More than 150 gathered Wednesday (Nov. 12) at the Fort Smith office of Mickle Griffin Engineers & Surveyors to mark the company’s 70th anniversary and recognize Pat Mickle and others who helped the company become a leading civil engineering firm in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The firm began in 1955 when James Mickle, a World War II veteran from North Dakota, moved to Fort Smith to work with the Harry Kelley family. James would partner with Neal Wagner and form what is now a firm with more than 32 employees. Many major infrastructure projects in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma were engineered by Mickle and Wagner.
Some of the company’s high-profile projects include the Lake Fort Smith expansion in the 1990s, survey work and initial route selection for the 48-inch water transmission line from Lake Fort Smith to the city, Lake Ozark dam and water treatment plant in the 1960s and 1970s, the widening of Old Greenwood Road, Massard Road, and Phoenix Avenue in Fort Smith, large subdivision work that included Riley Farms between Fort Smith and Greenwood and Eagle Crest in Alma, participation in master land use planning for the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, and the city of Barling master water system plan in 2025.
“There’s a very good chance, I’d say near certainty, that my grandfather, my father, or the professionals at this firm had a hand in designing, improving, or maintaining some bit of that infrastructure,” Josh Mickle said Wednesday at the event. “That’s not a boast; it’s simply a reflection of 70 years of continuous service to this region. And that’s how I see the story of 70 years, not written on pages, but built in concrete and steel, flowing through water lines, and paved on the streets of our communities.”
James died in 1985, and his son Pat would lead the company for almost 40 years. Pat is widely known in construction circles as the person to go to with complex projects, especially if they needed municipal approval.
‘GOLD STANDARD’
Rocky Walker, with Fort Smith-based Cobblestone Homes Real Estate, and past president of the Greater Fort Smith Home Builders Association, said Pat was “the go-to guy” when complicated projects needed city of Fort Smith approval.
“They are the gold-standard in engineering, especially in this community,” Walker said of the firm. “If you have a disagreement with the city, you want Pat Mickle on your side because you knew you were in good hands. Pat knows everything about everything, and he’s always been an asset.”
Dallas Forsgren, chief operations officer with Forsgren, one of the largest construction firms in the region, said project plans designed by the Mickle firm are “always well-drawn and thought through, which makes it easier on us.”
“They’ve been a pillar of the community for a long time,” Forsgren said. “I know that there are other engineers in the area, but I feel like they’ve engineered almost everything around here. They have a great reputation, and I know Josh and his partner are carrying that on.”
COMPANY SUPPORT
Josh noted in his remarks that his father, Pat, was part of a bigger group of folks who helped the company succeed.
Neal Wagner worked at the firm for 59 years.
“When he started in 1955, he was surveying with transits and chains. When he retired, we were using GPS satellites and robotic total stations,” Josh said about Wagner. “He trained generations of surveyors and set standards for precision and professionalism that continue today.”
Randy Coleman was a partner at the firm for 40 years, with Josh joking that Coleman continued to work at the firm through three “retirement attempts.” Josh said Coleman “helped keep the wheels on the bus during some very rough times.”
Johna Autry was James Mickle’s secretary for almost 40 years, with Josh saying she has the best stories and “knows where all the skeletons are buried.” Dolores Shelby, Josh said, worked in the company’s environmental testing lab and has had a key role in helping the engineers complete projects large and small.
“She ran data testing, and made sure that every soil sample, every concrete cylinder, every test result was accurate and reliable,” Josh said of Shelby.
NEW LEADERSHIP
Josh and Nick Griffin began their leadership of the company in early 2023. Josh earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M, and a master’s degree in business administration-finance from Pepperdine University. He spent 10 years working with Birmingham, England-based GKN Aerospace before returning to Fort Smith.
“I got a decade of experience learning how large public firms operated, and got my wish to see the world,” Josh said. “But in late 2022, and at the suggestion of my wife Kate, came home to Fort Smith with a clear intention: carry this legacy forward as the third generation.”
Griffin was with Mickle Wagner Coleman for 12 years working with Pat, and was then with Fort Smith-based ArcBest for seven years helping design the shipping and logistics company’s construction and maintenance projects. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in business management from Harding University. Griffin would leave ArcBest to partner with Josh.
“We’ve preserved relationships that go back 70 years while building new ones,” Griffin said in a statement. “We’ve maintained the technical excellence this firm has always been known for while adopting a more modern approach to design and plan production.”
