Bartlett & West's Topeka office building in 1999
Bartlett & West's Topeka office building in 1999
Joe Bichler working in Bartlett & West's Bismarck office
Joe Bichler working in Bartlett & West's Bismarck office
Southwest Pipeline Project led to the establishment of Bartlett & West's Bismarck office
Southwest Pipeline Project led to the establishment of Bartlett & West's Bismarck office
Darron Ammann working on Kansas University Rain Garden in 2009
Darron Ammann working on Kansas University Rain Garden in 2009
Keith Watra, Joe Bichler, Steve Briman and other participate in a ribbon cutting in front of Bartlett & West's Topeka office
Keith Watra, Joe Bichler, Steve Briman and other participate in a ribbon cutting in front of Bartlett & West's Topeka office
Construction on Mid-Dakota Rural Water system in 1998
Construction on Mid-Dakota Rural Water system in 1998

Celebrating 75 Years

Founded by Charlie West and Harry (Bus) Bartlett in 1951, Bartlett & West was a small but entrepreneurial firm. Our early success was tied to land development projects, working on a portion of the Kansas Turnpike. And after designing Kansas' first rural water system in 1956, we were known as pioneers in rural water.

1985 was a pivotal year for Bartlett & West as eight project managers bought the firm from Charlie West and the profit sharing plan was converted into an ESOP, which today still owns 100 percent of our firm's stock.

Since that time, by putting our clients and our communities first, we have expanded our services and grown to a nationally-ranked top engineering firm.

Bus Bartlett, Charlie West and the first group of employees at Bartlett & West
Bartlett & West has always been our project engineer, and we couldn’t have done it without them… My experience with Bartlett & West over the decades has been phenomenal. If you want to hire the best, hire Bartlett & West.
Mary Massad, Retired CEO of Southwest Water Authority
Photo of Mary Massad
Bartlett & West makes a difference in people's lives through the projects we do, and by the contributions and the volunteer efforts that we make in our communities.
Jackie Shufelberger, Retired Bartlett & Wester
Photo of Jackie Shufelberger
The way employee-ownership influenced the work culture was that it gave people a feeling of engagement and empowerment. … We had just—we, meaning all of the employees in the company—had just purchased the company, and we were ready to go. We had a fire in our belly, and we started to grow rapidly.
Mike Dunnaway, Retired Bartlett & West President
Photo of Mike Dunnaway
employee ownership

Employee-Ownership

Employee-ownership is a benefit and a responsibility

As a 100% employee-owned company, every employee at Bartlett & West has a stake in the future of our company. That means we expect everyone to provide input, share ideas and challenge the status quo.