Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Hecla
B.S. Civil Engineering ,
M.S. Civil Engineering ,
Richard Bell was active in the Department of Environmental Health Engineering in the U.S. Army following his graduation from South Dakota State College and began working for HDR Engineering Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska in 1974. Bell led the successful 1996 employee buy-back of HDR from Bouygues, SA, after their 13-year ownership. HE was named HDR president and CEO in 1996, and chairman in 1977. Under his guidance, the number of HDR offices more than tripled, the number of employees more than doubles and the company revenues grew by more than 150 percent. He was responsible for directing all HDR operations and ensuring the appropriate resources were available for each project. He was personally involved in major projects and client relationships, providing design review and supporting project managers in performance of team tasks. Bell had extensive experience in engineering design, project planning, management, coordination and client liaison. He specialized in solid waste management projects, conducting studies on collections, waste quantities, markets and feasibility of energy and resource recovery from solid waste. His expertise in the waste-to-energy segment of the business was instrumental in HDR becoming a leader in the field. He was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year in Iowa and Nebraska in 2002.