You’re responsible for delivering a complex project and you need a firm that checks all the boxes. You need a trusted partner who sees the big picture, sweats the details, and understands exactly what it takes to get your project across the finish line on time, on budget, and with purpose.
AHBL works with clients to shape the future of our communities, without half-measures or isolated thinking. Whether it’s a new school, a civic space, or critical infrastructure, success demands sharp minds, shared goals, and a partner who understands how to navigate every layer, from early planning to final walk-through.
Founded in 1969 with a vision to elevate the built environment through collaboration, AHBL has grown into a trusted team of civil and structural engineers, planners, landscape architects, and surveyors working as one. Across Washington State, we’ve earned a reputation for being the team you call when you need someone who knows how to spot problems before they arise.
Our approach is simple: connect early, design smart, and build strong. We’re known for our responsiveness, regulatory fluency, and boots-on-the-ground understanding of what it takes to deliver. But more than that, we’re known for being people clients count on, again and again.
From comprehensive planning and critical infrastructure to inclusive parks and accessible public spaces, our work helps communities grow stronger and more connected. Partnering with AHBL means gaining a trusted ally whose expertise strengthens your team and helps bring your project to life. Here’s how we keep your project and vision moving forward:
Since 1969, AHBL has helped shape stronger communities through thoughtful planning, integrated design, and responsive service. Our work spans schools, healthcare facilities, parks, housing, and critical infrastructure. Each project reflects our commitment to technical excellence and collaboration.
As the industry evolves, so do we. We embrace new technologies, sustainable practices, and resilient design strategies that stand the test of time. Our history is more than a record of milestones; it’s a story of partnerships, problem-solving, and progress that continues to move communities forward.
AHBL began when Noel Adams started his structural engineering firm, Noel R. Adams, PE and Associates in 1969 in Fife, WA.
Geoff Hodsdon joined Noel to become Adams-Hodsdon & Associates, Inc. and continued to provide structural engineering services. Not long after that change, structural engineer Al Bessette joined the company.
In 1984 the firm was renamed Adams-Hodsdon & Bessette, Inc. (AHB, Inc.). By the end of 1987, AHB relocated its office from Fife to its current location in Old Town Tacoma off Ruston Way.
Realizing the synergy that a multidiscipline firm could offer, George Lindsay’s civil engineering firm merged with AHB, Inc., to become AHBL, Inc. In 1993, Len Zickler joined AHBL, championing the landscape architecture and land use planning departments as the third and fourth core disciplines. The Tacoma office staff grew from 35 employees to 58 employees over the decade.
J. Becker and Associates teamed with AHBL on projects throughout the late 1990s and merged with AHBL in 2002, adding AHBL’s fifth discipline of land surveying. AHBL opened its Seattle office in Pioneer Square in 2001 to serve clients in the Seattle-metro area and further north. In 2005, AHBL Seattle relocated to its current location in the Park Place Building on 6th and Seneca. AHBL opened its Spokane office in 2008, offering civil engineering, land use planning, and landscape architecture services to Eastern Washington. The 2000s ended with 97 staff members.
AHBL established its Tri-Cities office in Pasco in 2011, led by John Becker, and strengthened our presence in Eastern Washington for land surveying, civil engineering, and land use planning. In 2017, the Tri-Cities office relocated to their current location on Road 90 in Pasco. In 2019, AHBL celebrated its 50th Anniversary. The firm ended the decade with 125 employees.
In 2022, AHBL Spokane relocated to its current location to downtown Spokane on West Main Avenue. AHBL now employs over 135 professionals across five disciplines in four regional offices. Our success and reputation stem from exceptional principals and staff paired with a commitment to delivering top-quality services to our clients. We remain dedicated to growth, collaboration, and advocating for our clients. Our future is built on these enduring values.
What We Do
We live here. We build here. And we care about the communities we help shape.
While we have an array of experts under one roof, we work as a single, coordinated team. Through tight integration we anticipate and solve potential challenges quickly and keep the process running smoothly from concept to construction.
This approach is only as good as the people executing it, and we foster a culture built on developing people as well as projects. We believe in empowering our employees to take initiative and contribute meaningfully, because the success of every project starts with the professionals behind it.
Our Vision
To build enduring partnerships with clients and a workplace where every team member feels empowered to grow, contribute, and be valued for their vital role in creating infrastructure that serve communities for years to come.
Our Core Values
These values guide how we work with clients, partners, and each other.
Collaborative: We are advocates for our clients, and our clients are advocates for us. We assist them in achieving their goals, and they rely on the services we provide to realize their vision.
Problem Solvers: We are all proud of the exceptional work we do, delivering creative solutions for oftentimes complex and challenging scenarios.
Proactive: We are empowered, engaged, and enthusiastic.
Community-Rooted: We are respected and visible in our communities, where we actively contribute.
Responsive: We communicate proactively and efficiently, ensuring stakeholders are apprised and the work remains on track.
Excellence-Driven: Our actions are open, honest, and respectful. We lead with the highest moral integrity, which guides all our actions.
Clients have questions. We have answers.
AHBL offers a wide array of Services including:
It is critical that your project be performed by trained and qualified professionals. Our staff members are all highly qualified in their respective technical fields and have decades of project management experience. Each profession has their own certification process, and all our principals and directors hold these important designations. In addition to the professional certifications required to practice professional services, many of our team members hold additional certifications including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council and Design-Building Institute of American (DBIA) certification to provide measurable standard to evaluate a professional’s understanding and mastery of Design-Build Done Right®.
