick acquisition[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
Other
Officials at the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District attributed a two-year delay in a safety-barrier project to issues associated with the acquisition of Shimmick Construction.
2015
AECOM completes URS transaction[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
M&A
The completed combination broadened AECOM’s engineering, government, construction, and technical-services platform.
2014
AECOM announces acquisition of URS Corporation[1]AECOMen.wikipedia.org
M&A
AECOM announced a cash-and-stock transaction to acquire URS, an engineering, construction, and technical-services company.

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