October 6th, 2011
Century West Engineering President Announces Retirement
Ned Dempsey played a crucial role in preparing Bend for population growth
J. Ned Dempsey has retired as president of Century West Engineering Corp. after nearly four decades with the company. He will continue to serve as chairman of its board of directors.
A native of Kansas, Dempsey earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from San Jose State University and moved to Bend in 1973. He joined Century West that year and became its president in 1980. Dempsey led the company to become one of America’s top 500 engineering firms, based on revenue.
During his leadership, Dempsey guided the sale of the company to its employees and fostered a high level of employee involvement in crafting Century West’s strategic plan. He also led a major reorganization and refocusing on core services, which allowed Century West to grow and prosper despite this difficult economic climate.
Dempsey was instrumental in preparing Bend for the population growth that began during the 1980s. As a project manager involved in expanding Bend’s sewer system, he applied for and received what was then the largest funding package the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had ever awarded nationally. The funding made possible a five-year, $54 million modernization of the city’s wastewater treatment and sewer systems.
The Redmond Airport also benefited from Dempsey’s expertise several times over the last three decades. In 1975, he won a contract to improve its runways. Since then, Century West’s portfolio of aviation services work has grown to include more than 800 projects related to airport master planning; the design and construction of runways, taxiways and parking aprons; and lighting and other navigational aids.
A longtime advocate of sustainability both within his company and beyond it, Dempsey founded the Center of Sustainability in Oregon, co-chaired Oregon’s Climate Change Integration Group, served two terms on the Oregon Sustainability Board and was vice-chairman of the Oregon Futures Research Commission. The prestigious Julian Prize for Sustainability, awarded annually by the Oregon chapter of the American Public Works Association, is named for him in honor of his commitment to eco-friendly best practices.
“I can’t imagine a better way to have spent the last 38 years than as a member of this great firm,” Dempsey said. “There have been good times and there have been hard times, but today I see a great team of skilled professionals committed to doing the right things and doing them right. If some part of that is what will be called my ‘legacy,’ I couldn’t be more proud to have that on my resumé.”
Founded in 1969, Century West employs 45 people in its offices in Portland, Bend, Spokane and Ellensburg, Wash., and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
