McKim & Creed Taps Miguez to Lead Surveying Amid Infrastructure Boom

CHARLESTON, S.C. – April 07, 2026 – In a significant strategic move, employee-owned engineering firm McKim & Creed has announced the promotion of Nick Miguez to the newly created role of National Survey Director. The appointment is the cornerstone of a broader organizational restructuring designed to centralize its extensive surveying operations and capitalize on the surging demand for large-scale infrastructure development across the United States.

The Charleston-based firm, a consistent presence on Engineering News-Record's (ENR) Top 500 Design Firms list, also elevated four other leaders to regional survey director and manager positions. This comprehensive leadership overhaul signals a proactive response to a clear industry shift, where clients increasingly require integrated, multi-region service delivery for complex projects.

Responding to a National Infrastructure Push

The timing of McKim & Creed's reorganization is not coincidental. It aligns directly with a period of historic investment in American infrastructure, largely fueled by legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This has unlocked substantial funding for upgrading roads, bridges, water systems, and the energy grid—all sectors that form the core of the firm's business and rely heavily on precise, technologically advanced surveying and geomatics.

As projects grow in scale and cross state lines, engineering firms face new challenges in ensuring consistent quality, managing resources, and providing clients with seamless service. The traditional model of siloed, state-by-state operations is proving insufficient for the scope of modern infrastructure programs. By creating a national directorship, McKim & Creed is positioning itself to offer a more cohesive and efficient solution, capable of deploying expertise and technology wherever it is needed across its ten-state operational footprint.

A New Era of Centralized Leadership

As National Survey Director, Nick Miguez will be responsible for the strategic direction, operational excellence, and technological innovation of all firmwide survey operations. Miguez brings a wealth of experience in professional land surveying and project management, with expertise spanning construction layout, boundary surveys, topographic mapping, and critical emergency response support.

His career has seen him direct complex survey operations for a diverse client base, including departments of transportation, energy companies, port authorities, and private developers. This background provides him with a comprehensive understanding of the technical and logistical demands of the firm's key markets.

"Nick has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and a commitment to delivering accurate, timely surveying services," said David Jones, McKim & Creed's Senior Vice President of Geomatics. "He upholds the highest standards of compliance and documentation, and his technical expertise makes him the ideal choice to lead our surveying operations as we continue to grow and innovate."

This centralized leadership model is expected to standardize best practices, streamline resource allocation of personnel and advanced equipment, and foster a more robust culture of knowledge sharing between regional teams. For clients with multi-state projects, this structure promises greater efficiency and a consistent standard of high-quality service.

Strengthening Regional Expertise

While the creation of a national director centralizes strategy, McKim & Creed’s reorganization simultaneously reinforces its regional strength. The announcement included the promotions of four key individuals to bolster local leadership:

• Chad Burchette to Regional Director of Survey, Mid-Atlantic
• Matt Roberts to Regional Director of Survey, North Carolina
• Tyler Ware to Regional Director of Survey, South Carolina
• Ryan Lockhart to Regional Manager of Survey, Wilmington (NC)

This dual approach demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the market: national oversight to manage large-scale contracts and empowered regional leaders who possess deep knowledge of local regulations, environments, and client needs. The specific focus on Wilmington, North Carolina, with a dedicated regional manager, highlights the firm's targeted approach to capturing growth in key development hotspots.

This enhanced structure ensures that while the firm can compete for and execute massive infrastructure projects, it does not lose the agility and localized expertise that have been hallmarks of its success. It is a strategy designed to blend national capability with regional responsiveness.

Driving Innovation with Advanced Geomatics

The new leadership structure is also tasked with accelerating the firm's adoption and integration of advanced geomatics technologies. McKim & Creed has already established itself as a leader in deploying cutting-edge tools, and this reorganization aims to ensure these capabilities are leveraged uniformly across all operations.

The firm's technological arsenal includes airborne and mobile Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) for creating highly accurate 3D maps of terrain and corridors, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for rapid and cost-effective data collection, and advanced hydrographic survey methods.

Perhaps most critically, the company is a prominent provider of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE). Using technologies like ground-penetrating radar and vacuum excavation, SUE accurately maps underground utilities before construction begins. This service is vital for preventing costly and dangerous utility strikes, a major risk in any modern infrastructure project. Under the new leadership, the goal will be to further integrate these services, providing clients with a complete and precise digital picture of their project sites, both above and below ground. This commitment to technology, guided by experienced leadership, is fundamental to the firm's strategy for delivering value and mitigating risk for its clients in the years to come.