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Kansas City-based Dialectic Engineering has hired a chief people officer to help foster more growth as the company expands; it's the firm's first executive-level HR position.
Amy Simmons, who has been board director and chair of the employee-owned firm since 2019, has stepped out of her board service role and now joins forces with the company, which was named as a Best Places to Work honoree in 2020.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Simmons previously ran an HR consulting firm and worked in talent acquisition and recruitment for Abbott, Garmin and HNTB, among others.
Simmons has a reputation for developing high-performing teams that deliver results in engineering, tech and health care, according to a release.
“Amy is a passionate business strategist with a clear understanding of human resources’ influence on a company’s vision, mission and strategic goals,” Dialectic CEO Greg Trees said in the release. “Her broad experience with all aspects of human resources will be an important asset as we grow our firm and the ESOP for our employees.”
Dialectic has increased its employee base by 79% since 2019, expanding its existing office space in 2019 to nearly double its size. Simmons fully understands the opportunities that come with growth, along with the challenge of recruiting new employees for positions that require highly specialized qualifications and experience, according to the release.
“I’ve always had an enterprising mindset,” Simmons said. “Operationalizing HR while applying innovation and creativity for attracting and retaining top talent is a tremendous opportunity. Understanding Dialectic’s operations, I’m ready to make a substantial business impact while nurturing the fun, inclusive diverse culture of this growing ESOP.”
Dialectic is No. 20 on Kansas City Business Journal's most recent Engineering Firms List, ranked by local licensed engineers.
Trees credits the firm's employee-ownership model for its growth, with a 26% increase in revenue in 2021.
Local licensed engineers
| Rank | Prior Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Burns & McDonnell |
2 | 2 | Black & Veatch |
3 | 3 | Kiewit Engineering Group |