Horner & Shifrin buys Utah traffic engineer O'Neill & Company

Horner & Shifrin has acquired Salt Lake City-based O'Neill & Company, adding a traffic engineering team with deep Utah Department of Transportation ties and more than 400 signal designs statewide. The combined firm will operate under the Horner & Shifrin name and keep the existing Salt Lake City team in place.

Why it matters: - The deal expands Horner & Shifrin’s full-service engineering footprint in Utah and across the West. - Clients now get one team that can handle projects from planning and funding support through design and construction. - The combined firm is better positioned for larger transportation work tied to UDOT’s multi-year capital program. - O'Neill & Company adds local traffic expertise and established client relationships in a market where infrastructure spending is accelerating.

What happened: - Horner & Shifrin announced the acquisition of O'Neill & Company on August 3, 2026. - O'Neill & Company is a Salt Lake City traffic engineering firm founded by Carrie O'Neill, PE, in 2012. - The entire O'Neill & Company team will join Horner & Shifrin. - Carrie O'Neill will continue to lead the Salt Lake City office as VP, Regional Manager. - The combined firm will operate as Horner & Shifrin. - Clients will keep working with the same team under existing agreements, with no interruption in service.

The details: - Horner & Shifrin is 100-percent employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and has been since 1987. - The firm was founded in St. Louis in 1933 and now serves clients from nine offices across Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Salt Lake City. - Horner & Shifrin has more than 200 professionals. - Transportation is the firm’s largest practice. - The firm’s transportation work includes roadway and bridge design, roadway safety, major intersection projects and design-build delivery for state departments of transportation. - Horner & Shifrin also provides water, wastewater and stormwater, building systems, environmental planning and permitting, geospatial mapping, surveying, roadway structural design, drainage engineering and environmental planning services. - The firm reports a 94% client satisfaction rating. - O'Neill & Company has designed more than 400 traffic signals across Utah for UDOT, counties and municipalities. - O'Neill & Company’s recent work includes corridor signal synchronization projects for Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, roadway lighting corridors, and pedestrian and school-zone safety improvements. - O'Neill & Company provides preconstruction engineering services including traffic signal design, roadway design, roadway lighting design, intelligent transportation systems design, utility coordination and design oversight. - O'Neill & Company staff hold professional registrations in nine western states. - Horner & Shifrin says the acquisition strengthens its national growth strategy in markets with rising infrastructure investment.

Between the lines: - The transaction pairs a large employee-owned platform with a niche local practice that already has strong public-sector relationships. - Keeping the Utah team and leadership in place reduces the risk of client disruption during the transition. - The move also gives Horner & Shifrin a stronger base for winning multi-discipline transportation work in Utah and nearby states.

What's next: - Horner & Shifrin will appear at the Utah Transportation Conference this fall with team members from St. Louis and Utah. - The combined team is inviting current partners, clients and industry colleagues to connect at the conference. - Clients and partners can still reach the Salt Lake City office through existing O'Neill & Company contacts.