Founded by Hibbett Neel, PE, and Gorman Schaffer in 1983, Neel-Schaffer is a multi-disciplined engineering, planning, and construction management firm that today ranks as one of the largest privately held, employee-owned engineering firms in the South.
Mr. Schaffer retired as Executive Vice President in 2012 and Mr. Neel served as the firm’s President and Chief Executive Officer until April 15, 2022. Joey Hudnall, PE, now serves as the firm’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Neel now serves as the Chairman of the firm’s Board of Directors.
Headquartered in Jackson, MS, the firm operates 39 offices and has locations in nine states. Its corporate structure enables Neel-Schaffer to maintain a strong commitment to local communities while providing access to engineering expertise on multiple levels. Engineering News-Record has listed Neel-Schaffer among the Top 500 Design Firms in the United States annually since 1994, with that ranking reaching 202nd in 2024.
Neel-Schaffer’s core disciplines include Transportation, Water, Civil/Site, Environmental Services, and Support Services. We offer a wide variety of engineering services under each of those disciplines.
Neel-Schaffer also operates in unison with two sister firms that are subsidiaries of Neel Schaffer Engineers & Planners. Maptech, Inc., provides survey and GIS services, and True North Emergency Management provides disaster monitoring and hazard mitigation services across the country.
With a bevy of highly trained and experienced professional and technical employees, Neel-Schaffer has the capacity to provide high quality services on compressed schedules, on time and within budget.
Mr. Neel and Mr. Schaffer stressed four principles that resonate with all employees to this day:
- Serve the communities in which we live and work
- Provide multi-disciplined services of the highest quality
- Give back to the communities we serve
- Pledge to be employee-owned
“These principles have provided the direction of Neel-Schaffer,” said Mr. Neel. “Our goal today continues to be to become an extension of our clients’ staff by providing resources and/or capacity they do not possess in-house.”
For more information about the firm, contact Kelly Tam, PCM, CDMP, Vice President, Marketing.
