This article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of Building Arkansas.
Overview
Walter P Moore, an international engineering firm based in Houston, has expanded with a new office in Bentonville to support strategic growth in the region.
As the lead civil engineering firm for the 350-acre Walmart Home Office campus, Walter P Moore has been involved in the project since its inception in 2018. The campus, featuring 31 offices, amenities, and parking structures, is slated to open in the first quarter of 2025.
Campus Expertise
Ted Vuong, P.E., LEED AP, ENV SP, managing director of civil engineering in Walter P Moore’s Houston and Bentonville offices, shared that more than 80 engineers and staff contributed to the Walmart project.
“Our expertise focused upon master planning, civil engineering, water resources engineering, traffic and transportation planning, and site structural engineering,” Vuong said.
The firm provided structural engineering and construction services for the campus’s retail sections and specialty projects. With its expertise in designing large-scale campus facilities and technically complex projects such as the ExxonMobil campus in Houston, it was well prepared for the project.
“We have the ability to assign the necessary number of strategic, technical, and planning personnel to ensure the successful delivery of a world-class campus to the owner, stakeholders, and the community,” Vuong said.
Having an established presence in northwest Arkansas the past six years allowed the firm to plant roots. Its Bentonville office is growing thanks to the Walmart project and additional ones that have created more opportunity in the region. The firm plans to increase the Bentonville-based staff by as many as 10 people in 2025, beginning with a regional managing director followed by staff engineers and designers.
Vuong aims to create an environment for professional growth that addresses the firm’s client relationships in northwest Arkansas.
“Our office provides the opportunity to work on projects that will bring significant changes to the community,” Vuong said.
Regional Opportunity
Additionally, Walter P Moore focuses on providing an “extraordinary client experience” for its wide scope of project clientele.
“We are here to help, lead, and guide our clients through the process of problem solving and development,” Vuong said. “We become deeply invested in the partnership with our clients and serve as their trusted advisors to help them deliver their project vision to the community where they live, work, play, and serve.”
In addition to the new Walmart Home Office campus, Walter P Moore is collaborating and providing civil engineering services for regional projects including the Alice L. Walton Foundation, Mercy, Heartland Whole Health Institute, and Cleveland Clinic Campus, which will expand access to healthcare in northwest Arkansas. This project is especially important to the region because it will deliver transformative, value-based care focused on reducing cost while also offering innovative specialties and integrating virtual care.
Other Walter P Moore projects in northwest Arkansas include the new 115,000-square-foot University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Health Orthopedics & Sports Performance Center in Springdale. The firm is also working on large projects in Bella Vista, Highfill, and Fayetteville.
“We are very fortunate and honored to be doing a lot of projects that will change the landscape of northwest Arkansas,” Vuong added.
Highlighting their commitment to the region, their impactful work on the Walmart campus, and their relationships with local leaders and philanthropists, Walter P Moore was honored with Bentonville’s inaugural Design Firm of the Year Award in the Large-Scale Development category in 2024.
