HAKS celebrates 25th anniversary in 2016

New York — HAKS, a 650-person, full-service consulting firm, is celebrating its 25th year of continuous operation in 2016.  Its diverse workforce specializes in construction management/inspection, environmental services, engineering, architecture/facilities design, land surveying, material testing, and special inspections.

Headquartered in the heart of New York City’s financial district, HAKS maintains 14 branch offices — 13 along the Eastern seaboard and one in Houston — as well as international offices in India and Bahrain.  Always client-focused, its goal is to improve the communities it serves while enhancing social, economic and environmental conditions.

HAKS prides itself on its numerous, long-standing client relationships, many of which began with the firm’s inception in 1991.  Recent projects that represent the firm’s diverse and extensive portfolio include construction management services for the $400 million Gilboa Dam Reconstruction for the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP); inspection for $360 million of construction on the Gowanus Expressway for the NYS Department of Transportation and for the $191 million St. George Ferry Terminal Ramps for the NYC Department of Transportation; and construction management for the new $72 million New Haven Bus Maintenance Facility for the Connecticut Department of Transportation. 

HAKS also is inspecting bridges from Maine to Pennsylvania, including long-span structures such as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge in Connecticut and the Throgs Neck Bridge in NYC; restoring critical services following Superstorm Sandy, including a $132 million rehabilitation of the Gravesend Houses in Brooklyn for the NYC Housing Authority and the $100 million St. George Interlocking repairs for MTA-New York City Transit (MTA-NYCT); and performing design for the $48 million replacement and widening of a 620-foot bridge over Swatara Creek and a section of highway for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

HAKS’ Special Inspections and Material Testing group is performing high-profile work at the World Trade Center, Hudson Yards and the Bayonne Bridge, and has provided inspections worldwide for the NYCDEP and MTA-NYCT.  Its Surveying and Mapping group is employing cutting-edge technology such as Mobile LiDAR and its Environmental practice is helping clients mitigate risks and maximize opportunities related to sustainability, climate change, energy use, and the environment.

Chairman and CEO Husam Ahmad, notes, “I am both humbled and proud to be leading this firm of talented and dedicated staff.  From our inception as a two-person minority business enterprise, HAKS has grown steadily to become not only the largest minority-owned engineering firm in the New York City metropolitan area but the 9th largest New York-area engineering firm, according to a recent survey by Crain’s New York.  We thank our clients for the opportunities given us, and the men and women of HAKS who deliver excellence every day.”

Adds President Michael Shamma, “As a relative newcomer to HAKS, I could not help but be inspired by Husam’s perseverance, positive attitude, and work ethic.  HAKS’ early success was due, in part, to programs established to assist disadvantaged startups. Husam continues to give back by actively supporting the next generation of startups.  In this spirit, I am serving as an instructor in HAKS’ ongoing Mentoring Program for M/W/DBEs to offer them first-hand knowledge of how to establish themselves in the industry and achieve a position in the market.”

HAKS will be celebrating its Silver Jubilee throughout 2016 by continuing to earn the trust and respect of its clients and empowering its employees to grow and flourish.