Boise firm McMillen receives national award for work on the largest dam removal project in history

IBR Contributor//May 11, 2026//

Mort McMillen and Richard Roos-Collins posing with ACEC Grand Conceptor Award.

IBR Contributor//May 11, 2026//

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McMillen, a Boise‑headquartered environmental, engineering and construction firm, has received the Grand Conceptor Award, the highest honor awarded by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), for its role in the Klamath River Renewal Project, the largest dam removal and river restoration effort in history.

The project was recognized at ACEC’s 59th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, a nationally juried competition honoring the most outstanding engineering achievements in the country.

The national recognition highlights McMillen’s leadership as Owner’s Representative and Construction Manager and its ability to deliver complex, multi‑stakeholder infrastructure projects across multiple states and regulatory jurisdictions. In this role, McMillen supported coordination among six Tribal nations, more than 21 agencies, and dozens of public, private and nonprofit partners.

Led by the Hoopa, Karuk, Yurok, Shasta, Klamath and Modoc Tribes, the Klamath River Renewal Project reopened more than 400 miles of historic habitat and restored natural river function to a system blocked for over a century. Within months of final dam removal, salmon and lamprey returned to upstream reaches not accessed for generations.

About McMillen: McMillen is a Boise‑headquartered engineering, environmental and construction firm specializing in water resources and infrastructure projects.

Additional project details and media assets are available at mcmillen.com/newsroom.