Who We Are
We are an employee-owned, multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm serving clients across North America and beyond. Our team of engineers, scientists, technologists and support staff is dedicated to excellence in engineering and project management.
We believe success is built on trust, clear communication, proper planning and a dedication to quality. For us, the strength of our relationships is just as vital as the expertise applied to our work. We’re proud to cultivate a culture where our partners and people can thrive.
The KGS Commitments
Our relationships are built strong by making and fulfilling these commitments to every client on every project:
- Continuous stewardship: Every project has a single project manager from start to finish with oversight from our most senior and experienced leaders.
- Outperform, overdeliver: Paying close attention to small details, being on-site when it works for you and finding ways to go above and beyond – these are badges we wear with pride.
- Comprehensive communication: We listen carefully, confirm assumptions, offer options and provide information in a clear and timely fashion. We make sure we deliver what you want.
- Better outcomes: We take the time to plan well. It’s an investment that always pays off.
We put our clients and our people first, never taking the easy way out. We prioritize long-term thinking and go above and beyond on every project, every time. When you work with us, you get a seasoned team who understands and cares for your project as deeply as you. That’s Experience in Action.
Our Purpose
Our Vision
Our Mission
40 Years of excellence
From a bold vision in 1986 to the multidisciplinary, employee-owned firm we are today, KGS Group has always been driven by people and a dedication to engineering excellence. Whether you’re a client, a partner or a member of our talented team, thank you for being part of our story.
Our History
Four engineers – Demetrios Kontzamanis, Helmut Graumann, J. Bert Smith and Dave MacMillan – set out to build an engineering firm driven by a singular, shared conviction: that excellence is custom-made, and custom-made is personal.
Operating from a downtown Winnipeg office, we secured our very first project with Boise Cascade at the Kenora and Fort Frances Pulp and Paper Mills. Around this time, we officially became KGS Group, named after our founders.
With momentum growing and more work coming in, we moved to the third floor of 1565 Willson Place. In those early days, our professional “business sign” was a piece of paper taped to the door.
Our first big break was a feasibility study for the rehabilitation of Lac Seul Dam for Ontario Hydro, now Ontario Power Generation (OPG). We also completed detailed design and contract administration, cementing our decades-long relationship with OPG.
We purchased our own office space at 3227 Roblin Boulevard. Formerly the iconic Mattheos Restaurant, the building was a local landmark. Clients would visit and reminisce about the community they found there.
With a large portion of our work taking place in northwest Ontario, we opened our first regional office in Thunder Bay.
During the historic 1997 Flood of the Century, KGS Group was at the forefront of the emergency response. Following the crisis, we were selected for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as the prime consultant to expand the Floodway over the next 17 years.
To accommodate our steady growth, we constructed our own headquarters at 865 Waverley Street. This building was designed to show the community we were here for the long haul and established a central hub where our team continues to innovate today.
Drawing on our deep hydropower experience, we expanded our Ontario presence, opening an office in Mississauga. Starting with a single employee, this team has grown through three offices before settling into our current space.
KGS expanded its industrial reach with major ethanol plant upgrades for Husky Energy in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, and Minnedosa, Manitoba. These projects were notable for our early adoption of 3D modelling, which was a cutting-edge approach at the time.
With our expertise expanding across the prairies, we opened our first Saskatchewan office in Regina.
Within the remote, sub-arctic climate of the Yukon, KGS was retained for the expansion of the Mayo B Hydroelectric Facility. We entered into an early contractor involvement alliance partnership, sharing the financial risks and project rewards, a first of its kind in the Canadian hydroelectric industry.
We significantly expanded our municipal, structural, and electrical capabilities in Saskatchewan by acquiring three established firms: Donovan Engineering, MR2 McDonald and Associates and EMC Engineering.
With business rapidly expanding, we leased our second Winnipeg office location at 895 Waverley, adjacent to our headquarters. Subsequently we expanded to fill the entire building in 2023.
KGS entered the U.S. market with the opening of our Seattle, Washington office. Anchored in hydropower and dam engineering, the team has grown and relocated to a new space in 2025.
As our work grew across the Prairies, the need for a Saskatoon office became clear. We have since moved to a larger space to accommodate our growing team.
After over 30 years of engineering excellence, it was time to elevate our brand. We underwent a complete rebrand and launched a new website, embracing our future while honouring our foundation.
We established our Vancouver office, marking another step in our Western Canadian expansion. To keep pace with our growing team, we moved to larger offices in 2022 and again into our newest space in 2025.
We acquired HydroPower Performance Engineering (HPPE), a hydro turbine testing company. This significantly expanded our services, allowing us to offer these services to our clients under one coordinated team.
As our U.S. operations continued to generate momentum, we opened an office in Sacramento, welcoming a new team to expand our hydropower services.
KGS Group acquired Soli Solutions – a Saskatchewan civil engineering firm specializing in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure. This acquisition was key to expanding our transportation services.
In a nod to our humble beginnings, our ongoing growth led us to lease additional space back at 1565 Willson Place – the very place that served as one of our original offices in 1986.
KGS Group acquired MORR Transportation Consulting – a respected Manitoba-based firm specializing in transportation engineering and planning. This acquisition expanded our capabilities to deliver end-to-end transportation solutions to our clients.
In partnership with Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, we established Ganawendan Aki, an environmental services, Indigenous-led firm built on cultural integrity and technical excellence.
KGS marks its 40th anniversary with a team of more than 700 professionals working throughout North America and beyond.
Our Founders
In the summer of 1986, our four founding Principals – Demetrios Kontzamanis, Helmut Graumann, J. Bert Smith and Dave MacMillan – chose to leave the security of their traditional engineering firms. They formed KGS Group in pursuit of a shared vision: excellence is custom-made, and custom-made is personal.
The early days required grit and determination to build and grow a new company. Ultimately, their perseverance, focus on quality and commitment to lasting relationships led to success. To this day, we remain faithful to the ideals our Founders modelled for us: we are dedicated to excellence, we have the discipline to consistently deliver KGS quality, we embrace challenges and we build lifelong relationships with our clients and our people.