In addition to professional credentials, all our principals and directors have a minimum of two decades of experience in their respective disciplines. Working with seasoned professionals, like the AHBL engineering team, can help streamline your project’s process and may save you time and money. Our team has in-depth knowledge of the codes and regulations that apply to your project and experience and credibility with regulators.
Professional Certifications Processes in Washington
Professional Civil Engineering Licensing
The Professional Engineer license represents the field’s highest standard and offers quality assurance to our clients. To become a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Washington, you must earn a degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program, pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, and complete at least four years of progressive engineering experience under a licensed PE. After meeting these requirements, you must pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam in your discipline and apply with supporting documentation to the Washington State Board.
Structural Engineering Licensing
Professional Structural Engineer license represents the field’s highest standard and offers quality assurance to our clients. To become a licensed Structural Engineer (SE) in Washington, you must already hold a Professional Engineer (PE) license in the state, complete at least two additional years of progressive structural engineering experience beyond the eight years required for PE registration, and pass the NCEES Structural Engineering exam, which includes both breadth and depth sections. Applicants must also submit a detailed registration application with supporting documents, fees, and explanations of project work demonstrating structural design expertise.
Landscape Architects Licensing
To become a Professional Landscape Architect in Washington, landscape architects must take the landscape architect registration exam (L.A.R.E.), a four-part fully computerized exam designed to determine whether applicants for landscape architectural licensure possess sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide services without endangering the public’s health, safety, and welfare. The exam requires passing all four sections: Section 1: Project and Construction Management; Section 2: Inventory and Analysis; Section 3: Design; and Section 4: Grading, Drainage, and Construction Documentation.
Planning Certification
To become an AICP-Certified Planner, candidates must hold an accredited planning or related degree, gain the required professional planning experience (which varies by degree level), and pass the AICP Certification Exam offered twice annually in the U.S. Certification also requires ongoing professional development, including 32 hours every two years. These standards ensure planners have the education, experience, and skills to serve communities effectively.
Professional Land Surveyor Licensing
All AHBL’s land surveyors operate under the direction of a Professional Land Surveyor licensed in the project state where we’re working. To become licensed in Washington, you must have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college, university, or a combination of a two-year degree and relevant work experience. You must work for a minimum of four years under the direct supervision of a licensed professional land surveyor and then you must pass both state exams: the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) and the Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS).
While every project is unique, clients benefit from working with a consultant that has successfully worked on similar projects in the past. Previous relevant experience can help streamline the time it takes to complete your project. At AHBL, we bring decades of diverse engineering, planning, landscape architecture and surveying experience to every job. This experience allows us to foresee potential challenges and limit changes, saving time during the design, permitting, and construction process.
We understand that during the process there’s a good chance you will have questions and want project updates along the way. At AHBL, we are committed to communicating with our customers frequently and transparently on every project. AHBL’s communication standards for each project include:
Continual Staff Communication. There is no substitute for conversations between the AHBL team and our clients to ensure that progress is being made, and problems are avoided or resolved. We propose periodic check-in meetings that may be conducted by phone or in person, at the discretion of the client.
Progress Reports. AHBL is committed to providing the client with regular progress reports. As with other management tasks, we recommend that progress reporting be designed to facilitate communication rather than simply to fulfill contractual requirements. We have found that frequent email communication summarizing small management decisions usually eliminates the need for formal and long progress reports.
Interim Products. AHBL is committed to providing the client with the opportunity to review and provide comments at various stages of project delivery. We have found that products and presentations that share interim findings are both helpful resources to the client and increase efficiency. A lot of time can be saved by cutting back on formal products (reports and technical memorandum for public consumption) and using working documents to solicit feedback and achieve consensus on project direction.
A common mistake in project management is to assume that one can know everything of importance at the time the contract is signed. We recognize that projects can evolve as new technical, procedural, or external factors arise. While the initial scope provides a strong starting point, adjustments are sometimes unavoidable.
Most changes are handled within the agreed budget and timeline by revising interim deliverables and deadlines in collaboration with the client. For larger modifications, our proactive and transparent communication is key. Early discussions about scope, schedule, and budget allow us to address issues before they impact project delivery—keeping your project on track and aligned with your objectives.
Technical expertise matters—but so does clarity. AHBL delivers comprehensive, easy-to-understand reports and we take the time to explain data and solutions to ensure full client understanding.
We provide draft deliverables for client review and incorporate your feedback before finalizing. Our goal is to produce clearly written, technically sound documents that minimize revisions and save time. Throughout the process, we remain available to answer questions and address concerns. At AHBL, we’re not satisfied until you are.
AHBL is focused on shaping stronger communities one project at time. With decades of planning, design, and engineering experience, AHBL is the trusted partner for engineering, planning, landscape architecture, and land surveying in the Pacific Northwest. We deliver integrated solutions with responsiveness, regulatory fluency, and technical excellence—helping clients move projects forward from concept to construction with clarity, confidence, and lasting impact. Our principal group is active on all our projects, utilizing their vast experience and technical knowledge to effectively guide projects to a successful conclusion.
To get a better feel for the breath of our client list, you can review our portfolio of previous projects.
Our client-centric focus and large technical staff allows us to be highly responsive to our clients and the flexibility to deliver on time for our clients. We understand critical steps needed to get the project moving to minimize the total design time. At AHBL, we understand that time is money, and we strive to be on the forefront when it comes to delivering value-added services in a timely fashion. We bring a respect for client needs, budget, and schedule to every job.
We’ve got answers, and a knack for finding solutions.