Engineering Excellence Awards

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) has awarded McMillen, Inc., of Boise, Idaho, its top award at the annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) gala. The Grand Conceptor was awarded to the Klamath River Renewal Project in Klamath Falls, Ore., and Hornbrook, Calif., the world’s largest dam removal and river restoration effort.

Once the third-largest salmon-producing river system on the West Coast, the Klamath River had been blocked for more than a century by four aging hydroelectric dams. The Klamath River Renewal Project reopened over 400 miles of habitat, reconnected tributaries, and returned numerous river corridors and floodplains to their historic alignment. Through precision engineering and innovative environmental design, the project is already delivering results beyond expectations including reviving native salmonid populations, strengthening ecosystem resilience, and expanding regional economic and recreational opportunities.

Led by the vision and leadership of the Hoopa, Karuk, Yurok, Shasta, Klamath, and Modoc Tribes—and strengthened by the contributions of more than 40 partner organizations—this unprecedented collaboration demonstrates what’s possible when cultural stewardship, ecological science, and engineering excellence align to heal a river system once thought beyond repair.

As owner’s representative for the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, McMillen’s team provided technical expertise and played a central role in bridging differences and translating competing goals into a coordinated and executable path forward. Technical working groups, workshops, and continuous support ensured that all voices were heard and incorporated into decision-making. Through this collaborative approach, McMillen helped the project overcome decades of division and deliver a successful plan for dam removal and river restoration.

Judging for the awards program took place in February and was conducted by a national panel of 32 members of leaders in the built environment, along with experts from government, media, and academia. Award criteria focused on uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, and excitement generated toward the engineering profession.